If you had a WHOLE house to decorate from scratch, how would you do it?

[LadyOfWaffle]

We totally decorating the whole house, we have been here 18 months and everywhere was painted magnolia to do for now (it was awful before, white living room with a wonky lilac stripe!) and I am so so sick of it. Most walls need re-plastering anyway, so it really is from scratch. The only thing decided on is the flooring which is an wooden oak veneer. Now the work has started I cannot think how I want it, I keep changing my mind and really just have no idea now! Hopefully someone can give me some inspiration! We have DSs room to decorate (that's re-plastered now so reay to go), L - ish shape living/dining room, my room, bathroom, kitchen, hall ways and entrance hall inc. stairs and spare bedroom.

Two tips:

1. don't rush -- costly mistakes made that way. let each room evolve around things you already have that you like, and things you find to add.

1. Keep a file of ideas that you like from magazines.

Have fun!

My friend who is very arty and has the most wonderfully decorated house said this:

For each room, choose something small that you love - I might be an upholstered chair, a funky cushion, tile pattern, a certain lamp shade, or a paint colour...and then you build the rest of the room's theme and colours up from that one thing.

Do it slowly, definitely. That way you'll find stuff you like rather than have to search it out and your ideas will get a chance to evolve. Plus, it will give you an opportunity to look for the most cost effective way of doing things without pressure.

We have just done this (well the builders/decorators leave this week - hurrah !) and we have gone neutral, various creams and off whites (other than dd's room which is pink and white). We will then accessorise with colour.

i'd run away screaming - i'm hopeless at decisions

do you remember any dream rooms from the past? princess sara's attic from The Little Princess always did it for me

would love to do this!
the idea of apostrophe's friend is a good one...
and agree dont rush
get lots of swatches of things, live with them a while..

it might feel a bit daunting
do it room by room
well you will anyway but take one room at a time
connecting look to the hallways passageways etc?

Hairy, I would LOVE to do this as well. We have always lived in rented houses, but hopefully one day

Choosy - I totally agree about the attic from The Little Princess! Cosy and lovely and magic. Very inspiring.

astrophe..my finger are crossed..

OH I want a Cath Kidston type kitchen. Pale blue with white polka dots, chairs upholstered in mismatched floral fabrics. Blue and white cornish striped jars, scrubbed old pine kitchen table, welsh dresser, cream enamelled jug full of wild flowers.....sigh....

s...fingers!

dances..

sounds like a doris day nightmare setting theme you have going there...

remember when they cleaned up her cottage in calamity jane?

i have a white and grey kitchen infact its so nice it still feels like someone else's

Oi, fingerless freak, keep it to yourself. It's my dream. Grey I ask you...get a soul...

Wow, loads of replies! Would love love LOVE Calamity Jane/ Cath Kidson thing but the way it is (1960's no character) and the things we have that are staying, I don't think I can. Definatly don't want neutral too much, and I know I don't want too modern but that's about it! I do have to rush with DSs room as the flooring is going down in about 7 days.

grey..soft on floor and cupboards and pull down blind..
white .. the goods..my white goods are white..
white functional stylish italian table chunky chrome cylinder legs
uber comfy white chairs
white walls
and huge framed aboriginal original for mega splash of colour &
tiny frame with dh's grandads embroidery done whilst shell shocked...

dances... it is so nice i tell thee...
not a drop of gingham in sight

lady ofthewaffle
what colour(s) does ds like?

it doesnt have to be all one colour,
have accent walls or corners..atmos in room at night can be changed with lamps and lighting

souless?
am wounded,lady

ladyof the waffle
is it 60's as in square shaped rooms?
what do you mean exactly?

i mean, thats a blank canvas then...

if you like retro stuff
curtains and blinds in the period materials
flea markets and such for bits and peices

its more fun to do but takes longer i guess

60's as in... a big (well, small) box with some windows really.

For DS, well... he is 19 months so doesn't have ideas yet of his own but I think he likes blue and red. And maybe yellow, he likes his yellow car anyway. What I wanted to do was paint sky on the ceiling, green on the walls until half way up, and have animals and cars and farms and trees etc etc possibly even for example, Jack and Jill going up a hill and the nursery rhyme written carefully next it, glow in the dark stars (I know, I used to hate them but I think DS would love them) on the ceiling and a few wooden planes hanging from the ceiling. BUT, I have lost my nerve and I think it will more than likely turn out pants so have been tempted by a more Laura Ashley type room for him, which obviously would look alot nicer but then I think it's not for me, it's for him. SO back to square one!

lofw
i think the primary colours idea is really good..
a light blue, yellow and / or red..or one of the colours as curtains / blind..
it would be a bright cheerful place to be during the day

the decorative stuff sounds difficult to get right iykwim and a bit too busy for me...
the toys and general debris will make it 'busier' too once its used..

i would be thinking storage, for toys, clothes, hanging thingys from ceiling from ikea are cheap and colourful and good for soft toys and light bits and peices..

and rugs and cushions are good for colour too
they can link up with your main colours also or provide relief or contrast..

i would go for white ceiling though..the hanging planes sounds good idea...

have you got some catalogues, swatches, paint samples? its good to play about..

Loathe though I am to agree with the fingerless one as the owner of a house with practically NO storage I'd have to agree it's all about the storage for LO's rooms. Ikea are brilliant, they do sort of stacking things with pull out drawers I'd recommend.

I would also say, think about how much light each room gets, and how 'warm' or 'cool' that light is, as well as how you want the room to be.

As an example of how it makes a difference, our living room is a long room, knocked through front/back room. The room is painted in a sort of buttery cream colour.

Overall effect is something warm - yet the paint looks like it's a completely different colour in the 'front' room, which faces North - it looks paler and pinker whereas in the 'back' room it looks more definite and more yellow.

I wouldn't worry about what colour you paint each room too much because it is the things that you put in it that make the biggest difference. Providing colours aren't too strong (and a good way of testing this is to paint the inside of a large cardboard box and see how the paint colour reflects off itself) then people's eyes will be drawn to furniture and accessories. If you are having oak throughout then that is a fairly neutral pale colour with greys in it (if it remains unstained) so think in terms of that - stone colours and so on. It is worth using an expensive paint such as Farrow and Ball or Fired Earth as the colours, even the stronger ones, come out much more mellow. But really, it's only paint and, if you don't like it, you can always redo it - a large room will only take a day or two.

I'd keep the children's rooms quite neutral and accessorise them according to age (so you could get a really funky bed and matching curtains and bedding) rather than paper walls with astronauts or whatever. Have fun.

Buying DSs paint (or whatever) today but still no idea! I won't do the scenery thing anymore I don't think, but I really don't know what else to do to make it nice for him. I'll google some websites for inspiration.

lofw
look at the settings for children bedroom products in ikea, john lewis, debenhams et al...just to get some idea what you like or even more important what you dont!

box storage is good if no big cupboards or existing furniture like chest of drawers..

i would concentrate on the atmosphere you would like in room happy cheerful place to play
yellow orange (little bits of red)
calm - greens blue
neutral, (let the plastic crap provide the colour) pale shades, off whites even...
it doesnt all have to be one colour too

posters pictures photos are nice too..
esp if family far away nice reminders..

the walls can always be painted again relatively easily again
if you get flooring and storage right will save in long run..

take a chance, trust your instinct...

dances....thats an improvemnet for me,
mostly i am just loathed!!..