Keeping your home light and airy

GET THE LOOK
[1] Elisabeth de Ruiter applied a diamond pattern in apple green and white to her floorboards for a fresh backdrop of colour for her pale furniture and treasured mementoes. [2] Painting the dining room table white lightens the room's ambience. Matching painted chairs with pale blue upholstery keep the Swedish-country feel. [3] Periwinkle blue paint on the wall behind the kitchen's open shelves draws the eye. [4] Second-hand, antique and flea market furniture all get a coat of creamy paint to unify the apartment's look. [5] Mirror frames and picture frames are painted to harmonize with the bright interior. [6] Elisabeth de Ruiter's passion for painted tole-work flowers, on sconces, chandeliers and mirror frames, is put to great use in this breezy space. The quirky light fixtures adorn nearly every room, making the apartment undeniably feminine.

MORE TIPS
[1] Unify cheap and cheerful farmhouse chairs with the same shade of paint. [2] Paint over an exposed brick wall so the texture is the focus, not the red brick. [3] Roughly strip windowsills and door frames to expose original paint. [4] Create an unfitted look in your kitchen with upper and lower cabinets painted different colours. [5] Give an easy, inexpensive update to fake panelling by painting over it. [6] Line up painted terra cotta pots filled with herbs on a windowsill for instant country appeal. [7] Apply pale blue paint to your ceiling for a touch of the sky indoors. [8] Rejuvenate flea market picture frames with a coat of paint in a fresh, unexpected colour. [9] Add a dash of country colour to your home by painting your front door barn red. [10] Try heritage shades on furniture and shelving – not just walls. [11] Mix and match hues of paint on similar treasured side tables for a quirky, flea market look. [12] Coat the risers on your staircase in different shades of the same colour. [13] Rediscover milk paint to help new bookshelves look old. [14] Paint wicker chairs and tables to give them new life. [15] Inspire yourself by painting words on your walls. [16] Label jars with chalkboard paint.

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