Dear Debbie: I鈥檓 fixing up a tiny bedroom as a guest room for holiday company. Can you recommend any wall finishes that would look romantic and cozy, and suit lots of different ages and personalities?
Zoe
I have just finished renovating my tiny London home, and one of the rooms that I particularly like is the little bedroom in the attic. It is my guest room, but I have a feeling that I will be sneaking up there myself.
Attic rooms can be a challenge, with sloping ceilings that make the space feel even smaller. But to me, this is cosy, perfect for happy dreams and a good night鈥檚 sleep.
It鈥檚 said that, in order to make a small room appear larger, you must use white or light colours on the walls. It is true that pastels are airy, and give the illusion of pushing out the walls and enlarging the space. But darker colours, or oversized and busy patterns, are a cosy alternative.
I papered the whole room in a glorious damask patterned wallpaper from Farrow & Ball. It looks like an original stenciled finish that would have taken hours and days to paint. (I did this on my walls years ago, and it looked stunning, but it was labour-intensive.)
Farrow & Ball make their own wallpaper using paints instead of dyes to create the patterns. Not only are the colours brilliant, but you can feel the texture. It looks like painted wallpaper, and it is, but they do the work. The pattern shown here, called Silvergate, was translated from an early 19th-century English damask paper originally printed at Silvergate in Norfolk.
Headboards, more than ever, claim the centre of attention in bedrooms today, and this soft grey, tufted wool headboard, Charlton from The White Company, is no exception. It鈥檚 incredibly comfortable to lean against when you鈥檙e reading, and the wool feels cool in summer and warm in winter.
The mirrored glass bedside table and dresser (not seen) bring a little Hollywood glam, adding sparkle and life to the cosy and romantic setting.
It鈥檚 always lovely to be able to add a bit of personal history to a room. It could be a hand-quilted bedspread, an old rocking chair or a grouping of old family photos. Here, I chose to hang a pair of antique lamps from France that I inherited from my grandmother.
The room is finished now and awaits its first arrivals. Enjoy your decorating and let your imagination soar.
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Dear Debbie: My young nieces are visiting and I鈥檇 like to plan some Christmas projects for us to do together. They love crafts and baking, but I am no pro. Help!
Doreen
Your craft store will have lots of hands-on projects that come with materials and instructions. Why not make decorations together for a child鈥檚 Christmas tree? Cut out paper snowflakes, glue coloured foil onto cardboard to fashion shiny stars, decorate Styrofoam balls with metallic paint and glitter.
Bake up some gingerbread cookies, and don鈥檛 forget a hole in the top for string to hang on the tree. Have the children decorate the cookies with sugar icing and sprinkles.
If you still have time, have them design and decorate wrapping paper. All you need is a roll of brown or plain white paper, some paint and a few stamps with holiday motifs. You supply the materials and they will guide you. Have fun.
Debbie Travis鈥檚 House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please email questions to [email protected]. You can follow Debbie on Twitter at , and visit Debbie鈥檚 website, .
