Firstly a big sorry for the lack of posts, haven’t blogged for 2 months which is the longest time since starting the blog over a year ago. It’s almost like I decided to take the summer off!! but it’s because I have been so incredible busy and it’s so easy to get out of the habit of doing things! So from now I’m back and will be blogging every week. Feel free to tell me off if I don’t.

So lets talk about adding the wow to a room as trying to change a room can be a daunting process. Knowing where to start and making decisions isn’t always that easy for the best of us.
You may have a big budget which initially makes it easier but believe you me you can still make costly mistakes.

If you have a small budget it can even be more challenging but you have to be a wee bit more creative to pull it off. One of my more recent projects I was set the task of creating a wow factor but on a tight budget. This was for a show home for a developer in Cardiff but the same rules can be applied to a room make over at home. Although we had a budget to furnish all the rooms it didn’t stretch that far to go all guns blazing so we had to think of some clever decorating ideas to create the wow factor.

So if you are planning a room makeover start by really thinking about what you use the room for, for instance if it’s a space that gets lots of use you will need to think about adding ample of storage which is assessable and easy to use, or it may be a smart lounge which is just for evening use which instantly narrows it down to not having to be so practical therefore darker colours can be used to create a more cosy feel.

For me the No.1 game changer is PAINT, paint a room in a darker hue and it changes the feel instantly. I have recently painted my family lounge at home (including the ceiling) in dark inky blue, if I suggested this to a client they would almost in an instant say NO, but it is amazing the response I have had, friends that came for dinner recently were balled over and loved it but said they wouldn’t of thought of using darker colours on the walls let alone the ceiling. And it doesn’t make a room look smaller, that’s a myth, light it well and break the walls up with mirrors and art, it adds such a great depth to the room. Now I have just touched on art this is also a great way to add interest to a room and it doesn’t have to cost the earth, framing vintage posters is a great cost effective solution.

The one thing I have done with my room in the show home was to bring furniture into the room, a big NO NO for me is pushing furniture up against the wall like it’s been naughty and it’s not allowed to play. A must is adding larger pieces, like a chair, coffee table or oversized lamp, (don’t forget lighting is key). Playing with scale will trick the eye and make the space look bigger than it really is! If your going to move over to the dark side, adding a bit a glamour Hollywood style works a treat, sometimes a bit of shiny will break up the look. We added a crystal chandelier to the show home lounge which stopped the room looking too contrived, but puts a little fun into the scheme. But be aware! Adding too much bling can make a room look cheap so keep it to a minimum.
As you can see from the picture, adding the black wall to the kitchen takes this from a bland kitchen to a wow kitchen, and getting a pop of colour is always a nice way of stopping the room looking boring, adding a chair in a bright hue is a great way of achieving this.

Adding the black paint on the one wall livens up the room and takes it from being a bit bland to cool and chic. Such an easy and cheap thing to do.

Push the boat out and go darker, especially when decorating a room that’s used for chilling out in the evening, adding a bit of bling can create that wow you after.

Another great way of creating drama is adding splashes of colour which catches the eye.

Happy decorating, have a great weekend.