Some people are born with an innate sense of style, others have to work at it. However, even people with a very strong individual look in terms of dress and hair, may find the prospect of decorating a large room rather daunting. Also, unless you live on your own, there are the ideas and opinions of your partner to take into account. Designing by committee may produce rather bland results, but it is important to end up with a room you are both happy with.
The most obvious source of inspiration is books, magazines and friends’ houses. However, beware of copying a look verbatim as it will never feel truly yours. Instead pick and mix ingredients that you find appealing.
When you see a room that you find especially attractive, try and analyse what exactly it is that has caught your eye. Is it the colour, the fabrics and patterns, pictures or style of furniture? It takes practice to be able to ‘break down’ the look of a room into its constituent elements, but once you are able to do it you will find it an invaluable skill.
Most important of all is not to allow yourself to feel intimidated. There are no rules, so if you want to mix periods, combining furniture or fabrics that are fiercely modern with antiques, or rustic with sophisticated, then go ahead. Similarly, there is no reason why you should not mix quirky, ethnic pieces with traditional pieces you find locally.
The design and period of the house or even the shape and proportions of a room, may direct you towards a certain decorating theme or style. A space full of clean sharp angles and lines has a very different feel to one full of sensuous curves, and may cry out for a very contemporary look. Above all, give yourself time to get the ‘feel’ of a room before starting work. If you can bear it, pare down your room to the bare minimum and live with it in this state for a few months. You will then have time to consider how you use the room. Remember too that once decorated, a room will have its basic framework that will continue to evolve as you start to use it.
Increasing space
Mirrors are an extremely useful weapon in the decorator’s armoury. They can be used to play all sorts of tricks with space and light. For example, the clever placing of a large mirror within a room will instantly make it look twice as large, and also twice as bright.
Long narrow rooms particularly benefit from the addition of a big mirror. The most difficult space can be transformed if one wall is covered in a huge mirror, effectively disguising the awkwardness of the room by doubling its size.
Many houses have hallways where mirrors work tremendously well, opening up the space and making the area lighter and more welcoming in one go. An excellent place to put the mirror is immediately above the radiator, preferably to the same width.
A room with a particularly dramatic or attractive view can be enhanced simply by hanging a large mirror on the wall opposite the window to bring the view into the room, thereby doubling its impact and really bringing the room to life.
