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Author	Message
Julie 29 Sep 09 2:26pm	I have painted my daughters room Dulux "Party Dress" pink on headboard wall, and cardrona half (white) on other 3 walls. Also have bought duvet cover which I've attached a picture of. The pink wall is the same colour as the throw. The window is on a white wall and I don't know what sort of window dressings to go for and what colour. I like Roman blinds but am not sure of what colour. I also have thought of organza and acrylic beaded curtains, poms pom trim for decoration. Blind or curtains will need blockout lining though as room is very sunny first thing in morning. Any ideas welcome. Thanks.
Small Acorns	Hi Julie Because you still have a lot of white in the room, and with the duvet also fresh and not heavily patterned, you can afford to go for something pink and patterned at your window. Designers Guild Greenwich Village, Central Park, Cloisonne and Floral St, are but a few that spring to mind. Romans or curtains is up to you. Romans are good in a bedroom as they keep the window free - this is great if you have another bed or a desk under the window. If you choose a patterned fabric have the romans made flat-fronted so that your pattern isn't chopped wherever there is a seam. Take the blinds across the whole of the frame, and 100mm above, with blackout lining if the early morning light is a factor.
Heidi 28 Sep 09 1:35pm	Hi there, I'm wanting to paint a 'white wash' over wooden walls (the wood is natural and rimu). A roomful of wooden walls is just a bit too much! How wouldyou go about this? Thanks
Small Acorns	Hi Heidi Whitewashing is a great way to go. Slightly softer than just painting your walls, whitewashing still allows some of the wood grain and colour to show through. The result is a hazy, soft, chalky finish that is a little bit vintage, but still lightens and brightens the room. There are 2 ways of achieving this finish. Firstly, talk to your paint shop about a white wood stain. This would be applied loosely with a brush and then rubbed into the wood. The second method is to use a white water-based paint and thin it down with more water. Apply with a wide brush, and keep the stain moving so that you don't end up with a dry edge. This way allows you to layer up the colour until you have the effect you're looking for. In either case, I would then recommend a matt polyurethane as a final layer to protect your handiwork. The same technique can also be used on floors.
Vanessa 5 Nov 08 9:47am	I have just moved into a modern apartment, previously i lived in a turn of the century villa. I have kept my old furniture but it is not working in the space. Do you have any suggestions on how i can update the look without having to replace all of the furniture?
Small Acorns	A style mix-up can be a bit daunting, but the good news is it can be done. Often too, its a matter of getting your eye 'tuned in' to your new environment. But, there are a number of ways that you can update your look without having to replace everything. Firstly, look at your big items of furniture - your sofa and your chairs. Start with the sofa. If there is a piece to be replaced this might be it. It can be hard to make a more classically styled sofa fit with a modern space. (Although not impossible as this modern version of a classic sofa clearly shows). A more contemporary style sofa can be the building block around which it is easier to make all your other old pieces fit, including your chairs. Classic or retro chairs take on a modern look when re-upholstered in a contemporary fabric and move easily into a fresh space. Colourful, patterned cushions also adapt the feel of a room, giving it depth, texture and dimension. Add colour with key accessories. Unify your colour scheme. A good way to recycle everyday objects is to unify them with a quick coat of white paint. This can apply to anything from picture frames, to tables and dining chairs. Lastly, don't try to put everything in your new space, exactly as it was in your old space. Rearrange it and mix things up. Put things to new and different uses. And the real beauty of taking loved treasures into a new space, is that you'll make it feel like a home, and not a clinical room from a catalogue. Karen, our interior designer, works on an 80/20 rule. Gradually move towards having 80% new contemporary pieces, with 20% of your most loved treasures.

Author

Message

Julie

29 Sep 09
2:26pm

I have painted my daughters room Dulux "Party Dress" pink on headboard wall, and cardrona half (white) on other 3 walls. Also have bought duvet cover which I've attached a picture of. The pink wall is the same colour as the throw. The window is on a white wall and I don't know what sort of window dressings to go for and what colour. I like Roman blinds but am not sure of what colour. I also have thought of organza and acrylic beaded curtains, poms pom trim for decoration. Blind or curtains will need blockout lining though as room is very sunny first thing in morning.

Any ideas welcome. Thanks.

Small Acorns

Hi Julie
Because you still have a lot of white in the room, and with the duvet also fresh and not heavily patterned, you can afford to go for something pink and patterned at your window. Designers Guild Greenwich Village, Central Park, Cloisonne and Floral St, are but a few that spring to mind. Romans or curtains is up to you. Romans are good in a bedroom as they keep the window free - this is great if you have another bed or a desk under the window. If you choose a patterned fabric have the romans made flat-fronted so that your pattern isn't chopped wherever there is a seam. Take the blinds across the whole of the frame, and 100mm above, with blackout lining if the early morning light is a factor.

Heidi

28 Sep 09
1:35pm

Hi there, I'm wanting to paint a 'white wash' over wooden walls (the wood is natural and rimu). A roomful of wooden walls is just a bit too much! How wouldyou go about this? Thanks

Small Acorns

Hi Heidi
Whitewashing is a great way to go. Slightly softer than just painting your walls, whitewashing still allows some of the wood grain and colour to show through. The result is a hazy, soft, chalky finish that is a little bit vintage, but still lightens and brightens the room. There are 2 ways of achieving this finish. Firstly, talk to your paint shop about a white wood stain. This would be applied loosely with a brush and then rubbed into the wood. The second method is to use a white water-based paint and thin it down with more water. Apply with a wide brush, and keep the stain moving so that you don't end up with a dry edge. This way allows you to layer up the colour until you have the effect you're looking for. In either case, I would then recommend a matt polyurethane as a final layer to protect your handiwork. The same technique can also be used on floors.

Vanessa

5 Nov 08
9:47am

I have just moved into a modern apartment, previously i lived in a turn of the century villa. I have kept my old furniture but it is not working in the space. Do you have any suggestions on how i can update the look without having to replace all of the furniture?

Small Acorns

A style mix-up can be a bit daunting, but the good news is it can be done. Often too, its a matter of getting your eye 'tuned in' to your new environment. But, there are a number of ways that you can update your look without having to replace everything.

Firstly, look at your big items of furniture - your sofa and your chairs. Start with the sofa. If there is a piece to be replaced this might be it. It can be hard to make a more classically styled sofa fit with a modern space. (Although not impossible as this modern version of a classic sofa clearly shows). A more contemporary style sofa can be the building block around which it is easier to make all your other old pieces fit, including your chairs. Classic or retro chairs take on a modern look when re-upholstered in a contemporary fabric and move easily into a fresh space. Colourful, patterned cushions also adapt the feel of a room, giving it depth, texture and dimension. Add colour with key accessories.

Unify your colour scheme. A good way to recycle everyday objects is to unify them with a quick coat of white paint. This can apply to anything from picture frames, to tables and dining chairs.

Lastly, don't try to put everything in your new space, exactly as it was in your old space. Rearrange it and mix things up. Put things to new and different uses. And the real beauty of taking loved treasures into a new space, is that you'll make it feel like a home, and not a clinical room from a catalogue.
Karen, our interior designer, works on an 80/20 rule. Gradually move towards having 80% new contemporary pieces, with 20% of your most loved treasures.

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