how to

Whether you’re a serial re-decorator or a DIY-dodger, at some point in your life, you’ll be faced with a tired room that needs to be updated. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bedroom, kitchen  or living room, you’ll want to create a feeling of comfort and belonging – put simply,  when you walk in, you don’t want to  feel the need to walk out again! Of course, the way in which you decorate your home is purely down to personal preference but at  Slate House, we’ve put together these redecorating hints and tips to help get you off to a good start.

Colour

Let’s begin with colour. Whether consciously or not, our brains take in huge amounts of stimulation and it’s predominantly through our eyes. Unlike dogs, we see a full colour spectrum from red right through to violet, which allows for many colour scheme opportunities, but be aware that not all colours match. If you’re unsure about complementary colours, the charts below should point you in the right direction…

At Slate House, we suggest that you try utilising the wheel and experimenting. You may have always disliked the colour yellow for instance, but when paired with a complementary colour, you could find that you quite like it after all!

If you’re not brave enough to go further than the tester paint pots at your local DIY shop, it really doesn’t matter as you can still experiment with colour and textures in different ways. If you think of your room room as a canvas, a white canvas is classic, clean and smooth. Your room doesn’t have to be purple or pink to be exciting. White (or light) walls and ceilings can be your starting point and from there you can add colour and texture with furniture, decorations, cushions, throws, blankets, curtains, blinds, photographs, paintings, mirrors and anything else you might want to hang and stick or screw to your walls.

Take the room pictured above as an example – in pairing a light grey colour with white, the interior designer has added depth, without the use of patterned wallpaper or bright colours. Their use of mismatched furnishings gives an eclectic, lived-in look, whilst throws , cushions and blankets give a feeling of warmth and comfort. If you were to replicate this theme, you could mix and match your furnishings depending on your mood. Indeed, there would be no need to worry when you fall in love with a particular ornament but realise that it won’t match your wallpaper!

Craving comfort?

If a room feels cold and empty, it’s probably because it lacks anything natural in it. At Slate House, we may be biased but we believe that incorporating natural materials to your scheme will add a new element to any room. Again, looking at the room above, it just wouldn’t be the same without the warm brown colour of the wood floor and stair treads. Similarly, bringing in items like Welsh wool blankets and Welsh wool cushions can transform a bedroom or living room. The beauty is that adding these doesn’t mean breaking the bank. Our Welsh wool blankets start at £18.00 – whereas vintage pieces can often set you back hundreds of pounds.

Of course, we can’t write a blog about interiors and natural homeware without mentioning Welsh slate. If you want to add age to a room, you can’t do much better than 500 million year old slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog! It’s the toughest slate in the world – so investing your money in items such as Welsh slate coasters, table mats and cheese boards is a pretty safe bet. Trivets, memo boards and Welsh language engraved hanging hearts all add interest to a room and talking points for future guests too.

Beat the Budget!

At Slate House, we’re focussed on bringing Welsh-made items to a larger audience and whilst you may think that owning a unique, handmade piece of homeware will be expensive, if you take a look at the products on our website, you will more than likely be pleasantly surprised. For every piece of Welsh slate you purchase and display in your home, you are owning a tiny piece of cultural identity. A little part of our nation’s heritage. You can’t put a price on that!

Meanwhile, if you need more inspiration for creating a perfect room but your budget is tight, think about visiting local car boot sales and flea markets. If you’re based in Wales, the monthly Carmarthen flea market us usually packed with bargains and unusual pieces. Further afield, the Malvern Flea is becoming increasingly popular and the sheer number of traders in attendance can sometimes be quite overwhelming!

We hope we’ve whet your appetite for re-vamping your interiors and if you’re interested in learning more about Slate House’s range of homeware products, do get in touch.