Make a connection before you mix it up
Q: The oriental rug in my sitting room is mainly gold with red and a small amount of green. I also have a brown sofa and matching chair. Could I add two red wing chairs that have ball and claw legs with nail trim on the front of the arms?
A: Part of the joy of decorating is creating a look that is uniquely yours. It’s easy to copy a style from a book, or simply buy a furniture grouping off the showroom floor.
But we usually don’t buy everything at once; it takes years to put together a home, and replacements needn’t cause you to start all over again.
The short answer is yes, you can marry styles. The red in the carpet will tie in the new wing chairs. Nail head trim is a handsome detail that suits traditional and modern styles.
The red Jace chair shown features bright nickel nail heads and stainless steel for a modern look. The sofa legs are wood balls and the Rancho square ottoman in faux fur doubles as a coffee table. Visit toliedesignerclub.com for more details.
This furniture would look stunning on an oriental rug.
Q: In redecorating a little country home, I discovered that the wallboard isn’t sheet when I started to remove the wallpaper from one of the bedroom walls. It has been pieced together. What is a cost-effective solution that will hide the imperfections? Textured paint?
A: Wallpaper, especially the popular embossed papers, cover up a myriad of sins. What lies beneath is the challenge we all dread when removing old wallpaper.
To prepare your surface properly for paint, remove all the paper and fill in any holes, cracks and seams between the pieces of wall- board. It will be difficult to achieve a completely smooth wall without professional help, but this will help a lot.
Apply a skim coat of plaster over the whole wall and let dry. Then apply a good quality primer.
When you are ready to paint, consider a technique such as colour washing to camouflage the imperfections.
For a subtle effect, choose two colours that are quite close together. For a more dramatic look, choose a bigger contrast, or even a third colour.
Begin with a basecoat of your chosen colour and then mix a coloured glaze with one part latex paint to two parts water-based glazing liquid.
Working in three-foot sections, and keeping a wet edge to avoid lap marks, apply the coloured glaze with a brush using criss-cross strokes until the base coat is covered.
You will see the base coat shining through and the coloured glaze will help hide uneven areas on your wall.
Q: We have purchased a home in which a decorator painted several walls in different shades of brown. The carpets are brown/gray. The kitchen has brown walls and yellow cupboards. I find this colour scheme depressing but can’t afford to repaint every room. Any suggestions?
A: Add some interest and energy, with colour and accent pieces. It is not necessary to paint all the walls, so make a feature wall with a coat of off-white or baby blue paint.
Hang some artwork with themes and shades you love and the room will feel instantly yours. A bedspread or cushions in a bright yellowy green will also brighten up the space.
For the kitchen walls, blue gray is a pleasing alternative to the brown.