Monthly Archives: April 2011

Painting High Ceilings

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Style At Home

                                                                  www.styleathome.com
High ceilings can make a room feel cold and stark.  If you paint a high ceiling in a darker shade than the walls the ceiling will look lower.   The grey paint colour on this ceiling accentuates the crown moulding.
The dark floors and use of dark grey accessories in this room also balance out the dark grey ceiling.
Using a satin or eggshell finish for your ceiling paint will offer a reflective sheen in the room. This will reflect more natural light. You ceilings have to be in good condition to use these paint finishes.

Area Rug Tips

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Pottery Barn

Larger area rugs create the illusion of a larger space.  Avoid rugs with borders if you have a small room as they draw attention to small space issues.

To increase the sense of space, choose an area carpet that has the same degree of light or darkness to the flooring.

www.potterybarn.com

Green Colour Schemes

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Cottage Living

Green is the colour of concentration and intellect.  A room decorated in green is very calm and restful and brings elements of nature in.  People who like green tend to be cautious and sensitive to detail.

A room that is decorated in one colour is known as a monochromatic colour scheme.  This colour scheme is the most expansive in feeling.   Monochromatic colour schemes do not have a lot of contrast as you use different values of one colour.  Contrast creates energy and makes a room feel smaller.  You can also integrate neutral colours such as white, black or gray. The use of neutrals helps your eye to notice different elements in the space.

www.cottageliving.com

Painting Wood Floors

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If you have wood floors that are not in perfect condition you could paint them to achieve a light and airy effect.  Stripes on the floor make a room look larger. In this picture they painted the whole floor but if you want to show some of the natural wood you could just paint every other stripe.  This way you can cover damaged areas and leave the good areas as is.

Cottage Living Painted Floors

www.cottageliving.com

Using Mirrors

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Mirrors are great for adding light and brightness to your space.  If you have a windowless room you can install a large mirror directly opposite from an adjacent space to add light.  Installing a mirror directly opposite a large window or a large chandelier can also increase reflective light in your space.

www.coastalliving.com

Jean Allsop from Coastal Living

Dark Paint Colours

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A lot of homeowners are afraid to use dark more intense paint colours in their spaces.  The most common belief is that dark colours make a room look smaller.  It is actually the contrast in the room that makes a room look smaller. Your eye stops when you have dark walls and a light floor.  All you can see is how dark the walls are.  If you have dark grey walls and dark brown wood floors the eye sees one continuous space.  You can also lighten the room with accessories.

Coastal Living

www.coastalliving.com