Home Decoration Tips

• To avoid messy paint spatterings on fixtures, try rubbing a little petroleum jelly on door hinges, handles and window frames.
• To prevent a skin forming on the surface of your potted paint, pour a little white spirit on the top. Then place a circle of foil on the surface and store the closed tin upside down.

• When painting your ceiling, paint often drips down the handle of your brush and onto your sleeve. To combat this problem, use a bathroom sponge. Make an incision in the centre of the sponge and push the paintbrush through it. This acts like an upside-down umbrella shielding you from potential drips.
• Try not to paint either very early in the morning or in the evening, even on a dry day, because mist and dew can wield disastrous effects on a paint job - any moisture on wood surfaces can cause paint to blister.
• Don’t be so quick to soak your hands in white spirit after painting. Why not try olive oil? It softens the dried paint, and makes it easy to remove whilst moisturising your skin.

Colours to Suit your Pallete
The colour wheel is the most important tool for any interior designer, or in fact, anyone seriously considering using colours to create the right ambience. Here are the basic principles:

A Strong Base - Primary Colours:
For rooms that wield a certain grandeur and strength it is important to use a primary colour scheme – red, blue, and yellow. Each of these is a pure colour that cannot be created by mixing other hues. You can add to a room’s sense of solidity and strength by combining all three colours.

Secondary Colours:
Green, orange and purple are created by mixing two primaries in equal amounts. These can be tinted with white and black to vary the depth of colour. If the thought of purple and green seems too lurid for you, why not pair up the paler tints of lavender and mint to create a calming effect?

Transitional Tints – Tertiary Colours:
These are an equal mix of a primary and its closest secondary colour. Tertiary colours offer a sophisticated and contemporary look.

The Colour of your Mood
When choosing colour schemes for your interiors, it is important to not only consult the colour wheel, but to bear in mind the effect of colour upon moods. Identifying colour can change our moods dramatically both on a conscious and unconscious level, for example consider our immediate reactions to red for “danger” and green for “go”.

Essentially, we respond to colours in three ways – actively, passively and neutrally – and so it is easy to paint a room to complement each response.

Active colours
     

These are on the warm side of the colour wheel, and include red, orange and yellow. These bold shades are dynamic and can often dominate a room. Red or orange are a good choice for a kitchen or dining area, as their vibrancy adds warmth and encourages sociability. Alternatively, for more of a golden hue, yellows and barley-coloured shades in kitchens and lounges can add less overpowering warmth to impart hospitality.

Passive colours

These are cool colours – purple, blue, green – which soothe and calm. They remain muted in the background and are ideal for bedrooms, studies and private retreats. However, if used in a dark room without a great deal of natural sunlight, you may need to include some light accents, such as lemon or white, to add warmth and contrast.

Neutrals
     

Browns, beiges, whites, greys and taupes neither stimulate or soothe, but combine and collaborate. These transitional colours are ideal for hallways and landings, and are popular in contemporary decor.