The Scotsman Wednesday 8th October 2008

Becki recommends: Best tip to Improve your Home

1. ASK WHY: Before you do anything ask what you want to do before you change and why. What ''Look'' are you after, and what is not working for you in the current set-up? Will changing certain things make a difference? It must be suitable for your environment or ultimately it will not work. Finally, what is your budget?

2. DESIGN: Keep it simple. Once you have answered all the questions it may be that adding colour or a feature wall will give you the look you desire and provide a dramatic setting for your furniture. Wall Coverings come in a plethora of styles, brands, colour and price and you should take your time when looking.

3. PAINT AND WALL COVERINGS: Latest trends in decoration offer a spectrum of choice from cool, sleek shades of natural beige, through to bold funky colour ways for the adventurous spirit, to the sophisticated grown-up look of black on black. It's important you choose colours you can live with. Colour isn't something to be afraid of and be really effective when used correctly. Dulux has a great online colour consultancy that can give you an idea of how a room will look.

4. LIGHTING: If you do not have the opportunity to start from scratch, look at introducing table or floor lamps with textural shades as this will throw secondary light around the room creating atmospheric looks and shapes, highlighting new furniture or wall coverings without blowing the budget. Heathfield & Co have a fantastic selection of lamps which can be chosen with a choice of shades, to work with an interior scheme or simply as a statement piece.

5. FLOORING: Crucial to pulling a scheme together but must be durable and suit the room intended-a heavy cream pile will not work well with young children and dogs! Traditional woven carpets and tufted carpets in twists and velvet finishes can be brought to match any colour scheme. Ceramics are no longer restricted to the bathroom and are becoming popular for entertaining spaces.