Natural deterrent spray

It’s not a good idea to completely spray your home head to foot with natural deterrent spray, not only is it expensive but it’s not great for your health. However, the chances are that your pets will soon pick a piece of furniture or area of your home which they just won’t leave alone. If this is the case it’s time to bring that spray out and let it do the work for you.   Alternatively, you can avoid using deterrent sprays by reinforcing a particular piece of furniture which always seems to get your pets attention. Try using padding and masking tape. You’ll often find in time they will get out of the habit and you can remove the protection.

Scratching posts

Cat’s need to scratch, especially young ones, so by doing everything you can to deter them from scratching your new sofa just means they are going to find something else to dig their claws in to. The simplest way to approach this problem is to get a scratching post.   A decent scratching post is designed to allow cats to fully extent their bodies while they’re scratching, making it an attractive alternative to any mischievous feline. It really is worth investing in a good one to ensure your cat choose this new scratch post over any furniture you wish to keep in good nick.

Cat calmers

If there’s just no stopping you cat from causing chaos there is a good chance that living in such a busy, bustling city is causing your furry friend to freak out a little (you’re not the only one bummed by the Bangkok traffic!). If this is the case you need to make sure your pet has everything he/she wants: a place to scratch freely, somewhere to hide and chill out, regular feeding, and access to water and a litter tray around the clock. If possible you also need to provide your pet with around regular exercise outside.   If you are doing all that and your cat is still causing you grief it may be time to use a cat calmer such as Feliway, which relaxes your cats hormones and helps to calm cats with stress.

Odour Removers

While a lot of pet owners soon get used to the smell of their pets, their friends and visitors do not! Make sure you do everything you can to keep that animal smell out of your Bangkok condo, if not for yourself then for your friends and family.   The best defence against this is using plenty of plug in odour sprays along with enzyme-based odour removers, which can be used to immediately tackle any nasty surprises or funky smells. Also make sure to give your cushion and sofa covers a regular machine wash.

Regular cleaning

There’s no excuse for not giving your Bangkok condo a regular, with or without pets, but if you are keeping pets in the house you’re going to need to keep on top of all that extra dirt and fur.   Aim to clean your condo at least twice a week, and if you just don’t have enough time to do so employ a maid to clean for you once or twice a week. Most condos will have contacts for a good team of maids, usually costing around 300 to 400 Baht per clean for a one-bedroom condo, which is definitely worth the investment for pet owners.

There are likely to be periods when you will be away from your home for a length of time, either on holiday or returning back to your home country, and it can be an anxious time if you have left your home unattended. While everyone has their own unique security needs, it is handy to have a checklist of what needs to be done to secure your home. Even if you are not planning on an immediate trip it pays to draw one up and keep it for future reference, it may be a god sent if you find yourself having to make a last minute trip away from home.

The month before..

- Don’t leave your home looking empty. The best solution is to rent a house sitter, or ask a friend to pay your home a visit every day.. Alternatively you could use a radio or lights on timer switches. Plan ahead, and if you are going to rent a house sitter make sure to book it in advance. If that’s not an option, ask one of your neighbours to check in every now and then.

- Make sure your home insurance is up to date. If you don’t have any, maybe it’s time to consider getting some!

The week before..

- Never hide keys outside of your home. You’d be surprised how many people leave their house keys hidden in plant pots or tucked under the mat. But it’s not only houses, I’ve even seen apartment tenants leave their keys in plant pots in the entrance of their home. Leave a set of keys with a friend or neighbour you can trust, all over keys should be taken with you, or left in your apartment.

- If you are planning to use a neighbour, friend or house sitter to take care of your apartment, buy them a gift and thank you card in advance. It never hurts to be super organised!

- Hide all your valuables, ideally in a safe if you have one. If you don’t have a safe and have a few items of great value, consider taking them to a secure storage unit. There are several safety deposit and storage unit companies in Bangkok, all of which are very affordable.

- Don’t forget to cancel any regular services or deliveries you use, such as food, water, maid services (although if you are unable o find a house sitter, you could allow your maid to continue to do her job).

- Let your building manager and security guard know the dates which you will be away, and inform them of any visitors you home will be expecting.

The day you leave..

- Give all your plants plenty of water!

- Throw away any perishables from the fridge and kitchen.

- Give your home a good clean and make sure to take out all the trash.

- Make sure all windows and doors are securely locked.

- Turn off most all the electrical appliances at the mains, and unplug small appliances. The only things you need to leave on should be your alarm system, fridge freezer, and any lights or electronics which you have left on a timer switch.

Get help

First things first, don’t even try to do it alone. This is a big job and to do it correctly you need man power and mental support! The more help you get the easier it will be. Mail all your friends, even mail friends of friends if you have to,  put up a Facebook post asking for help (offer a round of beers or a meal if you can) and encourage people to share it.

Create a welcome box.

A welcome box should consist of all the things you’ll need in your new Bangkok condo that first night. Picture the scene.. You’ve spent all day  transporting your heavy boxes across town, organising the helpers and trying to keep everyone motivate, you’re hot, you’re tired, and you just want to relax and call it a day. It’s not a bad idea to leave the unpacking for the next day, and this is where your welcome box comes to the rescue. It should contain all the things for your first night of survival: A change of clothes, a towel and soap, a kettle and some tea or coco, milk, and enough mugs for your helpers! It should also include a snack or two, any medication you might need, toothbrush and toothpaste, and your phone charger. Consider also that you may need to pack bed sheets and a pillow if there’s none wait for you.

Keep things light

One corner many movers cut is over packing the boxes. It may seem like the less boxes you pack the less you’ll have to carry, but over packing boxes means lifting heavier boxes, and risks hurting yourself, tiring yourself out, and even breaking the boxes during the move! None of which you want to happen. Bangkok can be a hot and sticky place for most of the year, keep your boxes as light as you can. It’s far better to carry many light boxes than struggle with heavy ones.

Take care of clothes

Try to keep clothes folded and organised. It can be time consuming having to rearrange your wardrobe or try to find something in a hurry when there is no system. Thing are also made worse when you realise you’ll need half a day working the iron to get your clothes ready to wear again. Do yourself a favour and take time packing clothes. If needs be, roll clothes rather than fold them, but don’t rush it.

Make lists

Making lists may seem boring but it’s a great way to keep organised. Make a to do list of everything you need to do on the day. Keep an inventory of everything you are packing (this will help tracing lost items). And if you can, make a list of all the things you need to do in the following weeks, to get settled in your new Bangkok condo. Getting organised may be time consuming but it will eliminate a lot of the stress in the long run.

Keep it clean

The key cleaning takes place before you even pack. Go through everything you have in your old home and de-clutter! Throw away any rubbish, unwanted paper work, anything you don’t really need. It’s not an easy task and can be very difficult for some, but it will make a huge difference to your move.

Valuables

Last but certainly not least, take care of valuables. Spend extra money on protection such as good bubble wrap and hard cases. If you have things of great value it’s also worth taking out some extra insurance to cover your move, or getting them shipped/moved independently.

Ultimately, if you are going to do things correctly, once you have chosen your colour scheme you need to commit in order to get the best results, so for that reason you need to take your time and get it right the first time, which can be done by following some simple rules and guidelines.

Take your time

No doubt your are itching to get to the store, buy your paint, and start coating the walls, bringing your new Bangkok condo to life. However, before you do that you need to take stock of what you already have in place.

Look at the permanent objects in your home, the things that are here to stay for years to come, especially the large objects and furniture, these will determine what colours you have as options. Ignore them and you risk failing before you even start, causing unsightly clashes of colour and style.

Flooring

Flooring is one thing you need to take immediate note of, as it’s the second largest surface in your Bangkok condo, and one that is unlikely to be changed in the foreseeable future.

There is no such colour as wood, so you’re going to need to take a sample of your actual flooring to the store, or better still, bring paint samples to your flooring so you can see with your own eyes what works and which colours clearly do not.

One thing to avoid is having a wall colour that is too similar to your flooring colour, as it can create quite a garish contrast.

Stone surfaces

If you have any stone surfaces in your Bangkok condo you need to judge these with caution, as sometimes there are hidden colours which don’t come out until they are set against certain other colours.

Make sure to hold up potential colour samples against significant stone areas, moving them around to better judge what colours are offset. If you are still unsure what works, try to choose a colour that you can see in the stone as a safety, and avoid colours which are different shades of the colours present in the stone.

Cupboards and cabinets

Similar to the flooring issue, you’ll want to check your potential new colours against any cabinets or cupboards you have. As a general rule, cool coloured paints tend to best compliment warm coloured wood cabinets.

By working through all of the above you may have at least eliminated several colours that clearly don’t work, and hopefully narrowed your choices down to just a few colour schemes for your Bangkok apartment. If you still need to make your decision it’s time to be brave! Remember, worry less about the smaller objects, fittings and upholstery in your home, these are all things which can be hidden, worked around, or even replaced, but ignore the large things at your peril.

Now to help you sort some of the nonsense from the truth, here are 4 common myths about renting condos in Bangkok and the truth behind them:

‘Bangkok has so many condos on the market, you’ll have no problem finding something very special and negotiating a cheap price’

Yes, Bangkok has a lot of condos on the market, browsing the rental listings you’ll find plenty of properties available from cheap studios to luxury penthouses, but what you won’t see is that there are also a lot of condo hunters out there looking for something special, and that ‘hidden gems’ tend not to remain hidden, or even on the marker, for long. Some places get snapped up within hours of being listed!

If you are determined to hold out for something special (and realistic!), you need to do the ground work and show some patience. However, once you do find a condo which fits your needs, don’t expect to negotiate a huge amount off the asking price. Unlike property owners and landlords in the west, Thai landlords rarely own property using credit, having either paid in cash or inherited their properties, so they tend to be in a strong position, willing to let a property sit empty and hold out for something close to the asking price.

‘You’ll have no problem finding a nice condo in downtown Bangkok for under 10,000 THB per month’

If you believe this then either your idea of a ‘nice’ condo is a little different from most or you consider downtown Bangkok to cover a pretty large area. The truth is a lot of foreigners move to Bangkok expecting to find somewhere nice and in a central location on an unrealistic budget!

You can easily find a nice one-bedroom condo in Bangkok for 10,000 THB per month, but it’s unlikely to be in the cosmopolitan neighbourhoods of upper Sukhumvit, Silom, or Sathorn. If you are lucky you may find a small studio in these area for under 10k, but it may not be as nice or homely as you’d hope.

If you can up your budget to 15-20,000 THB per month then you can realistically find a nice condo in a central area, but for anything less you will need to either lower your exectations or start looking at neighbourhoods a little away from the centre, such as Ratchada, On Nut, and Chatuchak.

‘Thai landlords are hard to deal with and will most likely keep your deposit’

You’d be wrong in thinking most Thai landlords are going to be trouble, in fact from my experiences the majority of Thai landlords are very polite, friendly, and a easy to deal with. They actually seem to take more pride in their properties than a lot of western landlords, and are often willing to comply with reasonable requests to replace aging furniture and appliances.

Regarding deposit, it’s rare to hear of a landlord retaining a deposit without very good reason, and as long as you checked you contract before signing it and have left your condo in the same state as when you moved in, you are unlikely to have any problems getting your deposit back at the end of the contract.

‘It’s better to live just outside Bangkok, where you can enjoy a peaceful life and experience central Bangkok when you feel the urge’

If you want to experience Bangkok life then you’ve got to be somewhere near the centre, once you are off out into the suburbs things soon change. If you do choose to live outside of central Bangkok, and by this we mean well away from Siam, Silom, and upper Sukhumvit, then that is where you’ll spend the vast majority of your time, and it really won’t feel like you’re living in Bangkok city. With traffic so hectic around the clock it can take some effort and getting in and out of Bangkok road during the day.

You’ll also find neighbourhoods to be far more Thai and ‘local’ on the outskirts of the city, and though life may well be more peaceful you may find it harder to fit into your new neighbourhood and enjoy a sense of community when you are one of the only foreign faces in your soi.

De-clutter

If you are going to give your Bangkok condo a spring clean make sure you also remove all the clutter from your home, keeping things as simple as possible. It’s all about going for that minimalist look to start with, giving yourself a blank canvas to work with.

Tips to de-cluttering your home include reducing the amount of ornaments and collectibles you have in your apartment, reducing any large collections down to a few select and attractive pieces.  Clear away piles of papers, magazines and books just laying around. If you don’t want to throw stuff away put them in storage, while important papers and letters should be kept in files which can also be put out of sight. If you really want to get serious consider removing a piece or two of furniture; anything which is impractical or becoming unsightly. If you feel emotionally attached to an old and ugly piece of furniture try putting it in a storage spot for a week or so to see how it really feels without it.

In the Kitchen

The kitchen is a room that needs particular attention during the spring clean, and it’s a great place to start with your mini spring make-over. Kitchens are often overflowing with clutter and a lack of space, and many Bangkok apartment kitchens are pretty cosy to start with.  Take a look around on the work tops and you may well see a rice cooker, toaster, water heater, microwave, coffer maker etc.. Are you really using all of these on a daily basis?  Cut back to only the things you are using day to day, with anything else being placed in a cupboard for storage. That extra counter space will make an instant improvement to the look and feel of your kitchen.

If you’re feeling really adventurous, consider repainting kitchen cabinets and doors, and replacing fittings and hinges for shiny new ones. It can be done at the fraction of the cost and time of refitting a new kitchen but if done correctly it can give the room a new lease of life.

Lighting

Lighting can make a huge difference to the look and feel of your home, and new lighting can really create a new feel to a room. Consider switching to dimmer switches and switching to  dimmable LED bulbs. This will create a much cooled and whiter look to your room as well as reducing your electric bill a tad.

Rearranging the furniture

Once you’ve cleaned up and got rid of all the clutter, now is the perfect time to rearrange some of your furniture and really give your Bangkok condo a new, fresher look.

It’s not only about optimizing the space, or making things more practical, sometimes rearranging the furniture is just about giving new perspective.  Moving large pieces of furniture can make a room look totally different, and moving the place and position of a bed or sofa and give you a whole new way of looking at your condo, making you feel like you’re in a new home.

Rearranging furniture is a great way to play around with what you’ve got while giving your home a fresh new look. Be creative and have fun!

1. Condo Vs Apartment

What is a condo? It sounds like a silly question, but you’d be surprised at how few people really know the difference between a condo and an apartment. Essential there is no visual difference between and condo and apartment, it all comes down to ownership. Condos are individually owned, meaning each condo in a building could (and often does) have a different owner, with every unit of the condominium building sold off separately. An apartment, however, is owned by the building, as is every apartment in the building.

2. What type condos should I be looking for in Bangkok?

You’ll find all kinds of condos available in the Bangkok, from small and simple studio condos up to luxury 5 bedroom penthouse condos, however, the majority of condos you’ll find available will be studios and one-bedroom condos.

If you are living alone in Bangkok, and planning to be working and socializing away from you home then a studio may be ideal. Studios tend to be around 20 to 35 SQM in size and typically include a bathroom with shower, and small kitchenette area.

If you are looking to spend the vast majority of you time at home you may find a studio too claustrophobic. One-bedroom condos are larger, at around 35 to 55 SQM, and should include bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom, giving you much more living space but also costing you more.

3. Where to stay in Bangkok?

That’s the million dollar question and something that deserves a lot of time and thought. It all comes down to where in the city you need to be, and what kind of lifestyle you want to live. Fortunately Bangkok has some rather cheap and efficient public transport systems which includes an MRT underground  system, and the BTS sky train lines, all of which are fast and reliable. The MRT and BTS will give you the opportunity to live a little further out of downtown Bangkok, while still being just minutes away from central locations.

If you are looking to commute to work or move around Bangkok a lot you need to be located close to public transport. Don’t rely on taxis or buses, Bangkok street traffic can be madness at time, with roads often brought to a standstill during rush hour.

4. Get Orientated

If you don’t know where to live and you don’t know your way around town, then you need to get orientated! Many newcomers to Bangkok gravitate to cosmopolitan areas such s Silom, Sathorn, and upper Sukhumvit Road. Here condos and life in general, tends to be a little more expensive. However, those who adventure further around the city will find lots of alternative colourful and lively communities, many of which offer accommodation and living much cheaper.

The best way to get orientated is to study the MRT and BTS lines, and venture out with a good map!

5. How much to budget?

Bangkok is blessed with condos to suit just about every budget, from small, basic studios for under 5000 THB per month, to huge sky high condos fit for a king.  It all comes down to how much you are looking to spend and what area of town you want to live in. If you are looking for a cosy studio condo a little out of town but close to transport links, somewhere like On Nut, Chatuchak,  or Lad Phrao, you can easily find somewhere clean and homely for around 5000 to 8000 THB per month. This should also include ample building security and quite possible a communal pool and fitness room. If you want a fairly modern and spacious one-bedroom apartment in a downtown area of Bangkok somewhere like Thong Lor, Silom, or Nana, then you are looking at anything from 18,000 to 30,000 THB per month.

6. Get to know your potential new neighbourhood

Property agents are sales people, and a landlord is only going tell you the positives of living in the area. If you find a condo you really like you need to investigate and experience the neighbourhood a little more before signing on the dotted line.

Spend time to walk around, look at what’s close by, and experience the surrounding streets during the day and night. Bangkok is a surprisingly safe city to live in and there are very few streets to avoid even after dark, however, as a reputation as one of the party capitals of the world, you will want to make sure you’re not surrounded by loud bars and karaoke clubs.

7. Learn to Barter

Bartering is common practice in Thailand and you shouldn’t be afraid to test your bartering skills when viewing a property. If you are looking at signing a long contract then there is a good chance you can get a  little off the monthly rental price. When negotiating aim to get around 5-10% off the rent.

Don’t just barter over price, you may also want to negotiate for a larger TV, new microwave, or something else you feel is missing to make the condo feel more like home. Once you sign the contract it will be much harder to convince your landlord to make improvements or add a new appliance.

You’re so in love with the place you only need to skim ready the contact before signing on the dotted line, what could possibly go wrong.. Stop! There are a few things you need to know and double check before you sign that legally binding contract. Here are some rules you should always follow when signing a contract for your Bangkok condo:

Read the whole contract, then read it again!

Yes, the contract is long and boring, and there are probably lots of bits you don’t understand – but that’s all the more reason to read it over and over. There is more than just your deposit on the line here, you need to be totally sure what you are signing your name on.

If you read the contract several times and still aren’t completely sure then ask your landlord or property agent to explain it to you in full. Check every detail, including the start and end dates, all the facts and figures, and everything you have requested or negotiated, it should all be in the contract, with no excuse. Don’t sign it until you have understood it all, and are happy!

Make sure everything in the contract is clear

OK, this is carrying on from the above. If you do need certain things explained to you, then there’s a chance the contract may need to be rewritten. It’s the landlord and property agent’s responsibility to have the contract professionally translated by someone with legal knowledge, but this isn’t always done. If you feel the contact has been poorly translated and is not clear don’t sign it, and request for it to be made clearer.

Things that must be included in the contract

There are certain things which really need to be included on the contract to protect both the landlord and the tenant. Here’s a little check list of all the things to look out for:

Rental term

The contract must clearly show the exact start date on which the tenant will move in, and how long that rental agreement lasts for. In addition you will want it to make clear what happens when the rental dates comes to an end. In many cases a year long rental contract will then become a rolling month to month contract after the end date, where the tenant is still expected to give at least one month’s notice before they can move out.

The rent

The contract needs to clearly state how much the rent is (in words and figures), on what day of the month it needs to be paid, and how it needs to be paid. It should also include warning of any penalties for late payment.

Security deposit

The contract needs to clearly state how much security deposit needs to be paid (in both letters and figures), and what it is used for. In most cases the deposit is used against damages to the condo and in case of the tenant breaking  the contract early.  It also needs to be made clear what the landlord considers to be damage made by the tenant, and what the penalties are for breaking the contract early.

Tenants responsibilities

The contract should also include all the responsibilities the tenant is taking on with the condo. Any utility bills the tenant is expected to pay (ie you may be required to pay for a landline phone service or cable TV), how the bills need to be paid (ie direct to the government/bank, or to the landlord or building managers), and any other rules and expectations from the landlord.

Finally, the contract you’d also state that the contract agreement is governed by the laws of Thailand.

Making your Bangkok condo more energy efficient and lowering your power bills doesn’t rely on you splashing out loads of Baht or making drastic changes to the way you live. Lowering your energy consumption can be done by simply eliminating a few bad habits and being more conscious of how you act and consume energy around your home.

Here are few simple yet effective ways to lower your energy consumption and decrease your utilities bill:

Be more conscious of how you use electronics

Electronic appliances can make up over 20% of a modern Bangkok condo utility bills so changing the way you use electronics in your home can have an immediate impact in lowering your energy consumption.

Televisions, DVD players, set-top boxes all  continue to use up electricity when in standby mode. It may not be a significant amount over the period of a day or week, but over the length of a year simply turning these units off when they are not in use will make a notable difference to how much energy you consume (and how much you pay!).

Laptops and desktop computers are often the biggest problem, with many people leaving their computers and monitors on for long periods of time when they are not in use. If you can’t turn your computer off or put it into hibernate mode, at the very least turn off the monitor when you are not using it.

Chargers are a very secret energy consumer. Even when you are not charging your phone or laptop the charger will still continue to eat up electricity just by being plugged in. If you are not using a charger then make sure to unplug it is unplugged, and don’t leave a phone or laptop charging over night when the charging is likely to be done after an hour or two.

Wash less often

We are talking about laundry here rather than cutting down on how often you shower! The simple fact is you will consume the same amount of electricity by washing a small laundry load as you would with a full load, so by leaving washing until times when you have enough to fill the machine means instantly lowering your energy consumption. This will not only lower your energy consumption but it will mean doing less laundry!

You can also cut the electricity used by your washing machine by using a cold water cycle as often as possible, this itself can cut consumption by a further 5%.

In the kitchen

A huge amount of energy is simply wasted in kitchen, especially during cooking time.

What type of over do you use?

Convectional ovens use around 20% less energy than conventional ones, while microwaves consume as much as 80% less electricity.

Hobs are another quick consumer, and by using small hobs when cooking with small pans and using lids on pans to heat food quicker, can lower the time and energy taken during cooking.

Air conditioning

The biggest consumer of electricity in any modern Bangkok condo will undoubtedly be air conditioning units, making up for around 50 to 80% of your utility bills.

By making slight alterations to how you use your air conditioning is a sure fire way to see an instant decrease in energy consumption and your electric bill.

• It’s pretty obvious but use fans when and wherever possible instead of air conditioning. Air conditioners are great for immediately cooling a room down but fans pretty effective in keeping a room cool once you’ve had the air con on for a short spell.

• Keep doors shut in rooms you are trying to cool down, by leaving them open you are only making the air conditioner work harder and longer.

• Use curtains and blinds to keep rooms cool. When the sun is beating down on a room draw the curtains and blinds, even if you are not using that room by keeping it as cool as possible you are working to reduce the temperature of your condo.

• If you do need to use your air conditions frequently then try turning the temperature up a few degrees. Every degree you raise the temperature of your air conditioner mean more electricity saved.

• Get to know the settings on your air con remote, many modern air conditioners have ECO settings specifically to help you cut down on energy consumption. Read the manual and see what options you have.

• Last but not least, get your air conditioners regularly serviced. It may seem like an extra expense but efficient air conditioning units consume less electricity than inefficient ones, and  a regular service will save you money.

No doubt you feel at least a slight tingle of inspiration as you glance at home magazines and property shows on TV, but there really is very little standing between you and a totally new looking (and feeling) living room in your Bangkok home. With a little know-how and effort you can soon make some simple but effective changes to your Bangkok living room, with very little time or money required at all, or you can really splash out and give a room a total revamp with just a few key changes. You just need the knowledge and motivation!

Here are some tips for putting a new lease of life into your Bangkok condo lounge:

Low Cost – Go bargain hunting

Bangkok is so full of cheap markets and vintage stores, you really don’t have test your budget in order to add a few significant touches you your living room, you just need to get out there and do some good old fashioned bargain hunting.

By changing all or most of the fixings in your living room and adding some subtle decor you can give it a completely new theme while spending very little money. Look at simple things like door handles, light shades, ornaments, vases (including flowers and plants), and see where improvements can be made. The key to success here is picking a theme or colour scheme and sticking to it!

Medium Cost – Add Some Fab Fabrics

Fabrics always play an influential role in the vibe and tone of a room. How you offset your fabrics against the rest of the room is key to creating the right atmosphere, and it’s important you get the right balance and match. So, when fabrics begin to age and fade they can bring a whole room down, and even with more longer lasting materials your eyes will eventually tire of the sight of them and long for change.

Changing fabrics and materials such as sofa and cushion covers, curtains, rugs, even table cloths, will instantly give your living room a new lease of life. Again, it’s all about theme and balance, make sure you know the theme and colour scheme of the living room you want before you start bringing in replacements.

Higher Cost – Total Facelift

If you can afford a little more time and money, changing the wall colours of your home can have a huge and immediate impact on the look or your living room, totally changing the vibe of the room, giving you a whole new canvas to work against with your smaller additions and inexpensive decor changes.

If you don’t want to tamper with the existing fabrics and decor in the room stick to using a warm and neutral wall colour such as beige, fawn, or ivory, which will instantly appease the eyes while complementing existing fabrics and fittings, highlighting any key features in the room.