Design advice from the experts

Melanie Stewart, Charlotte Bicknell and Carolyn Atkinson.

Q. I'm looking forward to giving our tired kitchen a modern makeover but I don't want it to be so contemporary that it will be dated in five years. The timber floorboards will be the only part remaining from our existing kitchen. How can I get a timeless look without being too boring?

Melanie Stewart, Interior designer: For a look that won't date, go as natural and simple as possible in colour and material choice. The timber flooring is a good start. If your floorboards have a yellow or dark red high-gloss finish, this will immediately date your kitchen. I recommend staining the boards back to their natural colour, using a mid- to low-sheen polyurethane. High gloss shows every mark and is very 1990s.

Lacquered kitchen cupboards are very hard wearing and don't impose. Colours such as black, white, and red won't date. Pastels and muddy colours will. As an alternative, consider some of the clever veneers that are now available. If you match veneer cupboards with a stone/composite bench in a similar tone you can't go wrong.

Stainless steel can act as a practical, yet smart perimeter, to the space. You can use it for a splash-back and skirting, and this marries perfectly with sinks and tapware.

Whenever possible, invest in a quality benchtop. There are many stone composites available these days and market competition makes these more affordable. Cheap alternatives do not last. Granite is beautiful but should be used only if the materials throughout the kitchen are similar, or it will overpower the kitchen.

My rule is no more than four colours and three textures. Think of it like dressing: your shoes and socks are the floor, the bench and cupboards are your suit, while the stainless steel appliances are your accessories.

* * *

Q. My beige bedroom is on the cold, south side of our house. I want to add some warmth to the room but I'm not sure where to start. I need some inspiration for a new colour for the walls, as well as some ideas on bedding, curtains and pillows that will tie the new look together. Is the rule of thumb to use lighter colours in rooms that have less light?

Charlotte Bicknell, Interior stylist: Keep the walls light and neutral, and add colour and warmth using accessories. Resene have a great range of neutrals - a very popular choice is Tea, or even Half Tea, which is light and fresh in daylight, but warm and cosy in the evening.

A great way of adding colour to the walls is through art work. An affordable way of doing this is by stretching a piece of fabric over a canvas frame. You can buy these from The Warehouse and interesting fabrics are available at haberdasheries such as Spotlight, or new Auckland fabric store Martha's, which has a wealth of upholstery and furnishing fabrics. You could use just use one frame or hang a series of three in a row.

Lighting is important to add warmth. My advice would be to have side lighting and an overhead pendant light. Place bedside lights either side of the bed, and perhaps another lamp on a chest of drawers.

Duvets and bedding will also add colour and warmth. This is where you can stamp your mark on the room - avoid matching sets. Pick out your favourite colour from the artwork or duvet cover and go for a stronger shade in a few scatter cushions. Be bold with the colours you choose for your accessories, and try to combine different textures. Avoid too many complex patterns or designs.

* * *

Q. I've seen a few houses lately painted in very dark colours, with white trim around the windows. It looks very smart and I'd love to do our villa in the same combination but I have been told that weatherboards should not be painted dark colours.

Is that no longer the case, or is it okay in some situations? 

Carolyn Atkinson, Colour consultant: There are some building surfaces which allow darker colours to be used, such as concrete, stucco, corrugated iron and Linea Weatherboard. But painting an older weatherboard house a deep or dark colour is not a wise move because of the sun damage.

These dark colours attract a lot of heat, which can lead to the timber twisting and cracking.

The colour can oxidise, go chalky and powdery, or it can fade dramatically.

This damage can also cause the paint to fail from the primer or basecoat level and peel off, leading to a repaint sooner than usual.

What are safe colours? The key is choosing those with a light reflectance value between 42 and 100 per cent.

Resene has this information on all its colour charts.

Think of black as having 0 per cent reflectance value and white as being 100 per cent.