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• Glamorous Mirror Living Room - Design Sitting Room Trends 2009-2010

  
  16 August 2009
  

  Glamorous Mirror Living Room - Design Sitting Room Trends 2009-2010: A glamorous mirror room with shiny surfaces and elegant yellows. Create a fresh and sophisticated living space. Soft yellow furnishings, including a sofa and footstools, complement the mirrors and dark mahogany coloured floorboards.
  
  For extra glamour fill the room with mirrors: mirrored furniture, mirror fireplace, frames and shelving. The soft yellow furnishings, including a sofa and footstools, complement the mirrors and dark mahogany coloured floorboards.

  Room: Living Room Colours: Cream; Yellow; Style: Luxurious; Modern; Budget: High Programme: Home Front Designer: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen; Feature: Mirrors

   

  		Design Sitting Room: Colour scheme Use a warm colour scheme to enhance the light entering the room. Decorate the walls with a matt and shiny checker-board glaze effect in yellow. Use beautiful embroideries and tailored curtains to off set the colour of the walls.
  		Design Sitting Room: Muslin curtains Use cream muslin for the curtains to create a soft warm glow to your room. When the sun shines through it will enhance this warmth and make the room feel cosy.
  		Design Sitting Room: Fireplace Rather than using traditional materials for the fireplace, modernise it by installing a mirror. This offers a different perspective of the room not normally viewed.
  		Design Sitting Room: Embroidery pictures Scour material shops for interesting embroidered fabrics. Frame and hang them around the room to give detail to contrast with the mirrors.
  		Design Sitting Room: Picture frames Highlight the embroidery pieces by installing picture lights above them. This creates an interesting focal point in the room.
  		Design Sitting Room: Accessorise Add extra detail to the room and continue the mirror theme through into the accessories. Like this mirrored lamp, which will send shafts of light across the floor. All the mirrors help to give a room the feeling of being larger and brighter.

  (bbc home design news)

• Retro Lounge Living Room - Design Sitting Room Trends 2009-2010

  
  16 August 2009
  

  Retro Lounge Living Room - Design Sitting Room Trends 2009-2010: Turn your living room into an area with bright patterns and funky furniture. This lounge contains colours associated with 1960s Pop Art. Vibrant shades of red, pink and yellow come together to provide a warm and quirky living space.
  
  Bold candy-coloured screen prints and patterned floor cushions are set off against black modern furniture. It is a Paolozzi inspired network of frantic lines, patterns and colours.

  Room: Living Room Colours: Blue; White; Style: Period Style; Budget: High Programme: Home Front Designer: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen; Feature: Fireplace

   

  		Design Sitting Room: Flooring To create this montage effect cut out pieces of different coloured laminate and stick down onto the floor. This will give the floor a designer feel without losing any of its functionality.
  		Design Sitting Room: Fireplace Build the fireplace forward and light it from behind to give an interesting glow. Create a floating he hearth. Personalise the tiles by scanning your chosen design into a computer before being printing the image out onto the tiles.
  		Design Sitting Room: Lighting Hang three columns of different coloured chain mail from the ceiling and install lights in both the ceiling and the floor. This will give off different coloured light reflections around the room.
  		Design Sitting Room: Seating It is always important that a living room has plenty of comfortable seating to create a cosy, lived-in feel. Invest in a large upright sofa with lots of cushions.
  		Design Sitting Room: Chairs Choose chairs in the same style as the sofa and use the corresponding block colour fabrics. Position large cushions on the chairs.
  		Design Sitting Room: Floor Cushions Scatter the floor with brightly coloured floor cushions. Choose a bold patterned fabric. These cushions can be easily grabbed and moved around the room when there are guests.
  		Design Sitting Room: Make your own pictures Personalise the room by designing and printing your own screen prints onto fabric. Choose bright colours that will accentuate the colours in the room. Fix these panels firmly to the wall.

  (bbc home design news)

• Gothic Living Room - Design Sitting Room Trends 2009-2010

  
  16 August 2009
  

  Gothic Living Room - Design Sitting Room Trends 2009-2010: Create an elegantly simple room with Gothic rhythm and proportion, but without the Victorian Gothic detail. This room has a contemporary twist on period style, creating a grown up feel to a living room.

  Room: Living Room Colours: Green; Style: Themed; Budget: High Programme: Home Front Designer: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen; Feature: Oak panelling

   

  		Design Sitting Room: Re-create original panelling Add texture to your walls with panelling. Such intricate designs can be commissioned from a joiner.
  		Design Sitting Room: Fireplace Build the oak panelling around the stone fireplace to create the Gothic look. The wood will contrast with the cool colour of the stone fireplace to bring warmth and elegance into the room.
  		Design Sitting Room: Make a radiator cover Make a radiator cover out of the same oak panelling. This will complement the panelled wall and bring a unified theme to the room.
  		Design Sitting Room: Personalise the cushions Make cushion covers from remnants of fabric. This patchwork effect fits in well with the them of the room and is a low cost alternative to buying covers.
  		Design Sitting Room: Accessorise Find ornaments that complement and contrast with the colour of the walls. Create an unusual feature out of leftover fabric. Stitch the fabric together and turn the patchwork pattern into a wall hanging.

  (bbc home design news)

• Green Sitting Room - Design Sitting Room Trends 2009-2010

  
  16 August 2009
  

  Green Sitting Room - Design Sitting Room Trends 2009-2010: Break up the green by creating striped patterns on the walls using paint and a few choice pieces of wooden furniture.

  Room: Living Room Colours: Green; Style: Modern; Budget: Medium Programme: Real Rooms Designer: Andrea Maflin; Feature: Patina effect mirror frame

   

  		Design Sitting Room: Stripy wall effect To decorate the walls beneath the dado rail, buy a window scraper, take out the rubber part and cut out sections to make small fingers in the rubber. Then drag it downwards through the still wet paint to create a stripy wave effect.
  		Design Sitting Room: Curtains Give plain ready-made cotton curtains a touch of class by adding a green leaf design. Use a rubber stamp and press down hard to produce the print. Try a test piece first to avoid any mistakes.
  		Design Sitting Room: Patina effect mirror frame Add a mild acid solution to a paint that contains metal. Spray or paint it onto the mirror frame and leave overnight to dry.
  		Design Sitting Room: Shelving Make shelves in the alcoves and run the dado rail round the edge of the shelves for continuity.
  		Design Sitting Room: Coffee table Find a low table and varnish the legs. Cut a piece of foam to fit the top and cover with green felt. Glue the covered foam onto the table and use as a coffee table.

• Rustic Farmhouse Living Room - Design Living Room Trends 2009-2010

  
  16 August 2009
  

  Rustic Farmhouse Living Room - Design Living Room Trends 2009-2010: Use a colour combination of cream, saffron and chocolate together with natural materials such as wood, wicker and Welsh slate to create a rustic farmhouse look.

  Room: Living Room Colours: Cream; Natural; Yellow; Style: Farmhouse; Natural; Budget: Low Programme: Real Rooms Designer: Justin Ryan; Colin McAllister; Feature: Fireplace

   

  		Design Living Room: Stone flooring Create a warm cosy country styled living room by simply combining yellow walls with slate floor tiles.
  		Design Living Room: Brighten up old furniture Brighten up an old chest of drawers by firstly giving it a coat of dark cream paint. Leave to it dry and then dab paint from a gold aerosol can with a paintbrush to produce a rippled effect.
  		Design Living Room: The central feature Make the fireplace the central feature of the room. Find brass fire accessories to place on the hearth as well as natural objects such as three wooden balls for decoration.
  		Design Living Room: The seating Contrast the yellow walls with a cream sofa and a few yellow cushions.
  		Design Living Room: A wooden chair Accessorise the room with wooden furniture for the rustic farmhouse look and use bright coloured cushions to brighten the wood up.
  		Design Living Room: Accessorises Finish the look by displaying pewter style plates and natural ornaments. Buy a camping tin plate and give it a coat of matt black paint. Leave it to dry, then dab silver paint on top to create a fashionable pewter effect.

   

  (bbc home design news)

• Chic Country Cottage Living Room- Design Living Room Trends 2009-2010

  
  15 August 2009
  

  Chic Country Cottage Living Room- Design Living Room Trends 2009-2010: Turn a living room into a cosy and chic country cottage retreat. Use warm colours, light floorboards and soft lighting to brighten up a small cottage living room and turn it into a light, airy and stylish space.

  Room: Living Room Colours: Cream; Style: Farmhouse; Traditional; Budget: Medium Programme: DIY SOS Designer: Brigid Calderhead; Feature: Slate hearth

   

  		Design Living Room: The walls Remove any existing plaster features and prepare the walls for painting. Paint them a warm yellow to bring heat into the room and create a cosy feel.
  		Design Living Room: The floor Sand the floorboards and varnish with diamond glaze to produce a reflective effect on the boards. This helps to lighten up the room.
  		Design Living Room: Slate hearth Level off the floor of the hearth and put a layer of cement down. Gently push the slate tiles into the cement. Use a straight stick to check that the tiles are level and leave to dry.
  		Design Living Room: Chimneybreast Make the chimneybreast a feature of the room and add a wood-burning stove. To give it a country cottage rough finish, apply a Marmorino plaster effect. Finally clean the chimney to remove any old soot before lighting the stove.
  		Design Living Room: Soft lighting effect Paint porcelain up-lighters with a marble effect. Paint an undercoat in the same colour as the walls. Draw thin black lines across the up-lighter and gently brush them with a dry brush to achieve the veined effect of marble. Attach to the walls.

  (bbc home design news)

• Vibrant Orange Hallway and Stairs - Design Hallway and Stairs Trends 2009-2010

  
  09 August 2009
  

  Vibrant Orange Hallway and Stairs - Design Hallway and Stairs Trends 2009-2010: The hall is possibly the most important room of your home as it is the first area people see. Create a wow' impression by using a terracotta orange contemporary design, which has a natural feel when combined with hazel and wood.

  Room: Hallway/Stairs Colours: Orange; Style: Modern; Natural; Budget: Low Programme: Real Rooms Designer: Sally Meen; Feature: Banisters

   

  		Design Hallway and Stairs: Wall colour For a warm and cosy look, paint the walls with a bright orange undercoat. To tone this down and create a textured effect, rag-roll a deeper orange over the top. Paint all the skirting and coving cream.
  		Design Hallway and Stairs: Banister For a rustic effect, cover the stair banisters with hazel panels. Nail small sections of the hazel onto the banister rails. To neaten the edges cut a deep groove into a long log and place over the existing banister rail. Sand and varnish.
  		Design Hallway and Stairs: Radiator cover Screw together four pieces of MDF, which have been cut to fit around the radiator. Fill in the front panel with willow, leaving it reasonably spread out to let the heat out. Make a small door in the radiator cover so that you can access the valves.
  		Design Hallway and Stairs: Decorative glass vase Fill a plain glass vase with decorative twigs and dried flowers. If the vase is top heavy, fill it with small pebbles. This will add to the rustic feel of the design.
  		Design Hallway and Stairs: Flower wall art Cut out three identical MDF squares and crackle glaze them with cream paint. Fix a test tube holder in the centre of each square. Clip a small glass bottle to the square and fill with water and a yellow flower. Hang the squares in a row on your wall.
  		Design Hallway and Stairs: Mirror Make the hall seem bigger with a mirror. Back it with MDF and then give it a rustic look by framing it with small logs of wood. Screw directly into the wall and hide the screw hole with a dowel.
  		Design Hallway and Stairs: Screens If your front door has a patterned glass panel that you dont like, cover it with screens. Make a frame using 2x1 timber and staple tracing paper to the back. Staple decorative voil to the front of the panel and fix over the existing glass.
  		Design Hallway and Stairs: Lighting To add a contemporary touch to the room, use funky chrome halogen lights in the hallway and on the landing. Complete the look by changing plastic light switches to chrome ones.
  		Design Hallway and Stairs: Accessories As a finishing touch, hang a deep coloured patterned rug on your wall instead of traditional pictures. This will add to the textured effects of the design. Place small wicker baskets around the hallway.

  (bbc home design news)

• Sunny Hallway - Design Hallway Trends 2009-2010

  
  09 August 2009
  

  Sunny Hallway - Design Hallway Trends 2009-2010: Transform your hallway into a sunny area. This design creates a light airy space that makes a relaxing entrance into any house and guides the eye gently into the interior.

  Room: Hallway/Stairs Colours: Yellow; Style: Modern; Budget: Medium Programme: DIY SOS Designer: Livi Hughes; Feature: Luxurious wool carpet

   

  		Design Hallway: Prepare the walls Where the walls are rough and badly finished, start by covering the walls with one-coat finish plaster followed by a bonding coat to seal the surface. In badly affected areas, you may have to re-plasterboard the entire wall.
  		Design Hallway: The walls Strip any wallpaper from the walls and replace any damaged skirting boards. Paint the walls light yellow and keep the ceiling brilliant white for a clean look.
  		Design Hallway: Stairs Paint the stair banisters and the spindles with clean white gloss paint. Lay a honeycomb wool carpet in the hallway and up the stairs. This will help to unify and consolidate the space.
  		Design Hallway: Finishing touches As a finishing touch, dress the hallway with plants. Hang a large pine mirror on the wall to open up the area and reflect the light back into the room. Complete the look with classic framed pictures.

   

  (bbc home design news)

• Sunshine Staircase and Hallway - Design Staircase and Hallway Trends 2009-2010

  
  09 August 2009
  

  Sunshine Staircase and Hallway - Design Staircase and Hallway Trends 2009-2010: Transform a hallway into a light and spacious modern looking area. The bright yellow walls are complimented by a dado rail and wallpaper, to echo the hall's Victorian features.

  Room: Hallway/Stairs Colours: Yellow; Style: Period Style; Budget: Low Programme: DIY SOS Designer: Livi Hughes; Feature: Dado rail

   

  		Staircase and Hallway: Walls Strip the walls, fill the gaps and then paint the walls a bright sunshine yellow.
  		Staircase and Hallway: Dado rail Attach a dado rail at waist height on the wall. Below the rail, paste thick embossed paper to simulate a Victorian look. Paint the rail and the wallpaper white.
  		Staircase and Hallway: Floorboards Remove the old stair and hall carpet. Strip the floorboards in the entrance hall and coat with a mix of 50% varnish, 50% white spirit for natural look
  		Staircase and Hallway: Carpet Put down a new stair carpet. Choose a deep blue to add warmth to the floor area.
  		Staircase and Hallway: Finishing touches Complete the look with a pine framed mirror and white church candles.

  (bbc home design news)

• City to Suburbia Hall and Stairs - Design Hall and Stairs Trends 2009-2010

  
  09 August 2009
  

  City to Suburbia Hall and Stairs - Design Hall and Stairs Trends 2009-2010: The stairwell forms the backbone of a house and dictates the personality of the building. It is a psychologically important area, which links all the different areas in the house.
  
  Divide your area into different zones. For example, the ground floor hall way can be seen as your public space, the middle floor as your social space and the top stairs and landing as your private space.

  Room: Hallway/Stairs Colours: Green; Style: Minimal; Period Style; Traditional; Budget: High Programme: Home Front Designer: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen; Feature: Perspex art work

   

  		Design Hall and Stairs: Sleek staircase Replace the spindles in your staircase with sleek modern ones. Bring your own funky design into your house by commissioning a wood turner. Paint the spindles silver and cover the banister handrail in black rubber.
  		Design Hall and Stairs: Black and white stairs Use a hard-wearing wood effect flooring for the stairwell and landing. To create a dramatic look, use alternate white and black strips, which will draw the eye up the stairs.
  		Design Hall and Stairs: Textured walls For a contemporary feel, use a textured wall covering. Hang the line textured paper horizontally instead of vertically as this will contrast with the existing verticals in the room.
  		Design Hall and Stairs: Mint green walls Paint the walls a bright, minty green. Start with a dark shade at the bottom of the staircase and gradually lighten the shade as you move upwards. Carefully blend each shade change to give the feeling of a seamless progression upwards.
  		Design Hall and Stairs: Ground floor luxury For a touch of luxury, cover the ground floor hallway with black granite floor tiles. To add to this grandeur, why not hide your old radiator behind an ornate radiator cover, or splash out on a granite effect designer domestic radiator.
  		Design Hall and Stairs: Lines of lights Add to the strong lines in this design by attaching lights to wires. If possible, suspend lights down through the centre of the banisters from the top floor right down to the bottom. This seamless lighting adds cohesion to the design.
  		Design Hall and Stairs: Green-light artwork For a contemporary feel, create this Perspex light artwork. Engrave a design onto a piece of Perspex. Then, pass a fluorescent light through the Perspex. The engraving creates a barrier in the light and creates a 3D obstruction effect.

  (bbc home design news)