10 Time for Living , July 2011 Home D Don’tmove, improve


new lease of life instead of moving. Joanna Copestick, co-author of a brilliant new guide to designing a home, Decorate, offers her tips.


ECORATING can be atricky task these days, but it is the best way to give your home a


■ STARTING OUT IDEALLY,beforestarting any scheme, the experts suggest you turndetec- tive by collecting cuttings from maga- zines of photos of rooms you're attracted to, as well as pieces of fab- ric, and working out what you're instantly drawn to on colour charts. "Create apersonal checklist of


what matters to you. If you love light, make sureyou place furnitureclose to windows to enjoy the view," says Copestick. "If you'realwaysinthe kitchen, ensureit's aplace where friends can hang out too, and if you enjoy asense of space,think about banishing some walls in favourof sliding screens or glass doors."


ing's wrong -one person's favourite vivid turquoise or sugar plum pink can be another's idea of excess in the taste


■ COLOUR USING colours is one of the most personal stylesofdecorating you can undertake. "It's so individual but remember noth-


she advises, as colour need not necessarily be painted on walls. If aroom is bland and box-like, incorporate an interesting focal point featuring colour,whether it's aman- tel shelf for adisplay of colourful china, alarge piece of free-standing, vibrantly-painted furnitureorastun- ning piece of art to take up one wall. In alarge room, whereyou want to enhance asense of enclosureand seclusion, opposing walls can be painted the same colour.Alternatively, awall painted up to dado height in a vivid colour with white above is a good way to live with some colour without feeling overwhelmed by it.


department," says Copestick. Thinkoutside of the box as well,


■ FLEA MARKET STYLE WHETHER you call it junk, or simply 'old stuff', there's no doubt that flea market chic's time is now. "The idea of living with second-


hand furnitureand objects is as fashionableasthe latest outfits from the latest Paris catwalk show," says Copestick. While foraging in charity shops and second-handstores can be fun and productive, she advises havingalist of eras that you'd like represented in your home. To be on trend, retroFifties and


items that you arereally attracted to from the start."


Sixties style is in vogue. But feel free to indulge your own passions - whether it's for items such as a1930s clock or a1970s tea service as well as that 1960s wood-framed sofa. "Trust your instinct and buy only


■ GLAMOUR MODERN glamour's all about mak- ing astatement and preserving a sense of cool at the same time, says Copestick. Mix dramatic furniturewith pale neutral colours, using glamorous materials such as velvet or marble in rooms with simple furniturelayouts, or place unexpected pieces of furni-


turealongside one another to create an interesting rhythm. "For amodernglamour master-


class,gathertogether furniturethat is amix of glossy white, reflective steel, hard-edged but luxurious marble and in arange of decorative styles." Luxury,she says, goes hand in


used in combination with damask or textured linens in bold colours, graphic patterns or stylised floral designs," she says. •Decorate by Holly Becker and Joanna Copestick, with photography by Debi Treloar,ispublished by Jacqui Small, priced £30. Available now.


hand with glamour which means deliciouslytactile textiles. "Think of rich velvetorchenille


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