We all know that giving a place a lift with a new paint job can really make a difference to your home. The question is how do you go about choosing the right paint for the job in hand?

There are many different types of paint on the market but sticking to the basics will see you through most painting jobs. Firstly, we have emulsion which is used on interior walls and is available in a huge array of colours. It is available in matt (flat) finish or soft/silk sheen which gives a shinier look to the surface.

Emulsion is used to cover plaster, wallpaper, brick or stone and previously painted surfaces. As it is water based you don’t need chemicals to clean brushes, just water. You can get one-coat emulsions which are more expensive but thicker than the usual emulsions although you may have to buy more tins to cover the same surface than normal emulsion.

The next kinds of paints are specially formulated paints. For instance kitchen and bathroom paints which is specially mixed to be used in humid areas. The sheen is duller than a silk finish but richer than the flat matt.

Multi-surface paints are self explanatory but its worth looking at the label to make sure it includes the surface you’re thinking of painting.

Finally, there are solvent based paints which are usually used for interior woodwork such as doors and skirting boards. It is a hard wearing paint due to the solvent and is mostly available in gloss.

Bathroom layouts can cause headaches when you want to give them a makeover. For instance they tend to be a funny shape and have things like boilers in the way of your ideas. You have to make sure you leave room for bathroom furniture and, of course, the bath and/or shower.

Relocating the boiler may cost quite a bit of money but it’s worth it when you realise how much space is released by the move. Also, if you’ve got a twenty or thirty year old boiler a new unit should save you money on energy bills.

Planning out a room is always recommended as it allows you to go into the makeover with a sense of what you want to achieve. There may be alterations along the way but a well worked out plan should have negotiated most of these beforehand.

Using graph paper and cut outs of designs will give you an idea of what you want the room to look like. It’s a good idea to look through magazines to get some inspiration and to help with the planning. Make sure you find out the dimensions for each piece of bathroom furniture as well, as this is often overlooked when designing a new bathroom layout.

Bargains can be found everywhere especially in the current credit climate so shop around, you’ll be amazed at what differences there are in prices. And it’s a fact of life that shop clearances make for fertile hunting grounds when you’re after a good buy.

If you’re somebody who likes white walls and rustic carpets there are ways of livening up your living space with colour without ruining your overall scheme.

For example you could buy small items that add colour such as waste paper baskets which have colourful patterns on them like flowers or polka dots.

Then there’s footwear which is often left near the front door in the porch area or something. A nice pair of attractive floral patterned wellingtons might liven up the inside as well as being practical for the outside making a change from the regulation green.

Umbrellas too are often tided away near the coat stand and a brightly coloured brolly will just give the space a light lift from the dark coats and scarves hung up on a dreary winter’s day.

Candles can often add a sense of colour to a room and can be bought in any number of colours. They don’t look out of place in any room and are found in all sorts of shapes and sizes which is handy for complementing other shapes in the room.

Cups and saucers with pretty patterns on them will bring a dash of colour too when you have friends around for tea or for a chat. It just lifts the atmosphere of the room and spreads a little cheer at the same time.

Utilising spare rooms can see you change it into anything from a small library to fun room for children. The real choice is to make it into something that you’ll use.

Too many people have spare rooms that are ‘just in case’ rooms, where the room is redundant for months on end until a friend or family member comes to stay.

Making up a mini-library can be great fun and inexpensive. You can get or make your own shelves fairly cheaply and it’s the books that will be the real stars of the show anyway.

Having a quiet reading room is often on the wish list for many people that have spare rooms. Many people would also like somewhere where they can pursue their hobby.

Making a spare room into a hobby room will have the effect of creating a quiet room and a place where a leisure pursuit can be concentrated on.

Creating a spare room that is used and can be quickly reverted to a room for a guest is the key to getting the balance right. A futon maybe the ideal solution to this as it allows easy and relaxed seating as well as a quick conversion into a bed for a guest.

There are times when you need to maximise your space. When you do, your creative side should be allowed to work wonders. There are some short cuts to increasing space and creating displays and there’s no need to spend wads of money when doing so.

For example, you could use plain picture hooks spread around your bedroom walls to allow you to hang handbags and other nice looking items. You should think imaginatively here and you’ll be surprised what items work as a pretty display.

Existing shelf units can be enhanced by the purchase of some cheap wicker baskets. This will increase your storage space and give a homely feel to the unit. Also, it will give the space a double purpose of hiding garments, towels etc and displaying the wicker.

Pots and pans can take up such a lot of storage space. One way of dealing with this is by putting up a simple curtain rail. This will allow you to hang your pans on instead of buying an expensive pan rail and there’s something aesthetically pleasing about steel pans hanging from the kitchen sealing.

Displays are always difficult to get right but cookery books and coffee table books often give a nice look to a room and it seems a shame to have them hidden away in drawer or cupboard.

Choosing the right curtains for your home can be a tricky time. T is always important to think carefully before you make a decision on window dressings as they are such an important element to the room.

There are lots of factors involved in making the decision whether you’re buying the curtains or making the yourself, For example you might want to consider whether they should be lined or unlined?

You’ll need to think about what the room will be used for- for instance your bedrooms should really be draped in fully lined curtains to block out morning sunlight or the glare from night-time street lamps.

On the other hand sill length curtains can be the most practical curtains to choose for the kitchen and bathroom but you might want to use full length ones to achieve a sense of elegance in the living room.

You should choose headings which will suit your room’s overall scheme. Gathered headings are usual but some people like to experiment with tab-top, eyelet-headed or clip headed designs- as these ones can often complement a room’s décor.

If you have an odd shaped window you might want to look around for poles and tracks which will be able to resolve the more unusual shapes.