Do-it-yourself decorating

Painting a room is one of the quickest and cheapest ways to renovate your home. Before you start, think about which colours would best suit your style. Dark colours tend to make a room smaller and lighter colours work the opposite. Greens are fresh and soothing and reds dominate with energy. Pick up a colour wheel from your paint supplier. There is a colour theory to help you choose which colours harmonize the best.

Complementary colours are opposite each other on the wheel. With these colours you can create high contrasting schemes such as red and green or blue and orange.

Colour triads: put a plastic triangle on the wheel and you get lively colour combinations such as red, yellow and blue. Move the triangle around and see what you like.

For the painting you will need:

• large and small brushes

• paint roller with variable extension for the ceiling

• roller tray for the paint

• exchangeable foam roller sleeves

Cover the floor with plastic sheeting and prepare the walls and ceiling carefully. Now you’re ready to paint.