I'm currently looking to convert former bank with period details (mahogany wall and column panelling) and we are struggling with colours to tie in to features .

Hi there, As you are discovering, decorating your own place can be a really exciting and fulfilling task. The tricky bit is often making decisions on the exact shades you are going to choose. Regarding your ceiling dilemma, there are no hard and fast rules when choosing colour. Your choice should be determined only by the effect you want to achieve. Bright white is a popular choice because it brings a clean, fresh finish to your room, and a feeling of space, and is the perfect choice when using pale and mid tone neutrals on the walls. Remember that even white will appear a couple of shades darker on the ceiling than it really is, as it doesn’t get the direct light from the windows that your walls do. If you are going for a more cosy feel, or you are using a full shade on your walls, you might not want to see such a contrast between your walls and ceiling. In this circumstance, I would recommend moving away from bright white, and mixing a bit of your wall colour in with it, or choosing a co-ordinating neutral shade. This makes the colour throughout blend more seamlessly for a softer effect. Reducing the contrast between walls and ceilings can actually make the room feel bigger as the eye will not be drawn to the dimensions of your ceiling. I hope this helps, but if you still need some reassurance, you could always paint a large piece of paper with the colours and stick it to your ceiling with low tack masking tape before you decide. Happy decorating and please let me know what you go for. Nina Dulux Amazing Space www.designer.duluxamazingspace.co.uk

Hi, I have a similar house and did exactly that. I think it looks too choppy to paint them different colours/tones. Our landing also has a sloping ceiling and this was trickier as the colour needed to work on the walls, ceiling and downstairs in the hall. I cracked it with different Farrow and Ball colours, depending on the aspect.

Hi, oh its so hard to get started isn't it when you have so many ideas! I always find the best way is to make a little mood board for each room. put your ideas that you have onto paper for each room, and take it from there. decide what is most important for each room, for example have you found a sofa you love for the living room or already have an existing one? if so, take a sample of that fabric and find a paint that works with that, and the sofa becomes your key piece to make your decisions around for that room. you may have a painting you love or some fabric you want your curtains to be made from, and you can use these to make your paint choices. You also need to decide if you want the same colour throughout the property or if you want each room to have its own style. either way, its important to make sure they flow because you can make the property look a bit to haphazard if there isn't some cohesion. Just really think about what you love and what you want to achieve for your look, and look at ideas on pinterest and instagram. Failing that, call in an interior designer to help with some ideas! I would be happy to help if you get to that stage. I provide a low cost online service or full project packages too. Hope that helps a little!