help needed!

Hi guys, Greetings! We have recently got our keys to our new apartment. It's bout 1356 sqft and we are on the process of buying acessories and decorating it. We have chose curtains,lighting,paint,dining table etc. Given the length of the room thought of getting l shaped sofa in fabric . Living room n dining wall is in white. Now tell me what are things i can add on the sofa,walls and on dining table i thought of getting runner. Give me ideas what else do i keep on table and side area. We have french window and balacony in the living room. Thanks in advance!

hi, first congrates for new home may be the things can help u. i saw at one place the dining table in shape but for only 3 people and the shape of that is like that we can attach other one very easily for 5 to 6 people. as in home we always don't need of big dining table so see all that type of piece also when the guests will come arrage other one which is also use as a side table in any cornerif it is not useful ignore itok geeta

Hi Rani

Congratulations on the new home!

I was a freelance interior designer 10 years ago before I got married and since then have been advising friends and family on their homes. So I could give you some basic foolproof tips to make your home look good.

Have you already bought your curtains, lighting, paint, dining table etc.? It would be best if you worked out a sample board where you put all your and your husbands ideas and preferences before actually going and purchasing them. If the living room and dining walls are in white, that's a nice blank canvas to start with. White walls can make a room look bigger and brighter, unless you are planning to paint the walls a different colour. Before you start, find out what you cannot change in the room. (For example, the flooring, or something else that you might not want to change). The first and foremost aspect of a room that catches your eye when you enter it is the colour. So decide upon the colour choices. Next think of a theme for the room. For example, if you like flowers, you can find wall hangings with pictures of flowers. The cushion covers on the sofa can have flower prints or embroidered flowers on them. A pretty coloured flower shaped glass bowl can be left on the centre table. A beautiful vase of fresh flowers on the dining table would be a welcoming sight. Co-ordinate your theme and colours so that there is no mismatch to spoil the overall look.

As I don't know what your living room looks like I cannot really comment on the L-shaped sofa. Having been to Singapore, I can only say that the best covering for sofa is fabric(preferably cotton) as it is very humid there(leather is a big no-no unless the apartment is fully air-conditioned).

The dining table does look elegant if there is a runner on it, but make sure that you have a protective water-proof transparent or vinyl table cloth underneath to prevent any damage to the table top. Alternatively you can choose matching place mats. You can choose a narrow decorative tray to place in the centre of the runner and put your vase in the middle along with a pretty salt & pepper rack.

For the French windows get floor length curtains and find pretty tie-backs to let the light in. You can check out websites such as Ikea, Pier, Habitat, etc for ideas.

One important tip is to match all the metal work. For example you cant have gold handles on the door and silver lighting on the ceiling. Remember, most television sets are silver.

The minimalistic look gives an impression of space without the cluttered look. So it all depends on what kind of look you want to achieve. Get some books on interior design or even design magazines and you will get plenty of ideas. Don't rush into it as you will have to live in it at least for a few years till you get bored of the decor.

I would be happy to advice you further should you need it.

Good luck and have fun!

Mukil

Hi Mukil,

Really helpful tips for anyone who is about to start decorating the house

Please help me to decorate a very small around 400 sq ft living room

I really envy people who do very simple decorations which make their home look great

I have searched some sites to educate my self regarding interior decoration,browsed for inspirations but I feel my neighbours'&friends houses' very lively than that of the pics I saw in the HGTV.COM etc ,

Here is the description of my house,rental unit,L-shaped livingroom with dining area at one arm,

frenchdoors,entrance is at the angle of the two arms,literally the hall area is wasted as it is at the angle

Even though we live in the second floor the unit is not well ventilated,too many dark areas at the corners,presently Iam using 4 tube lights to illuminate the hall area

The color of the wall is cream as it is very common for the rental units

I have read about themes ,harmony,patterns,textures-but confused not getting a clear idea

presently I have 2 brown leather couches ,50'' plasma silver colored with the same color stand,glass dining table,glass cofeetable with end tables,meroon color carpets

I want to add some wall hangings,picture frames,table lamps,vases,wall shelves,leteer hangings

I like Indian kind of patch work,tapestry kind of wall hanging,,but could not able to think of an idea

westren style of themes are also fine with me

please suggest me some small accessories like key chain holders etc plants , small wall hangings

I would post the pic of my living room very soon

My house is lacking life ,please suggest some ideas to rejuvenate it-in the case of wall decor

Thanks in advance Mukil

All other excellent home makers-interior decorators by birth-please help me with your great ideas if possible with the pictures of your wall decor ,which would be a great source of inspiration to me and many of us,thanks

Hi Sandhya

The first thing to keep in mind is that your home is rented and therefore you will be restricted in doing certain things that are permanent. But please don't let that dampen your spirits !

Having a picture of the room would certainly help but if you can provide a rough sketch of how you have placed your furniture at the moment I could give you suggestions for rearranging it to make your living room look more spatious. Just draw shapes labeled with sofa, chair, table, etc, and where they are placed including the location of all the doors and windows and if possible which side is east facing.

As it is an L-shaped living room with the dining area on one arm I presume the kitchen is next to the dining area ?

If you feel the hall area is wasted, you can rearrange the furniture to create specific task areas. First of all, think of all the things that you do in the living room. Apart from entertaining guests and spending TV time or ...what is the room used for ? Maybe an exercise workout machine ?

Regarding light in the room, it is due to the dark carpeting that does little to reflect what little amount of light you get in the room. And you have brown sofas which ideally should have been black or tan or cream which would have created a more harmonious look. But here is the trick to bring it all together. Get cushion covers that have maroon and cream in them. Find a nice throw to place over the sofa in the shade of cream to create more light surfaces for the light to reflect upon. Try and hide the brown as much as you can. Instead of using 4 tubelights (which might give the look of an office and will also increase your electricity bill !) get an uplighter on a stand and place it in one corner of the room. You can place table lamps with cream shades on the side tables. Remember to use the energy saving bulbs ! What is the color of the curtains on the french doors ? You can get the thick curtains on either side in cream and find translucent georgette type curtains in marroon. Find nice tie backs with beads and mirrors to pull back the curtains.

What are the colors of the door handles and light fittings ? As your plasma is silver, I would suggest silver colored table lamps and uplighter. You had mentioned your center table is glass, but what about its bottom ? Is it metal or wood ? And your dining table ? Are the chairs wood, metal, leather and in what color ?

Does your maroon carpet have any designs or patterns or is it plain ?

The best way to create a look of harmony in your home is to match colors first. And try to repeat the theme you have chosen, for ex. flowers...

As you like Indian patch work, that is a good way to bring it all together. Look for patchwork cushion covers with cream and maroon. Get some with mirror work so that it reflects more light. Find neutral colored picture frames(not gold if your home has predominantly silver stuff). A cheap trick is to find a neatly finished wooden frame in a dollar store and paint it to your choice of color using acrylic paint !

One sure way of adding more light to your room is to get a nice mirror for the wall. It instantly widens up a room if placed on the correct wall.

If you feel there is an empty corner in your room find a nice tall decorative vase in a neutral shade and add some marroon flowers or a dried flower bouquet.

I would advice against wall shelving as it is a rented place.

If you feel that you house is lacking life, get some indoor plants ! They instantly add life and makes your house a home. But remember to water it regularly and feed it some house plant food as nothing is more putting off than drying out plants !

I would suggest putting your keys in a wall tidy that you can get from a dollar store or elsewhere and hang it where you hang your coats. I am sure no rental place will allow you to put nails on the walls, otherwise when you leave they will take more of your deposit than you want them to !

Hope the tips have helped. Good luck !

[quote=mukilganesh;358220]Hi Sandhya

The first thing to keep in mind is that your home is rented and therefore you will be restricted in doing certain things that are permanent. But please don't let that dampen your spirits !

Having a picture of the room would certainly help but if you can provide a rough sketch of how you have placed your furniture at the moment I could give you suggestions for rearranging it to make your living room look more spatious. Just draw shapes labeled with sofa, chair, table, etc, and where they are placed including the location of all the doors and windows and if possible which side is east facing.

As it is an L-shaped living room with the dining area on one arm I presume the kitchen is next to the dining area ?

If you feel the hall area is wasted, you can rearrange the furniture to create specific task areas. First of all, think of all the things that you do in the living room. Apart from entertaining guests and spending TV time or ...what is the room used for ? Maybe an exercise workout machine ?

Regarding light in the room, it is due to the dark carpeting that does little to reflect what little amount of light you get in the room. And you have brown sofas which ideally should have been black or tan or cream which would have created a more harmonious look. But here is the trick to bring it all together. Get cushion covers that have maroon and cream in them. Find a nice throw to place over the sofa in the shade of cream to create more light surfaces for the light to reflect upon. Try and hide the brown as much as you can. Instead of using 4 tubelights (which might give the look of an office and will also increase your electricity bill !) get an uplighter on a stand and place it in one corner of the room. You can place table lamps with cream shades on the side tables. Remember to use the energy saving bulbs ! What is the color of the curtains on the french doors ? You can get the thick curtains on either side in cream and find translucent georgette type curtains in marroon. Find nice tie backs with beads and mirrors to pull back the curtains.

What are the colors of the door handles and light fittings ? As your plasma is silver, I would suggest silver colored table lamps and uplighter. You had mentioned your center table is glass, but what about its bottom ? Is it metal or wood ? And your dining table ? Are the chairs wood, metal, leather and in what color ?

Does your maroon carpet have any designs or patterns or is it plain ?

The best way to create a look of harmony in your home is to match colors first. And try to repeat the theme you have chosen, for ex. flowers...

As you like Indian patch work, that is a good way to bring it all together. Look for patchwork cushion covers with cream and maroon. Get some with mirror work so that it reflects more light. Find neutral colored picture frames(not gold if your home has predominantly silver stuff). A cheap trick is to find a neatly finished wooden frame in a dollar store and paint it to your choice of color using acrylic paint !

One sure way of adding more light to your room is to get a nice mirror for the wall. It instantly widens up a room if placed on the correct wall.

If you feel there is an empty corner in your room find a nice tall decorative vase in a neutral shade and add some marroon flowers or a dried flower bouquet.

I would advice against wall shelving as it is a rented place.

If you feel that you house is lacking life, get some indoor plants ! They instantly add life and makes your house a home. But remember to water it regularly and feed it some house plant food as nothing is more putting off than drying out plants !

I would suggest putting your keys in a wall tidy that you can get from a dollar store or elsewhere and hang it where you hang your coats. I am sure no rental place will allow you to put nails on the walls, otherwise when you leave they will take more of your deposit than you want them to !

Hope the tips have helped. Good luck !

Hi Mukil,

wow!!!!!!!!! what a quick and detailed response!!!!

Thanks for taking your precious time in posting me.Now Iam getting a picture of what to do.

regarding the living room pic I shall upload it soon ,the house entrance is north facing,the door is at northeast,but the east wall is shared with my neighbours' house,the source of sunlight is from the west from the french doors,we left the hallway free as said by our parents according to vasthu the northeast side should be kept free.,but I feel it very empty atleast the walls should be covered by some thing else

The furniture arrangement is 3 seater and 2 seater sofa in L shape both at the west wall& north wall and the TV on the south wall,one side table between the sofas ,not using the cofee table right now as my toddler needs lot of space to move around

Yeah,you are right the kitchen is next to the dining area,we now use the living room only for entertaining guests& watching tv

I shall get the covers for the sofas & table lamps with silver colored bars with cream lamp shades

Right now we are using cream colored blinds,but I like your idea of putting the curtains &shop around for them .

The end tables&the cofeetables have silver metal as the base

The dining table has darkbrown colored metal chairs

The maroon carpet has floral design in cream color

I shall post the picture before and after decorating

Thanks for taking interest in my post,you have provided verygood advice to me

Hi Sandhya

Glad to be of help.

If I had known that you have a toddler then I would have given more ideas !
Here's another idea for the room corner. An aquarium tank ! That is if you don't mind the care that goes along with it. Kids love to watch fishes and it provides a very good distraction which works all the time !

For the French doors, here is a clarification. I suggested the thick cream curtains on the outer corners and the marroon georgette curtains on the inner side. So it looks like cream and marroon stripe next to each other on either end of the Fr doors. For tie backs you can get extra cushion covers(patchwork with mirrors), cut and re-stitch them ! You can find georgette type curtains in Ikea or Next. Or, get hold of a marroon georgette sari ! Works out cheaper too !

Check out the Pier for wall hangings. They have some patchwork ones from India ! Have a look at their cushion covers as well.

You can either leave the cream lamp shades as they are, or if you are handy with a needle and thread, find some marroon beads and stitch them (so they are not removable by inquisitive little hands !) in a decorative pattern around the rim to provide a lovely contrast !

As you have a toddler, I am sure that you use the living room as a major play area for him/her. Find a nice toy chest to hide away the toys but which are accessible.
(IKEA | Baby | Storage furniture | APA | Storage box)

You can place a marroon glass vase on the dining table with cream flowers.

If I am correct the furniture(sofa, dining set, etc.) are your own and not rented. When you buy your own place you can do it up to match the brown.

I would love to see the before and after pictures !

Hi there,
I never expected reply from any one here and didnt see this site for while.Here is my floor plan. We have thought of the following. Feature wall for tv,with tv console and on dining side mirror and to the right of window planning to some shelving with looks elegant. I don't wanna paint living room,but add some colour thru sofas and dining. My sofas is 3+2 and dining table is solid teak stained.My curtains have sort of gold tone etc and wondering what to put on either walls as wall art... As u enter rooms area the first one u bang into is study and we have day bed and comp table and its painted light yellow,next u see is our masterbedroom, we have rustic bedset with sidetable and is painted blue inbetween sky blue and dark blue,was wondering what sort cushions do i put on side and lampshades either in gold tone,white or blue? Looking for dresser with mirror too. 3 room is our guest room which lemon green.Do tell me plz what do i put on the walls on all the 3 rooms. For my master i do have some thing in mind,study will world map or some sort of painting look good?? Please advice. Thanks in advance!!

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Hi Rani

It is usually not suggested to make the TV as the most prominent feature of a room, unless of course it is one of the huge wall mounted plasma screens. But even then such a TV would look appropriate only in a modern steel and glass room. As the living and dining area is an open space plan, with the teak dining table in view, I am unsure of the overall effect. Does the dining table set have a plain design, or is it ornately(carved) decorated ?

Because you already have a teak dining table, I would suggest that you get a teak display cabinet for the side wall.

What kind of flooring do you have? As Singapore is a warm country, and with the walls in white and teak wood, I would suggest teal for a fresh look. But then you should choose a colour that you are comfortable with. What is the colour of the sofas ? What kind of centre and side tables do you have ? You can take the colour from your sofa for a wall picture. What colour are the cushions on the sofa ?

Are your windows and doors wood or metal ? What colour are the window frames and balcony door frames?

Are all the curtains in all the rooms gold toned ? If they are and you don’t want to change them, you can find pretty tie-backs to match the wall colour of each room.
You can also add georgette curtains in the same colour as the walls on the inner side of the gold curtains and hold it neatly in a pretty tie-back.

For the 3 bedrooms:
Study- As the room is painted in light yellow, I feel that a world map might be a bit of clash in colours as it is mainly in blue. What colour is your computer furniture ? If it is silver, you can get accessories in silver which will match the yellow. You can get a notice board with a silver frame to put on the wall for organizing all your day-to-day schedules. You can find silver coloured stationery holders and a silver waste bin. Have you already got light fittings ? You can find ceiling lights and table lamps in silver.

Master bedroom.
Here is the rule for the colour blue. If it is dark or navy blue, you can use gold, if it is light blue then silver looks better. Any shade in between, I would suggest gold if it is a warm blue and silver if it is a cool blue. What colour is your rustic bedset ? Choose the same shade for your dresser. And make sure that the cushion on the stool for the dresser is a similar shade of blue or dark blue. Or you can get a chest of drawers to match the woodwork colour in the room and find a nice ornate mirror with a rustic frame(the same colour as your bed furniture) to place on its top.

What colour is the bedspread ? If you are going for a blue theme I would advice against blue lampshades as you would feel swamped with blue. What is the colour of the ceiling light ? Best is to match the existing colours in the room. If you want to go neutral for the lampshades, choose cream for a warm blue or white for a cool blue. You can also get plain cream or white shades and decorate them with the same shade(as the wall colour) of glass beads at their edges.

Guest bedroom
If you have lemon green on the walls, accessorising in shades of yellow and orange will create a nice look. Or if you want something dramatic, you can put in a few accessories in dark magenta. Of course, don’t mix both magenta and orange ! That would be disaster. And if you want to tone down the lemon green choose the right shade of medium blue for accessories.

Good luck ! Let me know how your home turns out.