It might be cold and grey outside, but that doesn't mean it has to be the same inside your home.
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Grab a warm drink and take some time to think about how you could revitalise your living areas to make them a space you'll look forward to spending time in.
Dulux colour expert Andrea Lucena-Orr says that when it comes to interior styling, colour and product choice go hand-in-hand for creating a finished look that's both chic and practical.
"If your style is monochromatic, tonal layering of putty greys is subtle and beautiful, easy to achieve and is an effective look for any living space.
"To create visual interest, experiment with texture, which can be perfect as an accent wall - a concrete finish, such as Dulux Concrete Effects in Pale Elements, is popular and works well in a modern or contemporary home," she said.
Hallways set the tone for the rest of the home's mood and style, so it's important to create a space that's charming and inviting.
"To add a level of vibrancy, yet still retain a classic look, use whites such as Dulux Lexicon on your walls and ceilings and introduce plenty of colour to your stairwell, front door or accent walls - peach tones, forest greens and deep blues are colours that can be seamlessly intertwined to enhance the space and add your own personality," Andrea said.
When re-designing your dining area, cool steely blues complement most colour schemes and give you the freedom to furnish the space in your signature style to suit both entertaining and relaxed dinners with the family.
Revitalising your home is as simple as refreshing one room at a time, which can be easily accomplished in a weekend. Here are some tips from Dulux for painting walls:
- Follow the preparation steps on the back of the paint can.
- Start by cutting in around the edges of the wall with a brush.
- Load your roller in the tray with a reasonable amount of paint.
- Start rolling the wall in an 'M' pattern. Start closest to the natural light source. Continue over the same section until the wall is evenly covered.
- Using an unloaded roller (begin in the top left corner of your wall) gently roll down the roller to the baseboard in a straight line with no pressure. A lightness of touch will prevent new roller marks from forming. Repeat this action, only this time slightly overlap your last movement, so your roller rubs away the line created by the previous stroke. Continue this across the area you have painted. This is called laying off.
- Reload your roller and repeat until the wall is complete.
- Allow first coat to dry and repeat the total process again with a second coat.
And for a feature wall:
- Follow the preparation steps on the back of the paint can.
- Start by cutting in around the edges of the wall with a brush.
- Working in small sections, use a long nap roller to apply the effect to the wall.
- Smooth the surface with a steel trowel using broad sweeping strokes holding the trowel at a 60 - 80-degree angle.
- Apply two more coats following the same process.
- Use a 600-grit sandpaper to lightly polish the surface in a circular motion. Use the edge of the trowel to further polish the surface.