Decorating and buying new settee etc ?

Just need to say what a brilliant forum Gransnet is. I love it, it is so informative and the posters are so funny.
Many thanks to all.

Next is worth a look for made to measure curtains. I chose a half price fabric and so the curtains were totally half price. I also used their measuring and hanging service which was good. Oh and they will make matching cushions too. Normally would have done all this myself, so it was a treat and they were well made too.

I'm pretty sure it's going to be grey and duck egg....I've seen several lovely sofas but indecision has set in big time. As I'm hoping to give up work mid March, I'll be able to focus....the problem is that the utility room's being sorted at the end of this month and really the kitchen units are falling apart so the living room won't get started yet. Then dgs2 is due in May so I really need to sit down and plan what's being done when/by who/with what etc!

I can see this being a project for the rest of the year at this rate I need to lie down in a dark room

?

No, it wasn't me, it must have been another poster. We are now sorted except for the carpet and nearly sorted there.

I'm considering duck egg for the kitchen cupboards now though as I like the sound of it, wish I had thought of it for the sitting room and dining room (should have read this thread first), DH doesn't know yet

Sorry thought you said you'd decided upon Duck Egg..

I take it you've considered grey (I've got grey everything, which is s good foil for most colours).

Can you upload a pic of the sofa and chair (nosy..)?

Duck egg is lovely but it doesn't go with my new sofas and chair. They are about the only colour that duck egg won't go with. As for disappearing accessories - two free cushions come with the sofas in the same fabric! so I will have to find a few others in brighter colours to pick out the splashes of colour in the curtains.

I'd get the sofa first. Your room sounds enormous, so can take big furniture. Duck egg will go with everything, including grey and brown. Furniture will match as it is unless you want to do a "Great British Interior Design" on it and paint it.

I've got a big room (not as big as yours) and my challenge was to buy accessories that didn't disappear.

If no-one has said already, get yourself a colour wheel which will help you determine which colours go with what.

Oh dear Jalima that may be a problem that I will have. If I do find something, naturally it will be the most expensive material in the store. My pink curtains are the same material as the pink covered sofa so I fancy a change as the new suite is a light shade of grey (I think) I think my problem is getting the measurements correct, hence asking Somebody from Dunelm Mill to call. To date I have had no luck because nobody at the local store appears capable of picking up a phone. I do not want to go in person or I will end up going elsewhere for service after I have said my "piece".

I did want Dunelm to make my curtains, but nothing matched the new suite colour. A local shop had some in ready-made but will alter the hems thank goodness.
I thought the suite was fairly neutral when I picked it, but obviously not.

Ooohhh! That's well worth knowing Charleygirl, thank you ?

Are you aware that Dunelm Mill do a "measure at home" service. They are a lot cheaper than two other well known companies. They will also hang and fit blinds for extra. The curtains take 28 days to make if anybody is interested.

Not at all phizz, I saw a lovely dark purple tartan one on line......and can't find it now ?
I was quite tempted to drive up to Birmingham to see it too!

I fancy a deep purple suite.
Am I mad?

Thanks Teddie

We are definitely not rushing it as we have to wait for plastering to be done.
I hope it is finished by Easter
The curtains had to be returned, no good ordering online as the colour is never right!
Have ordered others locally, neutral but with a bit of colour which can be picked up to add a bright splash to what will be a fairly neutral room.

Hi

This is not an advert for my services, but I install flat pack furniture for people in their new homes and many of my customers are older folk downsizing. Their old furniture simply won't fit in their smaller retirement home so they have to buy new, so I see this sort of thing on a regular basis.

I would recommend you have a look at local show homes, especially the big name builders and perhaps a few smaller exclusive ones. They spend a fortune with interior designers and fittings to make a room look fabulous. The fittings aren't always that expensive, but they have been laid out to maximise space and the appearance of a room. This is a great place to start for ideas to see what is current as well. However as we all age, we are more certain of what we don't like, so doing this as a good exercise in checking that what you are going for is not a bad idea!

I think all the tips on neutral colours are valid and you will see this repeated in show homes all over the country.

The most important thing is do not rush it.

I hope that helps.

Oh thanks!

no charge as far as I remember , but she did get the curtains made there , but the designer actually chose less expensive ones and advised on colour schemes and accessories

We were lucky to find a local carpet store that would provide unlimited samples - as long as we returned them. It saved an expensive mistake! Our order was rough idea of colour scheme, then carpet, then sofas (took the carpet sample with us), then soft furnishings (taking carpet and sofa samples). Then we picked the emulsion as colour mixing makes almost anything possible. Delivery times allowed for the decorating before the new carpet and sofas arrived. It didn't turn out as we had originally visualised. It sort of evolved and we love it. I agree that it's not a good idea to automatically put back existing ornaments etc. Be brave. You will have something that is truly yours. I loved it all. Hope you will too.

I've just had the fun of decorating our new home which was a completely blank canvas and am really pleased with the result.

I started with a mood board putting a few pictures cut out from magazines in the middle and splodges of paint colours from tester pots around the outside. I then pinned fabric swatches to the corners. This stayed with me throughout the build because it meant I could easily make changes if I wasn't sure about how something would work.

Pintrest is a great help and so are magazines. I ditched Country Living because it errs on the side of the ultra rustic which is fine if you want your new home to look like a shepherd's hut! There's a mag called 'Twenty Five Beautiful Homes.' which features homes of different styles and values and is full of inspiration because there is likely to be a featured home that matches your taste (if not your budget!)

If you are thinking of white walls, go for a milky white rather than plain white which can look dingy in shadow.

Like others have said, don't be afraid to ditch pictures/ornaments/soft furnishings that don't match your chosen colour scheme.

Mixing old and new pieces of furniture can really work. Our large mahogany wardrobe looks great against white walls and Duck Egg blue soft furnishings. I also upcycled my mother's pine Welsh dresser by painting it in Annie Sloan's Old White chalk paint. Looks great.

Have Fun!

Presumably they charge aggie or would they deduct the cost from the bill if you bought from them?

It's amazing how few good ready-made curtains there are in the shops.

The made-to-measure fabric I liked was expensive and we have quite a lot of window area to cover.

DD1 was looking for something to match her sofas , the curtains she chose were very expensive , but before she bought them , she was lucky enough to talk to an assistant who got the in house designer to help , she got good advice and her room is lovely , a bit like getting a personal shopper in the clothes department

I have been walking round all day with a swatch from the new settees in my handbag, thinking I should have picked something else.
Just ordered curtains online, so I will have to wait and see if they are the right awkward shade and a good fabric.

JL did give me two small carpet swatches though, which was helpful. Last time I made all the curtains but they are just too heavy to struggle with these days even if there was any fabric in the right shade.

DD would be telling me that what we need is a 'feature wall'

There's a lot of plaid around and I do like the sound of your decor Coolgran (too late to change my mind now though). And yes, you're right, it doesn't do to be sentimental about ornaments, photos etc, just put back what works. I must minimalise or it will look like an old granny's house.

I think it is quite important to consider the tone of a colour. Too many pale tones can make a room bland.

The duck egg/ soft green sounds lovely with the dark dresser and rosewood colour. A sofa colour/pattern that bridges the two extreme tones might work.
Then I'd opt for light coloured curtains, patterned or plain depending on the sofa. Bringing the dark tones in with soft furnishings.

Have fun in the choosing.

X

I'm getting rid of beige and red come hell or high water too!
I'm having the same thing Jalima, what I like and what's actually available aren't particularly compatible at the moment