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Home Interior Decorating

The best way to get an objective view of your home's interior condition is toimagine that it is up for sale and to viewit in the role of a prospective purchaser.The aim of the exercise is not to giverise to a severe bout of depression onyour part, but to determine what existsin the home and what could be done tochange or improve it.

Start at the front door, and step intothe hallway. Is it bright and well-lit, orgloomy and unwelcoming? A lighterColour scheme could make a narrowarea appear more spacious, and betterlighting would make it seem moreinviting. Decorating the wall oppositethe front door would make a long hallappear shorter, while changing the waythe staircase is decorated could make ita less - or more - dominant feature. Isthe staircase well-lit, for safety's sake aswell as for looks? Opening up the spacebeneath the stairs could get rid of whatis typically an untidy gloryhole (storageroom), taking up space without saving any. Lastly, are the wall and floorcoverings practical? The hall floor isbound to be well-trodden, and needs tobe durable and easy to clean as well aslooking attractive.

Choose an integrated decorating schemefor the hallway, stairs and landing -area. Bringdown the apparent ceiling height using a dado(chair) rail or decorative border.

The living room has to be light and airyduring the day, yet cosy and comfortable in theevening. The fireplace and a central table providethe main focal points here.

Now move into the main livingroom. This is always the most difficultroom in the house to decorate andfurnish successfully because of its dualpurpose. It is used both for daily life andto entertain visitors. It must be freshand lively by day, yet cosy and peacefulin the evening. One of the chief keys tosuccess is flexible lighting that can healtered to suit the room's different uses,but the decorations and furnishings allhave their part to play too.

Look at the colour scheme. How welldoes it blend in with the furnishings,the curtains and drapes, and the floorcoveting? Are there any interestingfeatures such as a fireplace, an alcove,an archway into anorhor room - evenan ornate cornice (crown molding)around the ceiling? Some of thesefeatures might benefit from beinghighlighted - with special lighting, forinstance - while other less-attractiveones would be better disguised.

Next, examine how the room works.Are 'traffic routes' congested? Are theseating arrangements flexible? Arethere surfaces on which things caneasily be put down? Does any storage ordisplay provision look good and workwell? Can everyone who is seated seethe television? Does everyone want to?Assessing the room in this way revealsits successes and failures, and showshow to eliminate the latter.

Continue the guided tour with thedining room -- or dining area, if it is partof a through nxmi. This is often theleast-used mom in the house, so itsdesign tends to be neglected. As it isgenerally used for just one purpose - eating - it needs to be decorated in away that avoids visual indigestion.Warm, welcoming colour schemes and flexible lighting work hest in this location; strident patterns and harshcolours are to be avoided.

Now turn to the kitchen. Whatevertype of room this is, the most importantconsideration is that it should behygienic, for obvious reasons. Are thevarious surfaces in the room easy tokeep clean, and to re-decorate whennecessary? Are there dust and greasetraps? Is the lighting over the hob(burners) and counter tops adequate? isthe floor covering a practical choice?As the kitchen is often the huh offamily life, it needs to be functional butadaptable, and also pleasant to be in sothat the cook does not mind the timespent slaving over a hot stove.

Bathrooms have their own specialrequirements, mainly revolving aroundcombining comfort with a degree ofwaterproofing, especially if there areyoung children in the family. Are thedecorations and floor covering suitable?How well do they complement thebathroom suite? What about the spaceavailable within the room? Couldcongestion he relieved by movingthings around, or by moving them outaltogether? Having a shower instead ofa bath, for example, could create kits of extra space. Could a second bathroombe created elsewhere in the house?Otherwise, putt ing washbasins in someof the bedrooms could take the pressureoff the family bathroom during themorning rush hour.

Lastly, bedrooms. Its most, the bed isthe focal point of the room, so the wayit is dressed will he the main influenceon the room's appearance. The colourscheme also has its parr to play inmaking a bedroom look comfortableand relaxing; remember that the room's occupant will see it from 2viewpoints-on entering, and from thebed-so take this into account whenmaking your assessment. What aboutthe ceiling? In the one room wherepeople actually spend some time staringat it, does it deserve something a littlemore adventurous than white paint? Isthe floor covering warm to the touch ofbare feet? In a child's room, is it alsocapable of withstanding the occasionalrough and tumble or -a disaster with thefinger paints? Lastly, is the lightingadequate for all requirements? Mostbedrooms need a combination ofsubdued general lighting and brighterlocal task lighting for occupations such as reading in bed, putting on make-upor tackling school homework. Somechanges here may make the roomfunction much more satisfactorily.

Once your tour around the houseis complete, you should have a clearpicture of its condition and how wellit works, and some ideas as to how itmight he improved. all, you willhave viewed i r as a whole, not just as aseries of individual rooms. That is thefirst step towards creating an attractive,stylish and, all, practical home

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