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Decorating & Furniture/Questions Answered by Expert Shamim Razvi

Subject	Date Asked
Master Bedroom	5/21/2010
Q: I have an area rug in my bedroom that I love, the rug has a background of ivory and black, with ... A: As burgundy is already a strong colour, and given that fact this is a bedroom, I would only pair a ...
Furniture to go with walnut flooring	5/7/2010
Q: We are moving to a new home and I'm having a home office in the smallest bedroom. The walls have a ... A: sorry for the late reply. For the furniture I would suggest that you take a sample of the flooring ...
Help!!	5/6/2010
Q: I want to paint my living room, and I want it to go with my furniture, but I don't know which ... A: sorry for the late reply. Try Benjamin Moore's Gray Mirage (2142-50), Cammouflage (2143-40)or for ...
granite/wood/light	4/29/2010
Q: I have black appliances, tan brown granite countertop, not much natural light. Would cordovan stain ... A: I always like a contrast between the countertop and cabinets. I think the cordovan stain will be a ...
Kitchen remodel	4/23/2010
Q: Semi-remodel in Kitchen. Keeping medium oak cabinets and light grey ceramic floor. Adding a black ... A: A taupe colour would look a little to 'matchy' with your oak cabinets. Try Behr's Porpoise (790E-3) ...
Color Palette	4/21/2010
Q: I have an open floor plan on the main floor which allows you to view the living room, dining room ... A: For open concept homes, it is best to contrasts to a minimal. Based on what you have told me try to ...
LIVING ROOM	4/15/2010
Q: Need some color advise,My lounge furniture is orange suede i want to paint my walls and accessorize ... A: For every colour scheme you need a start off point. Choose a piece of art, fabric (applied on ...
PU Crown Molding with wood texture	4/7/2010
Q: I want to use PU Crown Moldings for cabinet ,the PU Crown Molding has to match cabinet color ... A: I don't know if you can find them in China, but here in North America there are many different kinds ...
Different Wood	3/31/2010
Q: I just bought a house built in 1975. It has ugly carpet but nice medium finish wood entry doors, ... A: You can bring home samples of the flooring and get a close match to the medium finished wood. As I ...
Living Room	3/26/2010
Q: After purchasig a new summer home, I am at a loss to come up with a color to paint the living room/ ... A: My favourite grey is ICI's Roma Haze. Ralph Lauren's Masonry Grey and Mr. Rainer are also great ...
height of picture	3/25/2010
Q: I would like to have two pictures as shown by the tape in the image I am attaching. My question is, ... A: the tape as you have placed looks just about right for the two pictures. The gap between the two ...
Lighting	3/24/2010
Q: I plan to change the polished brass chandelier in the dining room. I have golden-oak furniture. What ... A: I think an oiled bronze finish would look great with the wood that you have. A more golden tone, ...
Wall Color	3/16/2010
Q: I recently bought a new home which has medium to dark wood paneling on the lower walls in the entry ... A: I'm very sorry for the late reply. I'm having trouble seeing the photos with the link you have ...
Master Bedroom	3/4/2010
Q: I am decorating my master bedroom and I have a slanted vaulted ceiling. I want to wallpaper the ... A: sorry for the late reply. Although it will be difficult, I really think you should wallpaper the ...
area rug	3/3/2010
Q: I would like to get an area rug for my family room. Based on the picture I have attached, in your ... A: I would go with golds as the predominant colour, green secondary and burgundy as the accent. ...
decorating	3/2/2010
Q: I just got butterscotch hard wood floors with brown furniture. I need help with picking a wall color ... A: Ralph Lauren's 'English Tan-VM93' is the perfect mix between the floors and furniture. For your ...
paint co-ordination	3/1/2010
Q: I have an older home. My kitchen was renovated 16 years ago with medium oak cabinets. I am in the ... A: The perfect colour that seems to go with what you have described would be Ralph Lauren's 'Tudric ...
How should I arrange my family room?	2/26/2010
Q: We have moved into a house with a large family room - 16 x 10. The entrance to the room is all open ... A: I guess it's always safe to assume that furniture should be placed against a wall, but that is ...
bed placement	2/24/2010
Q: I bought new bedroom furniture and have a question about the placement of the bed. It doesn't look ... A: Don't worry about covering the window. The bed is the largest piece of furniture in the room so ...
living room	2/23/2010
Q: We remodeled our living room. I am wondering if it is better to go with colored curtains and ... A: Personally I prefer warm neutral toned walls and solid curtains that are very close to the wall ...
colour	2/22/2010
Q: I am currently updating one of our spare bedrooms,it is a long and a little bit narrow room approx ... A: You can pair any colour carpet your want with the yellow, as long as you use the same colours ...
Counter Tops	2/19/2010
Q: I have recently moved into a Timber Frame home. Wood overload!! I have pine cupboards which I'd ... A: sorry for the late reply. I think a darker toned counter top will provide a nice contrast to the ...
area rug	2/18/2010
Q: I would like to get an area rug for my family room. Based on the picture I have attached, in your ... A: Elizabeth you have a beautiful family room and definitely a nice rug will make all the difference. ...
Help! Need help coordinating with marble tile	2/17/2010
Q: I just purchased a home with a hunter green marble floor in the master bedroom. The room is small, ... A: I'm not sure if your molding is mahogany in colour or if it is natural wood, but you may want to ...
living room colors	2/12/2010
Q: I am trying to figure out flooring for my living room. My walls are coffee with cream colored, my ... A: Denise. Whether you choose laminate, hardwood or carpet is really a personal decision and you'll ...
Black red and white	2/11/2010
Q: . I have a black and red silk comforter. (More red than black) In my younger day, I paired it with ... A: I usually like to keep my curtains as close to the wall colour as possible, in this case a shade of ...
decorating a room	2/10/2010
Q: I would like to know how long does it take for a designer to decorate a little girl's bedroom that ... A: To be honest with you, it all depends on the designer and how they work. I would get in touch with ...
help with livingroom arrangement	2/9/2010
Q: i live in a townhouse where my livingroom is big with a small kitchen. i assume part of the ... A: All you need to create definition between the two areas is by using a rug under the dining table ...
Painting open floor plan.	1/21/2010
Q: We are building a new home. When you stand at the front door you can see the dining room and den, ... A: I would stick to warm toned neutrals for an open concept space. Most paint colours are shown as a ...
ceiling fans	1/15/2010
Q: I'm purchasing ceiling fans for my bedrooms. I've been advised that the fan should not be the "focal ... A: More importantly than the colour of the fans is the style. Also depending on whether or not you ...
My bedroom	1/13/2010
Q: I just move in to an apartment a few months ago and I have the mastered room,the walls are white and ... A: Sorry I didn't receive your original email. By the looks of it, you may not have enough room to ...
Cherry wood floors and walnut furniture?	1/12/2010
Q: We are buying a condo that has Brazilian cherry wood floors. All our dining room and family room ... A: You have nothing to worry about. The rule of thumb for mixing different wood tones is to use no ...
COORDINATING COLORS AND PATTERNS	1/8/2010
Q: I have a cognac colored leather sofa and dark leather recliner. All the furniture is darker stain, ... A: sorry for the late reply. For the wall colour, I would go with the bluish-gray that you have in ...
My Bedroom	1/7/2010
Q: I hope my question is not too complicated! I really enjoy interior decorating, but I'm stuck when I ... A: sorry for the late reply. I think white, or wicker furniture would go beautifully with this mural. ...
blue bathroom fixtures	12/17/2009
Q: We had a realtor tell us that pale blue bathroom fixtures are coming back in style. Is she crazy? ... A: sorry for the late reply. Blue bathroom accessories are fine but the rest, I'm not too convinced ...
molding in Victorian	12/16/2009
Q: We have an 1889 Victorian home outside of Boston. The house has been almost entirely ... A: The unpainted areas probably do look darker and not only that but it may even look like someone ...
choosing bedding for son and daughter's bunk beds	12/15/2009
Q: Our home only has two bedrooms. Our daughter has been sleeping in the bed with us since she was a ... A: To mix their bedding patterns successfully you can choose fabric that has at least one common colour ...
decorating ideas.	12/14/2009
Q: My name is Phary. My husband and i are in the process of opening a hair salon. She space we are ... A: The purple/fuchsia that's in your logo would make the perfect accent colour. Bring it in with ...
whtiewash furniture	12/11/2009
Q: I live in a bi-level home and the living room and dining room are all together on the same level. ... A: A rustic light grey wood stain will look best next to the whitewash (see attached photo) Using this ...
NEED HELP PLEASE	12/10/2009
Q: My ten year old daughter room is hot pink %26 it's trimmed in white,she wants to add black somewhere ... A: Yes she can successfully add black to the mix. The fact that there is already hot pink in the room, ...
color coordination in kitchen	12/9/2009
Q: I just bought a house with 25 year old mid-tone maple kitchen cabinets. They are great quality & in ... A: When choosing your granite countertop choose something in a darker (than your cabinets) brown and ...
decorating	12/7/2009
Q: What is the best or easist way to arrange furniture in an l-shaped room with a sofa and love seat? ... A: Have the sofa on the longest wall and place the loveseat either to the left or right side of it away ...
Space between mirror and lights	12/4/2009
Q: I'm replacing my mirror and lights in the bathroom. The light fixture base is 32 inches above the ... A: The overlap and downward positioning of the light fixture will look fine, as long as the shades do ...
So many colors!	12/3/2009
Q: I just moved into a log cabin. The beams are a dark brown on the inside walls just like on the ... A: Given the colour scheme you currently have I would say a shade of red would look the best, ...
need help with paint colors please	11/25/2009
Q: we just bought a house colors are horrible my living room has old brick fireplace painted also a ... A: sorry for the late reply. It's really tough for me to picture your whole space, especially with no ...
Decorating with Different Stained Woods	11/24/2009
Q: I live in a condo with living room dining room combination (square-shaped room). Our dining room ... A: You can definitely use a different stain of wood and the combination you have in mind will look very ...
paint color	11/23/2009
Q: I am having a hard time picking out a paint to go in a northeast facing master bedroom. The house ... A: Given the different colours that you have in your room: cherry furniture, burgundy, navy, gold and ...
kitchen wall	11/20/2009
Q: I have bead board on the bottom of my wall and I don't know what colors to paint them My cabinets ... A: sorry for the late reply. You haven't mentioned where the bead board is placed, I'm assuming it's ...
sofa color selection	11/18/2009
Q: Based on the attached photos of my empty living room, what colors would you choose for sofa, accent ... A: Wow! You did a great job, very impressive. When choosing colour palettes, I always like a start off ...
Decorating with green/gray furniture	11/16/2009
Q: We just bought a sectional sofa set for our new house and when we bought it it seemed much more gray ... A: the reason your sofa looked more gray in the store has everything to do with lighting. Does it look ...
mirrors	11/3/2009
Q: I would like professional advice on these mirrors. I want to replace them with more rectangular ... A: My suggestion would be that the mirrors should be long and narrow. Based on your photo, I would say ...
wall color	10/19/2009
Q: My husband and I have purchased a beach home. Staying with the beach theme we are experimenting with ... A: Dana. I would recommend for the theme that you're trying to create and to help tone down the green, ...
decorating narrow living room	10/15/2009
Q: My living room is about 9 ft wide and 12 ft long. (the entire room is 23 ft, but I am measuring to ... A: sorry for the late reply. As your room is pretty small, I would recommend you buy condo sized ...
Family room furniture placement	10/14/2009
Q: Help! We have an awkward room that opens to the kitchen. Our fireplace is centered btwn 2 tall, ... A: sorry for the late reply. It's a hard room to work with. We should try and work with your largest ...
family room layout help	10/13/2009
Q: Here is my issue: would love to redo my family room but want to be sure it will work. I dont have ... A: I'm very sorry for the late reply, I had some personal matters to attend to. It's very hard for me ...
Picking out a color for leather furniture	10/12/2009
Q: We have a large oak entertainment center and are considering purchasing a living room suite that is ... A: I would choose a leather that is a dark carmel brown or milk chocolate colour. The best type of ...
Dark Floors	10/10/2009
Q: My husband and I are about to be in a home with almost black hardwood floor all over the house. What ... A: Keep your main, larger pieces of furniture and wall colour in warm toned but light coloured neutrals ...
Please help me decide what sort of shelving and color to use in my living room!	10/8/2009
Q: I want to put shelving or bookcases on both sides of my fireplace. The space on both sides of the ... A: sorry for the late reply. I think in this situation, instead of bookcases I would place floating ...
painting hallways	10/6/2009
Q: I painted my livingroom in sandstone cove from Behr. Now, I would like to paint both hallways ... A: You have a beautiful home. As you space is open concept I would say to choose a colour that does ...
lkong narrow living room	10/4/2009
Q: We have a narrow and long living room as 240 cm width and 700 cm long ,we have windows at one ... A: It is hard to suggest an exact layout for you as I don't know where your door entrances and other ...
kitchen color	10/3/2009
Q: We just finished our new kitchen. Cinnamon stained cherry cabinets, giallo veneziano counters, ... A: sorry for the late reply. Given the information you have provided, I would suggest Benjamin Moore's ...
decorating a long wall	10/2/2009
Q: pls help me to decorate a long wall in my living room which is 7mtrs long and a 5mtrs long wall ... A: There's a lot of different ways to fill up your walls. Try grouping family photos in different size ...
Couch matching	10/1/2009
Q: I jsut bought a house (my first one :)) and in the living room there is a blakc/gray HUGE bring fire ... A: If your fireplace if dark and overwhelming, bringing in large pieces of dark furniture will only ...
Tab top sheers and a scarf valance?	8/11/2009
Q: I am unsure of the styling--I have tab top sheers that I LOVE . What can I layer with them? Can I ... A: You could definately use a scarf valance or even add another drape over top. Just be sure to use ...
small room	8/10/2009
Q: We live in a one story- 2300 sq foot house. I have two daughters ages 5 and 7. In order to help ... A: For this the size and function of this room I would suggest using furniture pieces that can perform ...
accent walls	8/8/2009
Q: I am painting a burgundy/red accent wall in my living room. and the other 3 walls beige. I am ... A: It would look amazing if you also did your one of your dining room walls in the same colour as your ...
Chairs for bachelor apartment	8/5/2009
Q: I'm a college student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando and I'm trying to furnish my ... A: As I live in Toronto, Canada it would be pretty hard for me to suggest stores that you can buy your ...
Making a room bolder	7/23/2009
Q: My house has what I would peg as a very old south look to it with a lot of mardi gras paraphernalia ... A: If you want to add a bold red, I would suggest you paint the wall behind your fireplace in that ...
livingroom wall color	7/22/2009
Q: I have natural woodwork in a light oak. My sofas are a mauve and tan floral with a seafoam green ... A: If you want the deep wine colour on your walls, why not try it on just one accent wall(the wall you ...
choosing cabinets	7/21/2009
Q: We are remodelling a kitchen that has oak hardwood floors - the fairly common golden colour with ... A: I think a darker stain on the cabinets will go really well with your new floor. Try to choose ...
brown leather furniture	7/20/2009
Q: i would like to have an idea about what color to paint my walls i have leather deep brown furniture ... A: based on the information you have given me, I can't really give you a specific colour suggestion. ...
Livingroom space	7/19/2009
Q: We have a large livingroom in a 100 year old home. It has oddly spaced doorways, windows with ... A: it's really hard for me to picture this room without a visual aid. I can however suggest that you ...
matching wall color to furniture	7/18/2009
Q: i am thinking of buying this rust colored furniture set but am not sure what wall color would match ... A: pick a wall colour that is about 3-4 shades lighter than the fabric on your furniture. If you ...
Floor Tile Color	7/17/2009
Q: I just have a quick question about floor color. The ceramic tile I chose is a swirl of peach, gray, ... A: To downplay the peach, pick the shade of gray that is in the tile and use that on your walls. Stay ...
Paint colour on sloping ceilings	7/16/2009
Q: We are lucky enough to have a large loft bedroom with a high ceiling that slopes quite far down the ... A: for sloped walls I advise you paint all your walls, including the ceiling the same colour, ...
paint matching floor	7/15/2009
Q: ..I am looking for some colour advice to match my floor in my kitchen...The tile is a grey-green ... A: I would suggest Behr's Light French Gray (720E-2). I also offer an 'Ask the Decorator' service on ...
Cherry hdwd flr n blk leather sofa	7/12/2009
Q: I have been in an empty apt for 2yrs.I have cherry hdwd flr and in two important places are an ... A: Find a large piece of artwork or cushions that have the colours from the rug and your coffee brown ...
Clueless about coffee table	7/10/2009
Q: We currently are decorating our just moved-into apartment. We bought a new chocolate/dark brown ... A: choosing the right coffe table is more of a personal choice. It can be any shape or material you ...
paint color in living and dining area	7/10/2009
Q: My living and dining rooms are a combo. I would like to install dark brown laminate floor on both ... A: As I don't know the colour of most of your furniture and accessories it's hard to pick up a specific ...
what color should i paint my outside door	7/9/2009
Q: i have dessert sand siding, my roof is blue and my shutters are midnight blue. my front door is ... A: Ideally your front door should stand out. I suggest you paint your door the same colour as the ...
paint for family room and kitchen	7/8/2009
Q: family room and kitchen are open to each other. I have dark brown leather furniture in family room ... A: I would go about two shades darker than the cabinets for your wall colour. Try Benjamin Moore's ...
Matching Travertine color for Quartz top	7/7/2009
Q: We have a toffee colored bathroom vanity with matching linen tower. The vanity top is Nougart quartz ... A: I would suggest a tile that has a bit of the toffee and eggshell colour, and also a light chocolate ...
A Teenaged Boy's First Room	7/1/2009
Q: Hey, I have been living in a room with my older brother for the first 13 years of my life, then I ... A: the best thing for you to do would be to paint one accent wall in a bold blue or green, this would ...
Paint	6/30/2009
Q: My husband is painting office furniture black and has requested dark brown walls. I think this will ... A: I would have to agree with you on this one. Dark brown walls, with black furniture is going to make ...
Dining Table Placement	6/29/2009
Q: We've moved in to our new apartment. We've got a dining table which we feel is a bit bigger than we ... A: the ideal walking space when the chairs are pushed in, would be between 2-3ft. I would strongly ...
painting	6/28/2009
Q: I Have purchased a sage green sectional and would like some painting ideas to go with my furniture i ... A: I would suggest Benjamin Moore's Raintree Green (CC-560)as your darker accent wall and Florentine ...
color and accessories	6/27/2009
Q: I need help choosing drapes and accessories for my dining room. My walls are painted with Benjamin ... A: Your drapes can be either a shade lighter or darker than your wall colour. As you have mostly ...
My living room	6/26/2009
Q: I am redecorating my entire home, but the living room is what i'm focusing on right now. I have a ... A: It's very hard for me to visually imagine what your room looks like right now in terms of space and ...
area rug	6/24/2009
Q: I have leather taupe couch and love seat, celery green walls. What color area rug should I get? A: your rug can be a combination of the green and taupe,to bring the colours together. I also offer an ...
sofa color	6/23/2009
Q: I have a white couch that i had given to me approx 3 years ago i also have 3 boys as you can imagine ... A: Bambi. Unfortunately there's no product out there to dye a sofa with. Your only options would be ...
need help to pick color carpet	6/22/2009
Q: I buy a house and colored wall light green it is look beautifully but soon I need to pick the carpet ... A: Cindy. A medium to dark chocolate brown will look beautiful with the green, and because it's a ...
living room	6/21/2009
Q: We have a red couch and all other furniture is dark brown leather and wood. I would like to paint ... A: a warm grey will go very nice with your red couch and also compliment the rest of you furniture. ...
kitchen renovation	6/20/2009
Q: I just ordered maple shaker cabinets for my kitchen along with a HD laminate countertop that mainly ... A: I would suggest going a medium to dark brown for your tiles, with a subtle hint of gray in it (see ...
What colour furniture should I put on Jarrah Floors?	6/19/2009
Q: We've just ripped up our carpet and sanded and laqcuered our Jarrah Wooden Floors. We're shopping ... A: Your wood flooring will have a dominant main colour (in your case dark) and will also have different ...
color schemes	6/18/2009
Q: new furniture for living room one red sofa and 2 navy recliners carpet navy blue need suggestions ... A: I would suggest mostly neutral coloured curtains with a 'quiet' pattern of navy blue and red. Your ...
window treatments	6/15/2009
Q: I have a burgandy leather couch & loveseat. I have light oak colored hardwood floors with a cream ... A: Try replacing your current treatment with sliding fabric panels. (see attached photo). They come ...
living room	6/14/2009
Q: we bought a new home, wall color in my living room is light pink with white trimmings floor is dark ... A: If you decide to keep the pink on the walls, I would go for the cream and pink rug. If you were ...
Kitchen color selection	6/11/2009
Q: We just had new cabinets and granite counters installed. Cabinets are a rich, fairly deep brown ... A: Sorry for the late reply. As you're asking for colour selections for a fairly large area, it's ...
BLAH BEIGE BEDROOM!	6/10/2009
Q: PLEASE HELP! I thought I could do a monochromatic scheme and - I CANT! I am going for a beachy or ... A: I see you have too much going on your right wall. I would suggest you remove one of your tall ...
Sofa Positioning	6/9/2009
Q: I have a problem with positioning my sofa in the living room. I have a corner fireplace. I am ... A: Seen as I don't have a photo of your room, It's hard for me to come up with many other options. If ...
gameroom	6/8/2009
Q: I am making my 2 car garage room a game room with a pool table. What colors do you suggest I ... A: red is a good choice of colour for a game room. Reds, Oranges and yellow's create the feeling of ...
Strange Wall Issue	6/7/2009
Q: I have a very strange problem with my apartment walls. The apartment used to be a schoolroom, so ... A: this is a tough on. I'm assuming this is a rental apartment and that you can't make any structural ...
Rug Size on Sectional	6/6/2009
Q: I have just purchased a sectional for my living area and am now looking for a rug. The sectional is ... A: the rug should be large enough in comparison to your sectional and general conversational area in ...
Crown molding paint	6/4/2009
Q: I wonder if we could stain the wood crown molding and have the baseboards white at the same ... A: If you have wood floors I would try to stain the crown molding the same colour. If however you have ...
What color window treatments	6/2/2009
Q: My couch is navy blue and gray stripes, my chairs are lime green. All the tables are a dark brown. ... A: it's hard to just choose a colour from the information you have given me. I can only suggest you ...
Corridor/hallway door ideas	5/31/2009
Q: I need help choosing the most suitable type of door [swinging...etc]. I'll describe the situation: ... A: I think a pocket door may be the most suitable door for this space. It's a conventional door, which ...
picture placement	5/30/2009
Q: I have a 60 year old house with lathe and plaster walls. My living room is 16 geet long anf I have ... A: you can choose either a panoramic piece of artwork for that wall, a long mirror (placed ...
stain for hardwood floors and wall color	5/29/2009
Q: I am putting in natural cherry cabinets, tropical gem granite (which is a green with black, white ... A: I think your floors would look best if you stained them in a medium to dark stain. You don't ...
Floor covering	5/28/2009
Q: I am looking for a replacement floor covering in my basement ( tv room, guest bedroom, sitting room ... A: there are a wide range of options now when it comes to floating floors. Laminated cork, bamboo, ...
paint & carpet colors	5/25/2009
Q: I have never been good at choosing colors or decorating anything but I really want this to be a nice ... A: I would recommend Behr's Manhattan Mist (760E-2) for the wall colour. It's a grey/blue based warm ...
Lenght of a mirror	5/24/2009
Q: I have a 66 inch buffet table and a 72 inch wide mirror. Should a mirror ever be longer than the ... A: It's perfectly fine to have an oversized mirror hanging above something. It will give great visual ...
New house	5/23/2009
Q: We are building a new home and I have chosen natural hickory cabinets for the kitchen. The kitchen ... A: I would suggest you choose wood flooring as close to the cabinet colour as possible. The only ...
Open Concept Painting	5/22/2009
Q: We are in the process of remodelling our home and have removed a wall between our kitchen and dining ... A: Most paint colours are shown on a colour fan strip. You can go either a shade or two lighter or ...
paint colors for living room walls	5/21/2009
Q: We recently purchased a leather sectional that is a "saddle" color. We painted two walls a brick ... A: The easiest and least expensive solution to tone down all the colours would be to paint you walls in ...
painting	5/19/2009
Q: I have just received a burgundy leather suite and had painted all the walls cream (cotton lace). ... A: I would suggest Behr's Turtle Dove (400E-2), a warm cream colour with a hint of green. Also, be sure ...
Living room and dining room together different furniture	5/6/2009
Q: I am going to move and my new apartment the dr and lr area is together... at my current apt they are ... A: Lilian sorry for the late reply. I didn't get your question when you first sent it. I would ...
Painting our living room (narrow and rectangle shape)	5/5/2009
Q: we are planning to paint our living room and are in a fix about the colours we should use...we have ... A: I can't see too well the exact colours that you have from the photo, but it looks like you have rose ...
bookshelf height	5/5/2009
Q: can you please tell me how high to mount a 5'x6" bookshelf overhanging a changing table in the ... A: Adam I would recommend you place the shelf at about 5ft off the ground. Please keep in mind, that ...
fireplace mantel	5/4/2009
Q: We have just a tile gas fireplace so I purchased a mantel ledge to dress it up a little. The ... A: A fireplace mantle is part of the focal point of a room therefore it should be a large enough size, ...
layout planning for boy's bedroom	5/4/2009
Q: I wish you could advise me how to plan the layout for my son's room. I have just bought a new ... A: As a matter of preference, I don't like to have the bed placed in a corner. Unfortunately the ...
Wall Color?	5/3/2009
Q: Our great room has burghandy leather sofa and loveseat with black end and coffee tables. We have a ... A: depending on how dark the sofa's are I would recommend either Behr's Sandstone Cliff (750C-3) or ...
decoraing around dark green leather furniture	5/1/2009
Q: i have dark green leather furniture and I have no idea how to decorae around that...not for wall ... A: You would start off with a rug, or artwork or fabric for cushions, that contains the same dark green ...
furniture & decorating	4/30/2009
Q: I am moving into a house that has wood paneling tongue and groove in the living room with fireplace. ... A: It is extremely hard to achieve a modern contemporary look when you have 'heavy' dark paneled walls. ...
stair case to second floor bedrooms	4/30/2009
Q: How do you decide on what to do with a 15 stair carpeted area to upstair bedrooms? Chair rails or ... A: It's just a matter of preference when it come to choosing wainscoting. Any kind of paneling will ...
How to offset Large leather sofa	4/29/2009
Q: I just bought a house and the living room is 15 x 12. The sofa is wine-colored (burgundy) leather ... A: start off with a light coloured area rug that you like with at least three different colours in it. ...
Need help choosing paint color	4/28/2009
Q: We are remodeling an old log home and are in the process of doing part of the upstairs. the first ... A: Depending on the room, darker colours don't necessarily make a room look smaller, it's a bold ...
new office, help!	4/28/2009
Q: My company is moving into new office space and I am able to select some new furniture...except the ... A: I can't really tell the exact colour of the console from your photo, but because of the dark wood ...
Color help please!	4/27/2009
Q: I know I will have no time later:-) I have a medium brown shade of hard wood floors and bright ... A: I'm not quite clear as to what you exact question is but I'll try my best. I would advise you to go ...
Cherry hardwood floors	4/27/2009
Q: I have a client that has cherry hardwood floors. She has white crown moldings and white plantation ... A: A rich cherry hardwood floor, looks best with lighter toned furniture, especially in this case ...
Beige carpet, cherry bedroom furniture	4/26/2009
Q: I have awalls bedroom are white, beige carpet and cherry furniture,,what color of bedding should i ... A: You need a starting point for a colour scheme. Right now you have mostly neutral colours. Start ...
huge bare wall	4/26/2009
Q: My living room is about 20X12 with 18 ft ceilings. The focal point wall is the 12ft with a ... A: sorry for the late reply. This is pretty tough as there aren't too many options. This type of ...
red brick floor-help	4/25/2009
Q: what color do i use to decorate a room with a red brick floor. i'm renting this house and Im at a ... A: Any warm neutral will work on your walls, but if you can pick out a warm neutral from the undertones ...
Bedroom color scheme	4/25/2009
Q: I am in the process of redecorating a small bedroom that will be used as a guest bedroom most of ... A: what you have so far is a monochromatic beige colour scheme. If you want to introduce a new colour ...
Color ?	4/22/2009
Q: am planing to re-paint my room and change the color of my furniture (laminate). The color of the ... A: I would suggest your furniture and three of your walls be in any neutral colour, i.e. Greys, browns, ...
Choosing wall colours	4/21/2009
Q: I live in a small condo with huge windows which gives me a limited wall space. I basically have one ... A: For the choice of colour on your living room walls, I would look to your paintings and see if you ...
laminate flooring	4/20/2009
Q: I am thinking about selling soon, so... I need to redo a dining room floor (currently carpeted), in ... A: I would recommend a warm oak colour. See attached photo. The warm tones would compliment the ...
Backsplash ideas	4/20/2009
Q: which is very exciting! It is a renovated 1911 smaller home and I think the kitchen is in need of a ... A: There are many different types/materials of tile available on the market. It would be best to ...
Wood furniture	4/18/2009
Q: Does the wood on furniture all have to be the same color or type in an open floor plan to be ... A: The colour of the wood doesn't necessarily have to match, but it should be somewhat in a similar ...
Entry Way	4/17/2009
Q: We have a early 60's house. two story and I believe they call it a cathedral entrance. Small ... A: To update the look you may want to even consider re-finishing your wood railings if they're a little ...
Vinyl siding color	4/16/2009
Q: My house is ranch style. It has grey shingles with hint of sage. I have grey brick on front. What ... A: as I can't get a visual of the exact shade of the shingles and the brick I can best suggest either ...
choosing colours for sunroom	4/16/2009
Q: having a sunroom built on the southside of our home where the carport was. My new furniture is black ... A: From the information you have given me, it sounds like you have an adjacent colour scheme right now; ...
Options for Audio Video Equipment...when wall mounting an TV	4/16/2009
Q: I have a 52 inch TV...which I wish to wall mount in my family room. What options do I have to my ... A: I totally understand. I always have to keep in mind my husband's home theatre system and gaming ...
matching woods	4/15/2009
Q: my furniture line has been discontinued by manufacturer. i need to know what wood, i.e. mahogany, ... A: I think a mahogany would pair well with dark pine. Maybe look at the darker grain of the pine and ...
Toddler room	4/15/2009
Q: Hey! So glad you have this site :) My daughter is now 21 months old and I'm looking to make ... A: Your ideas for your girl's room are very good. If you choose to do the chair rail, just make sure ...
decorating & furniture	4/14/2009
Q: how can I fit a computer into a small living room space without it looking cluttered. A: I myself have a computer in a small living room space. See attached photo of how my layout is. ...
Matching colors	4/12/2009
Q: I wanted to use two different colors to paint my room. I have a small bedroom which consists of 2 ... A: To use the two colour in your room, you should first select a wall that you want more attention on. ...
Bay Window	4/11/2009
Q: I have a bay window (3 windows about 36" wide each) in a hall way facing a double door that leads ... A: I would suggest maybe placing a sofa/console table in front of you windows. On this table place 3 ...
Decorating & Painting an Open Floor Plan Apartment	4/10/2009
Q: I'm purchasing a two bedroom apartment and love the fact that the living room and dining room are ... A: I cannot give you an exact colour scheme as that would be based on the colour of your furniture and ...
Laminate wood: Continuing a previous installment	4/9/2009
Q: I've just bought a new house and the main floor has an oak coloured laminate wood floor in the ... A: It is absolutely fine to do a dark colored wood in your living room. It would only look odd if it ...
Vaulted Ceiling	4/8/2009
Q: My contemporary home has a 15 ft vaulted ceiling (at the peak). The sides are lit so that the light ... A: My suggestion is Behr's Gentle Rain 790E-2, or Pewter Mug 770E-3. I cannot give an exact colour, as ...
tips on decorating	4/8/2009
Q: i need your help in my living room decoration,the wall is painted bamboo color,the leather seats are ... A: I'll try my best to visualize this. It seems that you like the blue that you have in your room and ...
problem with window right behind queen bed	4/7/2009
Q: What can I do with a window that is directly behind our queen size bed? We do not use the window; it ... A: you have a few options here. Option 1: If you just wanted to make the window less visible you would ...
off centered window	4/7/2009
Q: now the window is totally off centered from the 'bedroom space'. how do i offset it, it looks weird. ... A: I still can't figure out why builders build this way, but sometimes we just have to work with what ...
breakfront	4/6/2009
Q: I'd like to seperate the top and bottom of my large, 64", breakfront. The bottom would then become ... A: this is a tough one because there isn't much you can really do with it. The only thing that I can ...
Wall color for living room/kitchen/dining room	4/5/2009
Q: I have a room in my house where the living room, kitchen, dining room, entry way, stairs (to ... A: You can definately use two different colours in this area,if you stick with one neutral, which in ...
Decorating my living room	4/2/2009
Q: my house is still under construction so I havent bought any furniture yet. I like the traditional ... A: Uzana. To answer your question about using green and brown. If you're unsure about the combination ...
color to coordinate my bedroom	4/1/2009
Q: I am painting my room lilac and vintage merlot from Behr. My 2 year old sons room is next to mine ... A: Myra. You've made a wonderful choice in colours. Purple, violet tones create the feel of relaxtion, ...
Headboard suggestion for Slanted Vaulted Wall	4/1/2009
Q: Any Headboard ideas? Focal Point suggestions? Please see photo. This is a model home picture of my ... A: I would suggest a framed wallpaper headboard. See this web page, on how to make one: ...
WARM STONE	3/30/2009
Q: I AM PAINTING MY BEDROOM WALLS WARM STONE, I HAVE A CHERRY OAK BED ALONG WITH NIGHT STAND. WHAT ... A: warm stone is a pretty neutral colour so that's a good start. When it comes to bedrooms, most of ...
Wood Panelling	3/30/2009
Q: I live in a house build in 1968 with a cathedral ceiling. In three rooms, dining, living and ... A: Rupi. You're very lucky to have such beautiful architectural detail. I can understand how tough it ...
mixing furniture	3/30/2009
Q: I have black stained table and chairs in the kitchen. The area is totally open to the family room ... A: Nancy. Well because the area is totally open, I would recommend that the pieces stay very close in ...
color and accessories	3/29/2009
Q: I am in desperate need of advice as to what to do with my livingroom. I have a large picture window ... A: Anne. Well it seems to me that you have a mostly neutral monochromatic colour scheme right now. If ...
what color chairs for deep brown carpet and black couch	3/29/2009
Q: I have deep brown carpet and a black sofa with a brown entertainment center. What color chairs and ... A: I would suggest using a lighter warm toned colour, to lighten things up a bit. If you use any more ...
bedroom accent colors	3/29/2009
Q: My daughter is redoing her first home. We painted the walls a soft light gray color, her comforter ... A: I personally would recommend using more muted shade of red and chocolate brown for a relaxed feel. ...

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Shamim Razvi

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I can answer anything in general about decorating, i.e. Space planning,colour co-ordinating, furniture placement, choosing the most suitable accessories,fabrics,lighting, window, wall and floor treatments. I cannot answer questions about structural or architectural changes.

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I have been decorating for the past five years and running my own decorating business: The Eighth Haven, www.eighthaven.com, for over a year.

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I am a graduate of QC Design School, in the field of Professional Design and Decorating as a certified Interior Decorator and Professional Colour Consultant.

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