Help needed - new paint colours & curtains!

Hi guys - I'm in need of some assistance as I'm no interior designer (ie, totally clueless about colours etc )

We want to put our house on the market - but really need to paint the inside of the house. REALLY need to. The people that used to own the house did a quick paint job when they sold it to us - and did a shocking job - which we've lived with - but realise it looks, well.. like crap.

So we need colour suggestions!!! At the moment, the walls are all a light pinky type of colour - its really gross. So I'd like to repaint all walls - just because they are gross!!!

We have timber floors - hardwood - so no fake timber or floating floor - real hardwood floors (we live in an OLD house - 1964 or something?)

So we want something to go with the timber floors. We also have a small hallway, so need something to lighten that up because its very dark. We did want some feature walls, but wanted to stay away from the typical burgandy colour everyone else seems to go towards.

PLUS

We need new curtains. I need a cheap place suggested to get them from - and colour suggestions too!!!

Surely thats not too much to ask of my BB friends now is it? lol

Throw ideas at me!!!

If it were me, I'd go with light latte coloured walls with white frames and skirting and then have white blinds or maybe sheer white curtains.

If you use colour when selling it may turn people off, even though it's only paint IYKWIM.

nicely said nic!

We are in the process of painting our house and putting new curtains ( we bought this house last year).

We decided to go with the darkest shade of "neutral" in the dulux, which is called "Spanish white". It is a creamy latte colour and goes with everything. We did antique white skirting boards and woodwork.

We bought our curtains from spotlight. We ended up going with roller blinds which are blockout and we got them 40% off. Spotlight also has a sale until tomorrow, if you spend $100, they will take $40 off!

Mel, if you can get the time, go to a hardware store/bunnings or a paint shop and pick up as many colour cards as you can. We even bought a CD from bunnings a few years ago that lets you take a photo of a room, and when you load it on the computer, you can see what the colour/s you choose, would look like. I think it was a dulux cd, so only had the dulux colours, but it still gives you an idea.

To make small spaces look larger, light, cool colours will work best.

We have the dark timber hardwood floor too. Our colours throuhgout our house are a light silver colour, and a dark grey. We painted most of the walls in the light colour, but on one side of the house we have done the dark colour. So if I was to stand in our lounge room, and look towards one side of the house, we have the dark colour on all the walls that are on that side of the house. The first wall you see is one that goes all the way down our hallway, and then you eye follows through to an outside wall, that has the same colour. Not the best description sorry.
Our hallway has one side dark and one side the light colour. I was worried that the dark colour would make the space look smaller, but coupled with the light wall, it has actually made it look bigger.

All of our trim is white. Where our walls join we have done white on the trim there as well, even if the walls that join are the same colour. With the white trim, we have made all our light fittings white and silver. so it ties in nicely too. Doors are all getting changed over to new, modern one and painted white as well.

Another suggestion is to go to a paint shop and see if they have a colour consultant that you can chat too. Maybe take some pics of a couple of rooms that you will be painting and ask their opinion on what colours to use for selling. I think people get caught up in choosing a colour they love and don't think that it may be off putting to potential buyers.

I would check out spotlight for curtains, or even target/kmart. When we did our curtains years ago, we ended up getting ours from target. they were exactly the same as the ones we had been looking at buying from spotlight, but a bit cheaper. If you go to spotlight, don't forget to get a VIP card if you don't already have one. This way you may save even more on your purchases.

And finally, I'm a walking advertisement for Dulux wash and wear! It is fantastic for getting little hand prints off easily, something you want to keep in mind for ease of cleaning before potential buyers go through :) I think it does cost a little more, but really, it is worth it.

nice earth colour tones would be nice ,dulux are good paints wash and wear if you have children .for a feature wall ,paint your wall then grab a spongedab over the wall it gives a nice look to it . you can hire a floor sander , sand the floor back with a course gain and then clean the floor . u can buy a light colour stain paint it then sand and do it a couple of times . it will look fantastic when finished .
curtains try spotlight they have a great range . good luck

Thanks Nic - do you know the name of your paint? I like the idea of having the same colour - but different shades - darker for a feature wall.

Sue - yup that sounds nice too. I don't think DH wants to go with the same colour all the way through the house though - but I like the white curtain suggestion - thanks!!!

Danni - that sounds really nice - thanks for the tip about spotlight ;)

Mr dad - thanks, but we're not doing the floor. They are already polished timber floors and look really good still - so we don't need to touch them. :) And DH read what you wrote about the sponge and say "no way" so I think thats out.. lol

Mel, a warning -if you go to Lanhams, the paint guy Richard will talk your ear off - he's knowelgable, but doesn't know when to shut up. DH is working today so you could go see him though.

We went with the same colour (just pale cream) throughout - figure it won't clash with anything potential buyers own that way and its cheaper to buy large tins than multiple smaller tins with different colours.

Snowy - does your DH work for the one where I live? I thought he worked at a Maroochy one?

Anyhoo I'll get DH to go talk to him then.

We are planning on going to spotlight when the miss wakes up though :)

Yep - Court Rd - ask for Paul.

Mel, I think one of the colours was called 'Beaver Creek' (the dark one possibly) but i can't remember what the light colour was called. Will go downstairs in a few to see if I can find the tins :)
The dark colour looks a little different once it is on the wall. It was DH's colour choice, but I love it more than my colour choice, whic was the light colour.

Mel, if you google "60 30 10" it's the Taubmans system where they suggest you use three colours, 60% of one, 30% of another & 10% of another. They have great colour combinations as well :)

Nic - I googled and couldn't find any dulux with beaver creek in the name....couple of beagles and bears.. but no beavers!! ;)

Snowy - ta :)

Sarah - great tip - shanks!!!!

*off to google*

ooh yeah, the taubmans website is a good one too. They have rooms to choose from on there with some of their colours as well.
The light colour we have is called Birchstone.
eta: Oops, sorry Mel., I think it may have been Taubmans,but I got confused as it is in a dulux tin! They were colours from a couple of years ago, but I did see a colour chart last year with the same colour.

Another thing, if you find a couple of colours you like and can't decide, get some sample pots and try them out on a wall at home. Bunnings and other stores sometimes have sample pots laying around in a cheap bin, and sometimes big tins too.

Hey Mel, was wondering how you went with the colour choosing and decorating?

Nic

Yeh howd you go?
Neutral is generally a winner that way its easier for the person buying to visualise what they want to do with the place.

bwhahahaha

:redface:

haven't even looked at the paints yet... we move slowly in this house!!!! lol

We will get there though.. eventually.. I want it ready to be sold by the time the new bub is about to come... so.... got a while yet ;)