TRADE SECRETS
Use your hallway – it’s not just somewhere to pass through. Turn it into a place to relax by adding a mini sofa or armchair in leaf-green velvet, to pick up the colour in the wallpaper. Accessorise with plain green rather than patterned cushions for a feeling of calm.
Make a beautiful statement with a bold, leafy-print wallpaper. Use it to cover just one wall, or one side of the hallway, and paint the other walls a gentle off-white (Rolling Fog Pale 158, £21 for 1L, by Little Greene has been used here) to prevent the pattern overpowering the space.
Use plants as ornaments – particularly trailing ivy, punchy blooms and leafy foliage. Be quirky with containers – put a pot inside a birdcage, or arrange flowers in an antique garden urn, to bring the outdoors in.
Continue the back-to-nature theme with warm wood on the floor, stairs and furniture. If your floorboards are beyond repair, cheat with engineered wood flooring or even hardwearing laminate – perfect for high- traffic areas like hallways. It’s come a long way since the 1980s and looks very realistic.
Update a junk shop mirror with gold spray paint, such as Rust-oleum Elegant Metallic Gold, £9.49, Amazon.co.uk. Mask off the glass first with paper and Frogtape (£4, Homebase), then spray with several light coats, letting each one dry in between.
Mix old and new styles of lighting – but stick to a colour theme (gold works well).
Lead the way upstairs by making a feature of your bannister, leaving it unpainted. Sand it down, then varnish, wax or use wood stain.
■Make use of dead space with a sideboard – it’ll offer extra storage and a display area on top. Use it to stash anything from shoes to books. FEJKA £75, CERAMIC POSY VASE, £5, WILKO £4, PARIS FAUX SILK CUSHION, £4, WILKO HOUSE DOCTOR MOLECULAR CEILING LAMP, £189, OVOHOME. COM COLOSSEUM BLEACHED OAK LUXURY VINYL TILE, £34 PER SQ M, LIFESTYLEDESIGNERFLOORS.CO.UK BOHEME 2-LIGHT WALL BRACKET, £84, DARLIGHTING. CO.UK SAVE: AMAZONIA CITRUS WALLPAPER, FROM £30, ARTHOUSE. COM RITCHIE MINI SOFA IN GREEN, £299, MADE.COM Chenille Cushion, £4, Wilko SPLURGE: PARADISE FEATHER WALLPAPER, £137 PER ROLL, LITTLE GREENE.COM
RANDALL SIDEBOARD, £449, SWOONEDITIONS. COM PARROT ORNAMENT, £12.99, HOMESENSE LUMIO TEAK AND CEMENT STOOL, £64.69, MAISONSDUMONDE.COM AGED GREEN URN, £42, MIAFLEUR. COM IVORY METAL BIRDCAGE TEALIGHT HOLDER, £17.75, MELODYMAISON.CO.UK