Four years ago we built our first home but our bedrooms really need help. Our master is a royal blue but i'm not sure if i like it, The room is 14ft by 14ft and there is a queen bed (with no head board) and two dressers in it, I guess what i am looking for are some ideas on colours i could use in there to warm it up and make it feel like a nice retreat. My boyfriend wants to keep the current colour but i am having a hard time picking colours to match our current colour scheme. our floor is a light cherry laminate and our window ledges and trim are ash (which has to stay because he made it)...Our doors are white, please help if you can....Stuck in a rut!!

Thanks Sara!  We'll file this, but in the future, please email your questions to our blog email address; stylesheet(@)hgtv(.)ca

HOW TO FROST WINDOW GLASS FOR KITCHEN CABINET DOORS?

I WENT TO MICHEALS' CRAFT  STORE BUT COULD NOT FIND OUT HOW TO FROST OR STENCIL FROST KITCHEN GLASS PANELS FOR THE KITCHEN CABINET DOORS..   PLEASE, PLEASE, HELP!

SINCERELY GWENDALYN.

I have a refrigerator and new stove in stainless steel.  we want to cover a perfectly good dishwasher and trash compactor in a stainless steel sheet that I know is out there but have called so many places to help and no one knows how to help us.  I've seen it on DYI at least twice as a way to fix up old appliances to look new.

Hello in need of some help?????

I rent a very small bachelor apartment and I have tried to make it living room by day and bedroom by night..I have come a little of the way but then relized I haven't..LOL. I realy need help with this layout. My main room is a big rectangle and the kitchen is like a hallway style and my bathroom off of that. My bathroom is a shower only. I hope someone can help cause I'm lost and need some help. Look forward to hearfrom you.

I need help picking colours for a beachfront cottage - the cottage is south facing with a big wrap around verandah.  the front of the main floor is all glass so there is lots of light.  The main floor is very open from kitchen to great room, up the stairs, the hallway and bedrooms are all in view from the great room.  The floors will be a medium dark bamboo - I am looking for a very light blue but not a robin's egg colour and not grey.  Should one colour be used throughout the entire cottage?  Can I use different colours in the bedrooms?  The trim and doors will be white.  I want light, soft colours - I am trying for a clean, airy, beachy look.

Thanks for the help

We are in the process of re-designing our 1970's master bathroom & closet.  The 2 rooms together are 7.10 sq ft x 13.6 sq ft.  Unfortunately, the current layout doesn't lend itself to the need for a barrier free situation that we currently find ourselves in.  I was thinking that one possibility to increase the space to move around in a wheelchair would be to remove the wall between the 2 rooms and install a barrier free shower.  At the same time, I would like to remove the closet doors and install drapes in their place.  My husband says that he's worried about too much humidity and the fact that he's never seen a bathroom/closet before.  Am I completely out to lunch on this?  If so, can you give us some addtional ideas.  I've attached some rough ideas for your perusal.

I have an impossible 12 x 14 foot room.  One 14 ft wall is fireplace and windows that go almost from floor to ceiling; the other 14 ft wall has a doorway to the front hall about 3ft from one end.  The 12ft wall closest to this door way has a stairway in it, is only half height with a metal railing filling in the rest of the wall height and has less than 60" of available length for furniture placement.  The other short wall has a doorway (to the back hall, powder room and laundry) just about in the centre.  The room is essentially also a hallway between anywhere else in the house and the powder room.  Where do I put seating and a decent sized tv?  I can't mount the tv above the mantle on the fireplace as the mantel is almost 5' above the floor.  And oh, did I not mention that along one of the longerwalls at the ceiling there is a 2ft. bulkhead for the upstairs furnace ducts.

RE: SARA JAMIESON - BEDROOM "BLUES"

Matching fabrics and other materials to an existing paint colour can be challenging even for the most seasoned designer.  If your boyfriend really loves that particular shade of blue then you might want to look for colours that compliment the blue rather than trying to find colours that match it.  Look for ivory coloured fabrics and brushed nickle accents, for example.  However, if your boyfriend just likes blue walls (to most men, blue is blue), then I would suggest first finding fabrics with colours that incorporate a shade of blue that you both like and paint the walls to match the new colour.  Consider soft greens and a red/brown that picks up on the tones in the floor when looking for fabrics for accent pieces like pillows.  Neutral colours, such as the ivory, can help to soften the room.  Drapery panels and a simple upholstered headboard can also soften the room without making it feel too feminine.  You might also want to consider purchasing a closet organizer (the box stores have a good, inexpensive selection).  The combination rod and shelving units hold an incredible amount of clothing.  This could free up one of your dressers, which you could then replace with a chaise lounge or other comfortable seating (adding to that retreat feel).  Accessorize with artwork, pictures or prints that will help you achieve the overall look that you are going for.  And don't forget the lighting - maybe a chandelier.  White doors are fine but make sure the white has been tinted (not pure white from the can).  Your dresser should be painted or stained to coordinate with the rest of the room and remember to bring a sample of your flooring whenever you are selecting colours.  Hopefully the ash trim will work.   Perhaps you can suggest a compromise, blue walls for trim painted the same colour as the doors.  Good luck!

RE: GWENDALYN GUILLORY - FROSTY FUN

Glass doors are an excellent way to lighten up cabinet doors and frosted glass is the perfect solution for adding interest while masking what is inside your cabinets.  Using "frosted" film is a good idea but have you considered taking it one step further and having the glass sandblasted?  It is actually a relatively simple process.  Start by covering both sides of the glass with three layers of clear, adhesive backed shelf liner, making sure to remove any air bubbles.  Next, find a design or pattern that you like that suites the style of your kitchen.  It can be an intricate pattern copied from a piece of wallpaper, a design you found online or a simple geometric pattern that you created yourself.  Trace out your pattern on a piece of paper the same size as the glass (remember, the edges of the glass will be concealed behind the door frame).  Glue the paper onto one side of the glass with spray adhesive.  Keep in mind that you will be viewing your image from the other side of the glass, which will be a mirror image of the side you are working on.   Using an artist’s x-acto knife carefully cut along the lines that you have traced, removing the paper and film to expose the parts of the glass that you want sandblasted.  When you are finished, thoroughly check your work to make sure the remaining film has not lifted and all of the cuts are clean with no jagged edges as this will show up on the finished product. (Note: if you are not the artistic type, simply cover one side of the glass and have the other side fully sandblasted).  You are now ready have your glass sandblasted.  You can get this done at a shop that does this type of work (glass suppliers and decorative glass shops, as well as monument shops).  Most places will do the work for a nominal fee, just remember to call ahead first.  When your glass is ready, simply peel off the film, clean and reinstall the glass.  Your glass will have a wonderful three-dimensional texture to it.  Backlighting it with halogen lights will add sparkle.  And since glass (with unpolished edges) is relatively inexpensive you can always do practice pieces or experiment with coloured or mirrored glass.

RE: SABRINA'S BACHELOR

Creating a bachelor apartment that doesn’t feel like a bedroom can be easy if you follow a few guidelines.  You can’t hide the bed but incorporating and coordinating it with your living room fabrics and furnishings will help to unify the space while making the bed look a little less obvious.  Match a throw placed at the end of the bed to the colour of your sofa.  Use the same fabric for your duvet cover as you do for your drapery panels.  Use the same accent pillows on the bed and sofa.  Try a picture grouping over the bed and mirror it on an adjacent wall in the living area.  Or try an upholstered headboard that mimics a wingback chair.   Instead of a night table, use a living room side table or a desk.  Instead of a dresser, use built-in cabinets or a freestanding wardrobe (Ikea has some that fit in perfectly in a living room setting).  Make your bed into a luxurious piece of furniture that belongs in the room – and don’t forget to make your bed!

To Stephanie with the Bath / Closet problems

Dear Stephanie I have a few suggestions for your idea of joining the bathroom with the closet.  I personally have used shower curtains as coverings to replace closet doors in several of my houses.  They work great, wash easily, use a basic expansion rod and can handle getting wet.  If you put an liner underneath you protect the clothes underneath from accidental splashing in the shower.

Here are a few things I learned along the way that might also help.  

Make sure there are no metal hangers left even accidentally in your closet.  (A friend of mine forgot a drycleaning hanger and it ruined a beautiful blouse)

Hang as many things as possible.

If you have to have clothing in storage containers consider the vacuum seal kind or bins that will seal tightly and open easily.  

If possible install a small blower style fan in the top of your closet that moves the air out of your clothes to wards the rest of the room and encourages dryness of the fabrics.  You can also use these as a fast spot to put scented beads or fabric softener sheets to help with a fresh scent.

These are just a few ideas for you.  Hope this helps.

RE: COLEEN'S SEATING DILEMMA

Will this work?  Group your furniture around the fireplace.  Start by placing a loveseat perpendicular to the fireplace so that the back of it is facing the stair wall.  Adjacent to the loveseat place two smaller scaled upholstered chairs side-by-side.  They should face the fireplace and be at least three feet away from the 14’ wall with the doorway to the front hall.  It is also important that these chairs be relatively low in overall height (approx 30”) so as not to make the seating area feel boxed in.  Place an appropriately sized coffee table in front of the loveseat and chairs, and anchor everything with an area rug.  On the 12’ wall, with the doorway to the powder room, place a console or built-in shelving unit on the side closest to the fireplace wall.  This is where you will place your television.  Balance this wall out by placing built-in shelving on the other side of the door.  It should be no more than 12” deep and you will need to consider the bulkhead when planning this area.  With this layout the fireplace and windows will become the focal point, you will be able to see the television from all seating areas, and there will be an unimpeded traffic flow to the powder room.

Hi, I emailed you my design dilemmas yesterday.    Do hope it went through and as I  wud gratefully  appreciate any expertise and input.  

Sincerely,

Hi mrsben, I looked and can't seem to find your email.  Could you resend to stylesheet(@)hgtv(.)ca?  Thanks!

Hi Elana,  shall resend.  Thank you for the heads-up.    It was titled Send Us Your Design Dilemmas "My Little House of Horrors" :)

Shall warn you there were a number of attachments and was quite lengthy.  Maybe it is still floating around in Cyber-space.    

I am not sure if this is the the forum to ask this but I am hoping for help.  I live in extermly tight spaces. I have a nice size living area that also acts as my bedroom and a big square laudry room. I was wondering how hard it is and what is involved in moving a washer and dryer (they are stackable) to my walk-in closet in order to change the laundry room into a formal bedroom. The other option I can think of is creating a murphy bed along one wall. I watched a show on Home to Stay where Peter made one but I cant seem to find good instructions (I would like to make it to cut down on cost, I am fairly handy) is there any easy and cost effective ways to make one? The third and last option (although I would perfer the other two) is to get a comfortable couch that changes into a bed at night. I currently own a futon but after a year of sleeping on it my back is killing me. Any helpful ideas or websites for cost effective options would be great. I would love a great night sleep for once!

I'm looking for good quality sofas and chairs - (somewhere between Ikea quality and Barrymore which is high end) - hard wood frames and good quality fabrics but lower than Barrymore's prices.  Contemporary style.  Any suggestions for stores in Toronto or the GTA?

Thanks.

Hi, I found great place. Great e-shop with posters. It comes from the Czech republic and offers very nice interior design posters. I bought 2 pieces on-line via e-shop and look super on my wall. I recommend it to visit and buy e-shop - plakatt.

How do you deal with a living room and kitchen divided by a 3/4 wall with an opening all the way up to a vaulted ceiling on one side.  Must it all be painted one color?

We want to put a pub and wine cellar in our walk out down stairs. We also want to do a pass through on a load baring wall. The area is 17x161/2 and the wine cellar is 7x12. I would like to do a cherry wood bar and chair railing all around . Do it in the decor of an old English/Irish pub look

We just bought a 70's home, complete with floor to ceiling corner fireplace, made out of what can only be described as fake looking brick ... although surprisingly, it's real!  Because of the enormity of the project, refacing is not an option.  Would painting it and adding a mantel bring this fireplace into the future?

Hello everyone!!!!!!!!   Could you please email your dilemmas to the following address:  stylesheet(AT)hgtv(DOT)ca  With photos too, if you can!