help with paint and decorations ideas

leb2005

hello I am been very lucky and about to move into my first flat! it is a council flat, no carpets so bascially a bare canvas
please could someone on here give me adivce on decorations ideas
The flat is small and the kitchen and shower room doesnt have windows
i was thinking about going the bathroom bright white colour but not sure
then may be a neutral colour in the lounge, bedroom and kitchen, eg a natural wicker colour!
thanks in advance never painted in my life and it all seems very completed as so many colours out there

cattie

Congratulations on getting your first flat. :j

I wouldn't do the bathroom in a bright white as with the suite if that's white, it will have a cold clinical look to it. Go for one of the hints of white that will add a touch of warmth but help make it look as spacious & light as possible.

The Natural wicker color sounds nice, as you say there are a lot of colours out there, but by sticking to neutral you can't really go wrong.

Get yourself some decent paint if you can afford it as the really cheap stuff is runny & is a terrible messy job to apply & often needs at least 3 coats. Get yourself some decent rollers too & wear lots of old clothes while you are decorating!

rtw123

Hi Leb2005

If your flat is small then def need to have light colours to create illusion of space. What about having a feature wall in the lounge? We have a caramel colour on the walls and on the chimney breast a chocolate brown. It looks really nice and we have chocolate brown floating shelving on one of the caramel walls with nice candles and wooden ornaments.

Agree with previous comment about not doing bathroom white as would look too cold. A natural wicker colour would be nice in the bathroom and then get some fluffy beige towels and a shower curtain with beige design so it all matches. I recently bought toothbrush holder/soap dish/soap dispenser from Asda in a beige stone colour. They were only a few quid but look great and match with my neutral colours in the bathroom.

Good luck with everything, it's so exciting getting your first place!

john0612

if i had a qiud for every natural wicker and natural calcio i've put on i'd be retired lol.



sandstone is quite nice too

blues and yellows work well in bathrooms IMOH

libbidf

Hi,

We've been redocrating our house and what I found really good for ideas was the dulux website as you can paint virtual rooms and experiment with different coulers (and for a bit of fun do colour clashing to see how gross you can make the room look!!!) There's also tips on how to paint rooms to make the most of of light and space etc

Emmalou

Natural wicker sounds good as one previous poster suggested with stone colour accessories.

Or, if you fancied going a with a bit more colour, I highly recommend Dulux jade white which is a lovely subtle fresh colour which really brightens up a bathroom without being cold - it's in the Dulux bathroom colour range. Accessorise with either green or blue.

I have a bathroom and an ensuite. The bathroom is natural calico I think (probably similar to natural wicker) and my ensuite is jade white. At least 2 or 3 years old and I still love them both!

~Chameleon~

Don't be afraid to use colour!!!!

Sometimes a small room can take very deep/dark colours as long as you've got the lighting right. Sorry but I find neutral beiges very boring and the decoration should reflect your personality

vansboy

For the bathroom check Silver Screen in Focus on one wall & Lavender Hue on the opposite. Both in vinyl silk - as you'll be able to wipe them easier than matt.

That's what we have here, in our flat & the colours 'bounce off' each other & look really smart in a small area. We will be doing the en-suite at the new house, the same!

Kitchen, think pink - Ballerina is the choice, again Focus. Like an ice cream parlour colour!!

If you want a 'neutral' scheme alsewhere, Wickes big tubs 'trade' Barley White has worked well for us here & at the old house. It's good 'cos it's budget priced for the big areas & isn't like cheap rubbish wattery paints & covers good. Then choose another colour for a feature or main wall, in each room.

You'll find the Barley White appears to change it's shade in each of these situations, as it reflects natural light & the effect of a contrasting colour next to it.

We've used a teracotta with it, a spring green, a pillar box red & a mushroom beige, all in seperate rooms, to very good effect!!

Ceiliongs should be white matt - Focus did have 20%extra free for about £13 - made by Crown, their paint is.

& Focus also give you a Homemovers discount card, which gets 10% off EVERYTHING for 6months, now you're in the new place!! You need to take proof of moving into the store & you get it instantly!

Have fun!!

VB

Zoomy_2

I suggest you paint every room in bright white using a good quality vinyl matt white - that way your rooms will maximise the light and look modern, bright and airy. The vinyl paint will be easy to clean if required and the matt won't cast any greasy looking reflections. Use bright primary colours - red, yellow, blue for smaller smaller items (shower curtain, cusshions, floor rugs) to add colour. Whatever you do don't use blues, blacks or greys in your colour scheme, they are depressing to live with and will look cold.Colours for carpets and sofas etc should be from the warm end of the colour scale - reds, pinks, yellows. Use wood for other furnture items - boocases, coffee tables etc (and you can mix light and dark woods) for a natural, element in your furnishings.