 | Interior Design |  |
Home decor and interior design can be baffling to some so here are some useful hints and tips as well as some money saving ideas. * When buying curtains or decorating materials take a cushion from the sofa shopping with you to ensure you get the right colour. * Use string covered with chalk to mark straight lines on walls for shelves, wallpaper etc. * When planning a child’s room get down to their level to see if from a childs’ perspective. This will prevent placing hooks etc. too high for them to reach. * Never get a tall person to hang pictures for you as this will result in them being fitted too high. * To make fittings such as radiators less obtrusive paint them in the same colour as the wall. * Create a mantle shelf by using two decorative brackets and a plank of wood. * Fabric paints can give old pieces of furniture a new look. * Inexpensive plastic garden urns can be painted and decorated for use as indoor flower planters. *  Try using the same colour paint on walls, woodwork, skirting and ceilings for an “all over” look. * Colours – in a dark room go for bright not light.
* Mix wall paint with clear varnish to use on woodwork. * Eggshell finish paint on woodwork does not show imperfections like gloss paint does. * Use car spray paint to revitalise light fittings. * To cut costs, use wallpaper on the top half of the walls then a border with a bold paint colour on the bottom half of the walls. * When painting corridors remember dark colours will shorten. * Music, newspaper or brown paper make a change to wallpaper. * To see how much room a piece of furniture will take up before buying, take a piece of newspaper and a tape measure and make a template the same size as the item in question. Place paper on floor to give some idea as to the amount of space needed. * To save on costly trimming when finishing off a table cloth. Cover table with a larger untrimmed cloth. Put a decorative trim around the edge of a smaller cloth which is then placed over the top. * Hang decorative baskets from hooks to provide extra storage. * To liven up kitchen cupboard doors just change the knobs and handles. Old cutlery can be bent and wired to the doors as handles. * To get more light into a room, replace the top of the door with glass. * Clever use of mirrors can give the illusion of more space. * Colourful sheeting fitted to broom handles make cheap and cheerful cafe style curtains. * Plain fabric trimmed with fringing make expensive looking curtains for doors or stairs. * Make an unusual and cheap shower curtain by using bubble wrap fitted on key rings. * Blankets and pieces of material can be made into attractive and unusual curtains without sewing by using special clips which can be purchased in most good haberdashery shops. |
