Decorating ideas please

[Ed]

As you'll all know, we've refurbished a 1974 bungalow and made it into a house. Internally it's now very modern with lovely oak and glazed doors like this. This is the double door to the sitting room

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/100_1159.jpg

The ick p1ss green paint was under some equally hideous wallpaper, this is about the only wall that wasn't replastered.

And this is the front door

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/100_1160.jpg

Sort of gives you an idea... we have laminate floors everywhere, velux windows upstairs at the front in a sloping ceiling, big picture windows facing south west at the back.

Kitchen is cream unts with red/brown/green tiles, like this:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/100_1163.jpg

This is the view from the sitting room into the den:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/100_1164.jpg

This is the fireplace in the sitting room. That's the messy kitchen you can see, too:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/Sythree/100_1165.jpg

Nearly finished sorting all the boxes!!!!

So... decorating ideas required please. Colours? Lots of glass faces south-west so in summer there will be lots of light. Strong colours anywhere or white throughout? One wall wallpapered? Is coving fashionable? Blinds or curtains?

Ideas gratefully received...

[Specialone]

Coving is a no no IMO if your after modern, feature walls still popular, magnolia or very light brown still work especially with what you have there Ed.

[MisterTommyH]

I don't like all this papering one wall lark. I think you want one colour throughout. Probably a magnolia, but towards the whiter end.

IMO coving won't go with the fairly modern effect doors you have,.

[speedplay]

Coving is a no no IMO if your after modern, feature walls still popular, magnolia or very light brown still work especially with what you have there Ed.


Listen to old lawrence there....;)

All good advice.

[L3nny]

I got coving and it looks ok, it's not your cheap polystyrene tosh its plain and made from plasterboard.

It's great for hiding cables and the like behind.

[Specialone]

Listen to old lawrence there....;)

All good advice.

Rob I go into a lot of peoples houses and I know what works and what don't :p

For the record I have coving in some rooms in my house .

[speedplay]

I got coving and it looks ok, it's not your cheap polystyrene tosh its plain and made from plasterboard.

It's great for hiding cables and the like behind.


Exactly why I have it here.

Got cables running under it I couldnt hide any other way.

[Fruity-ya-ya]

Seems fine to me, just buy loads of cheap prints & a bag of nails.
SORTED ;)

[Specialone]

Exactly why I have it here.

Got cables running under it I couldnt hide any other way.

Yeah but the poor bugger who changes the coving in the future will have a pain with it especially if the adhesive is set around and intwinned with the cables , I'm talking from experience here btw.

[speedplay]

Yeah but the poor bugger who changes the coving in the future will have a pain with it especially if the adhesive is set around and intwinned the cables , I'm talking from experience here btw.


Who cares?!


It wont be me ;)

Oh and plenty of adhesive so it doesnt have to be pinned or filled along the edges ;)

[anna]

Ed, its obviously all down to your taste.

Perhaps using the colour scheme from the kitchen tiles and colour match with one wall on the fireplace wall the darkest colour of the tiles (the brownish colour?) to bring out the warmth in the room but matching the floor too.

If you going to put blinds in how about a deep coloured wood blind to be able to open fully in summer but also keep the warmth cosy feeling in winter?

[fizzwheel]

So... decorating ideas required please.

You could do either, bright and bold, i.e red etc etc or go natural neutral colours.

Our house is similar. Laminate floor etc etc. I for some reason like browns / natural colours. Our Bedroom has one wall in dark chocolate colour and the rest of it is a natural stone colour, works well in daylight, is bright and gives light back, but at night it gives off a warm relaxing kind of feel.

Living room is the same, chocolate leather sofa, with natural stone colour walls with laminate.

If you are going strong colours, then personally I'd not paint a whole room like that and do someting with a feature wall and make it into a focal point i.e. one red wall and then the rest white.

and I f*cking hate magnolia. I dont know why, it seems such a safe dull choice, its what everybody paints their walls when they dont know what colours to choose.

Best thing I can suggest is go to B & Q and pick up some testers and colour charts. Some of the Dulux ones have ideas for what colours for what rooms. Also I think the Dulux website will also give you some ideas of what works with what colour and in what situation...

[Speedy Claire]

I`d say that with a house looking that modern you just need to paint it all in just a plain cream/magnolia. It all looks lovely Ed, very impressive.

The cream would be a blank canvas so in time if you felt you needed a splash of colour you`ll have more of an idea of what colours to introduce. If you want colour then i`d say that the only option i`d possibly go for would be in your lounge and a nice cream wallpaper with a deep red flower would be nice but this might be too much on all the walls so look at papering some in a patterned paper ie. alcoves and the remaining walls in a plain paper. I recently decorated my lounge with patterned paper in the alcoves and the plain matching paper from the same range on the remaining walls.... looks fantastic :D

If you added a load of red accessories ie. vases, bowls of pot pourri, candles etc it`ll add a lot of warmth.

Best of luck and best wishes to you all in your new home x

[dirtydog]

I generally only decorate in 2/3 colours White, magnolia and soft cream those colours go with everything. I'd be more inclined to get some nice pictures to put up rather than doing a feature wall etc. Pictures are much easier to change when you get bored with them ;-)