Hints and tips on room decor

In this blog we will share our hints and tips to help you get your interior design just right.

Interior designers have a general rule – which is that 60% of the room features a main colour, 30% a second, complementary, colour - and the remaining 10 % is for accents like rugs. 

If you are totally redecorating and are not sure where to start, a good idea is to use a mood board which will show how different colours and textures will work together.  You can find lots of inspiration online.

To ensure your main colours work well together, find a colour wheel online and you can easily see how different shades and tones fit well.  Once you have the main colours decided, choose your accent colour, which is where the accessories come in, like curtains, cushions, throw and rugs.

If you want to inject some colour into your home then go for a really strong colour to complement your neutral or muted accessories.  For example, if you have pastel or pale blue walls try a really strong navy rug – if your walls have a pale pink tone – go for a red rug.  

In this image, the rug has added drama to what is quite a neutral colour palette - and we think it really brings the room to life. 

            

Be confident in the provenance of your Indian Rug

Indian Rugs have always been popular with our discerning customers.

It's Fairtrade Day this weekend and so we thought this was a great opportunity to reassure our customers about the provenance of our Indian rugs.

As one of the UK’s biggest importers of rugs and carpets FrithRugs is keen to ensure that the products we sell have been produced to the highest standards and without exploitation.

We import directly from the manufacturer and insist that manufacturers conform to strict ethical policies which include the criteria than no child or slave labour is used in the production of rugs and carpets.  We also make unannounced and random visits to carpet looms and weaving areas to ensure that our policies are enforced.

We fully support and endorse RugMark (the international non-profit organization devoted to ending child labour in the handmade carpet industry in South Asia).  This is great for smaller importers and wholesalers.

However, as a company with major purchasing power, FrithRugs feel more confident in setting out and adhering to our own stringent polices which we can police and enforce.  We need to be confident in the provenance of FrithRugs and so we insist on our own labels which meet our own exacting standards.

This means you can purchase our Indian Rugs with confidence and complete peace of mind.

How to create your 1970s themed room

Are you old enough to remember the 1970s?  We're not talking about glam rock and curly perms but 1970s home decor.  

Orange and brown were the predominant colours and found in bold shapes, flowers, circles, abstract design pop art - a throwback from the previous decade. There was shag carpet on the floor and woodchip on the walls. Towards the end of the decade, Britain was in recession which meant hand-me-downs and handicrafts and so there was plenty of wood and macramé.

If this doesn't sound appealing - remember the great thing about revivals is that you can take the best of an era and ignore some of the less attractive features.
1970s Retro Room

In order to avoid the worst of the 1970s home interiors design, the trick is to have a nod to the style rather than overwhelm a room. There's really no need to invest in lots of new furniture because 1970s coloured and styled can easily give your room that cool retro vibe.

Lighting

You can find 1970s lighting; usually pendant lights online but also browse second hand shops and car boot sales.  For lamps, try to find lampshades in orange or brown or that are decorated in floral designs.

Artwork

Every respectful 1970s home had would have had a poster on the wall.  You can find a poster you like and have it framed, better still see if you can find an iconic poster from the time, such as the tennis girl poster.  Anything with a rainbow was also predominant in popular culture.  And see if you can find the Tretchikoff the Chinese girl print that seemed to feature in most homes at the time.

Flooring

No need to change your flooring - instead it's quick and easy to give the floor a 70's feel with a new rug.  Some rugs in our Vibrance collection will fit the bill (see below) thanks to their colour and design.  Once you have selected the right FrithRugs for you, use it as the template to select your sofa cushions.  Match them with the colours in your rug or see if you can find a similar design.  Don't forget you could also have cushions re-covered.

Finishing Touches

Scour second hand shops for 1970s ornaments and accessories.  Look for colours featuring brown, orange, lime, yellow, pink and purple.  Coasters, planters and ashtrays are plentiful on second hand websites and so you are sure to find pieces that will complement your theme without overwhelming the room.

How do decorate a child's bedroom

Has your daughter fallen in love the with the new #beautyandthebeast film?

Chances are she will want you to spend a fortune on redecorating her bedroom with the theme - but read this blog for ideas on how to decorate a child's room that grows with her.

When planning or decorating a child’s room or nursery, it’s easy to get carried away – but it’s worth remembering that what your five-year-old loves now, the eight-year-old version will probably hate.  So, don’t spend too much money – instead opt for an overall design that can grow with them and theme with accessories such as rugs, bedding and curtains.

On the floor

For practical reasons hardwood floors are probably the best choice for your kid’s room and are much easier to keep clean than carpet. However, they can be quite boring and of course, quite hard!  Adding a colourful rug will bring the floor to life and will provide soft, warmer areas for your child to play.  You can also use your rug as the basis for a colour scheme for the entire room.

If you have siblings that share a room, rugs are a great way to help zone specific areas, better still get your rug personalised and that should help avoid any arguments.

A new rug can quickly and easily help transform a room and so when your daughter grows tired of one colour or theme, you can easily introduce another.

On the bed

With the release of a new kid’s film or TV character it’s likely you will find bedding merchandise.  This is another easy win which allows your daughter to get her longed-for Disney characters but without breaking the bank.  Once she moves on to another character or theme, changing the bedding along with the rug will give the room a whole new look.

On the walls

It’s more sensible to paint rather than wallpaper – when your girl gets tired of her Disney character wallpaper you will have to strip it – whereas when she gets tired of her baby pink colour scheme, you just need to add another coat of emulsion in a different colour.  If you would like to personalise the wall you can paint your own feature wall or designate a space for their own artwork to be displayed.  You can also buy some fabulous wall stickers which could work with a particular theme and then can be removed when your daughter has outgrown it.

The most important rule when decorating a child’s room is to remember to be flexible. Our children grow up quickly and their tastes can change just as fast.