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Home makeover ideas

Moved into a new home, added a room or decided to redecorate? It can be both daunting and exciting to be confronted by an empty space, so you need to decide how best to use your room.
This space, with a garden outlook, was given three makeover options – dining, breakfast and a lounge room. The ideas – to inspire you – ensured each room functioned to its full potential while also sharing a great relationship with the outdoors.


Dining room makeover

Complement a dramatic wall pattern with plain colours and stripes in similar shades, here with the lampshade and floor rug. And accessorise with occasional furniture such as this console with ironwork scrolls that echo the flowing lines of the wallpaper design.

Repeat the colour of your window frames in your furniture for a cohesive look. The dining table and chairs are finished in a striking black lacquer, which also creates interesting silhouettes against the patterned background.

Even with a busy wallpaper backdrop, you can focus attention on your dining table by suspending statement lighting directly over it. Avoid anything too flashy, like a chandelier, as subtlety is key. Look for a shapely design in a solid neutral colour that also appears in the wallpaper.
Bring the outside in and line a wall with a striking outdoor-inspired wallpaper pattern like this bird and thistle design. When you opt for a bold wallpaper, temper it with plain colours, plus leave your windows and doors free of coverings, or go for sheers to keep the room bright and light.

Pick out a key colour from the wallpaper when deciding on your lampshades, soft furnishings and accessories, then repeat this colour outside. Glazed pots, cushions and garden umbrellas will make the interaction between the two spaces more complete.
Choose a coordinating rug to delineate a large open-plan area into specific zones, and to soften the acoustics of the room when hosting a dinner party or any sort of gathering.
Opt for a timber floor, similar in tone to the paving used outside, so you create a seamless connection between indoors and out. If your floor is pine, you can achieve a similar look by sanding, lime-washing, then finishing the boards with a matt sealer.


Breakfast room makeover

Add cushions to chairs to encourage long, lazy breakfasts. You can have these woven chairs coloured to suit – choose from the range on offer or nominate your own Dulux colour.

When choosing a colour scheme, consider blue. As the colour of the sky and sea, even small touches of it will at once calm and revitalise your interior, especially when set against an all-white backdrop.
Blur the lines between indoors and out with large planter pots of small trees. Positioning them just inside the sliding glass doors links the interior and exterior spaces, creating a true sense of continuity.
Give your breakfast room or meals area the relaxed vibe of outdoor dining with these comfortable woven chairs. Appropriately named Lazy Joey, you won’t find it hard to laze about in these pastel gems all day – inside or outdoors under cover.

Lay wide floor planks in a pale colour that shows the beauty of the grain. Softer underfoot than tiles or stone, wood maintains a connection with the outdoors. Define areas within your space simply by changing the direction of the timber. Your eyes will register the change without drawing undue attention to it.
Hang sheer curtains in cool cotton to soften the effect of large expanses of glass. Whether you choose sliding doors or folding doors to visually connect and separate your interior from your exterior, either one will provide you with plenty of ventilation.
Whatever your colour scheme, seal inexpensive terracotta pots, then colour using a matt-effect paint finish for a high-end look.


Living room makeover

You can keep your sofas looking clean and fresh with slipcovers. Modern shapes such as this are easy to fit and any little mishaps are easily dealt with in the washing machine. This lounge setting comes with a range of slipcover colours and patterns.

Look out for large-scale artworks or prints with a natural theme to help unite your garden and home. You may also like the option of enlarging and printing a personal digital photo onto canvas. You can do it online – just type ‘photos on canvas’ into a search engine and you will find a range of printer options.

A sofa table behind the lounge is the norm, but you can do the same thing with your bookcase for a captivating touch. It will form an open wall behind your sofa, which means you can display special pieces so they are appreciated from both sides of the case. It also invites a clear view to the garden.

Buy the best quality lounge you can afford – it will save you money in the long run. Cover it with a neutral colour that’s easy to live with and it will provide the ideal background for assorted scatter cushions, and a warm link to the tones of your outdoor timber furniture.

Define your lounge area with a rug that’s large enough to fit under all the furniture. Here the rug is actually made from broadloom carpet, which comes in 3.66m widths, and the edges are overlocked in the factory. Just choose the length you want and your carpet dealer can take care of the overlocking.

Forget acres of fabric at the windows, the latest clean-lined idea is a series of sliding fabric panels that hang as neatly as blinds and show off the fabric’s pattern to great effect – very neat, very modern.

To create a very contemporary look, keep a low profile when it comes to coffee table height. Your space looks less cluttered and ceilings appear higher. It’s best to position it away from traffic areas, though, so people won’t accidentally knock their shins against it.


Slipcover savvy

  • Shop-bought slipcovers fit best if they are put back on in a slightly damp state – the fabric will have a little more stretch.

  • Wash the fabric first if making your own slipcovers, to allow for shrinkage. If you don’t, expensive dry-cleaning is the only way to clean them.

  • Change your look – warm-coloured covers for winter and cool for summer will keep the decorator in you happy all year.