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How to shop smart
Making your home look good needn't be about elite furnishing shops and perfectly matching shades of fuschia. Find out how to shop smart for your home
How you decorate and dress your home reflects your personality, but your choices may change over time as different colours, looks and moods come and go. You may want to re-stage a room around one fabulous piece you've picked up on your travels or just want go for something completely different from your usual style. The key to creating a look that can be adapted to suit your current preference is to follow a few key pointers from the outset - and to throw out some of the myths that surround decorating. We talked to Halo Living, a new mail order company featuring award-winning designers, about following the philosophy of loving your home and having fun personalising it.
Myth: Everything must match
The idea that your room colour, flooring, furnishings and accessories must match each other went out with the Queen Anne chair. With today's more eclectic vibe, you can successfully mix and match colours, textiles and styles. Choose from cushions, throws, bedlinen and more which you can mix and match to create a uniquely personal look.
Here are a few basic rules to help you:
- Try to choose paint colours which are tonally similar. For example, ice cream colours such as rose, mint, vanilla and cream can look great together if they are of a similar depth.
- Add a splash of more vibrant colour (from the same palette) with your accessories. Here you can also experiment with patterns. Spots and stripes can look great together if you stick to one or two tonally-similar shades.
- Textures can bring a welcome touch of variation to your room. Leatherette cushions can look great alongside feathery, fluffy or fringed ones, and a lush, mohair throw can add an extra dimension. Similarly, sequins look great against shot silk, and suedette goes well with faux fur.
- For a more uniform look colour-wise, stick with one basic colour family, and go for different weights of that shade: darker on recessed walls, lighter to highlight architectural features often works well, for instance.
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