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Home Decorating Questions

Q. Hi I have a 1st floor "powder room" i was wondering what ideas you may have. i have already painted the walls a tan sand finish, the bottom half is going to be white wainscotting. From: Geraldine

A. Sounds like a great project. I am unsure as the style of your home, but I will offer a few suggestions, perhaps a stool covered in a luxury silk stripe, some candles in a complementary color dotted around. An ornate mirror, gold gilt. A vase of fresh flowers so it smells crisp and fragrant. Some delicious hand creams and scent with a decorative hand towel. An atomiser for refreshing the face and setting makeup. If you want to go all the way some music of your choice. Design wise, good quality halogen light fittings will make all the difference to how you see yourself in the mirror, so put them on your list. I hope this gives you some inspiration. Thanks for visiting our site.

Q. Do you have any ideas to brighten up a Den/Home Office? 4 walls square wood panels all on honey color. I have tried curtains and pillows and flowers on red, yellow and lots of greens; table lamps also, I just want to paint the walls but don't want to use oil base, de panels are stained. From: Lily

A. Why don't you using fabric to cover your timber panels? Get a thin layer of foam, 10mm approx, staple it to the timber and then place the fabric over, staple that and essentially upholster the walls! It would make it nice and cosy, and introduce a different texture and colour, and add softness to the space. You don't have to do all the walls, perhaps pick out two opposing walls and make them a feature. I hope this gets you thinking.

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Q.
I have a 8ft by 9ft room, at one end of the room on the 8 foot wall I have a 4ft wide by 7ft high window. At the opposite end of the room on the 9ft wall I have a door opening into the room, at the end of the wall. I would like to turn this room into a cosy TV come guest room. The room hasn't got a built in robe, just an empty room. Hope you can give some advice. I just don't know what furniture would be suitable. Thank you.
From: Linda, Australia

A. Such an open question!! I don't know what theme you are trying to create but I will just generalise with what I think you need. A pullout sofa bed or fold up futon type sofa bed. Some side tables with side table lamps; ideal for mood lighting with the TV or reading when the bed is down. Some large floor cushions or bean bags to make the space casual and cosy. Lots of throw rugs to cuddle up in or use on the bed. These could be stored on a suitcase rack/stand. I don't think you need or will have room for a wardrobe, just use a freestanding collapsible clothes rail, which could live, dismantled behind the sofa until required. A small chest of drawers would be useful, but if the isn't enough room, make sure the side tables have drawers in them. Of course the TV, I can't forget that!! You could always put that on top of your small chest of drawers. I would definitely get curtains, as it will keep the room private when it is being used as a guest room, and warm when being used as a TV room. As for colour, you can go wild as you like, you are generally not in this space for long periods of time so try something new and daring, aqua and lime green perhaps or mauve and apricot, chocolate brown and caramel, rich red and gold, I could go on and on but it does of course need to flow with the rest of your house so take that into consideration also. I hope this has given you somewhere to start. Good luck!


Q.
I have a small room, 9 x 11.5. I am installing a stackable washer/dryer for a laundry area in a closet and in the room itself i am planning a workout area. (Treadmill, workout bench with weights for my husband, etc.). The floor is pergo-laminated oak. What tips would you recommend to encourage working out and have a great atmosphere? From: Maureen, US

A. Sounds like a fun project. I think ventilation is critical, as you are exercising your heart rate goes up and you breathe more rapidly, oxygen is a key ingredient for successful exercise. The floor sounds good, it will look great and be easy to clean, you may want to look at getting a plastic "egg crate" type matting (a sort of tile system that clicks together and is about and inch high) for under the weights in case they get dropped as they could cause damage to it. If you are going to paint, orange is the color. Not too intense, any shade of, apricot as most people know orange would do if the room is small, you don't want to make it feel cramped. Orange is active, lively, warm, cheerful, anti depressive and assertive, just what you need. With the dryer, make sure you can vent/duct your moist air directly outside otherwise the floor and walls could get damp and cause safety issues (as well as mould and mildew). I hope this was helpful.

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