DECORATING ADVICE : For an Elegant Look: Delicate Floral Wallpaper

Question: I want to cover the walls of my Federal-style dining room with a traditional wallpaper that has a light, airy look. What do you suggest?

Emma Susson

Answer: Find a traditional French design with an open light-colored background and a delicate floral pattern. It will be an elegant background for your dining room.

Q: I moved into an apartment that has solid-rust-colored carpeting and draperies. My walls are a light cream color. I want to get a new sofa and lounge chair, but I don’t know what color or type of design to choose.

Mary Kveton

A: Select a print with a Southwestern motif, one that features rust, pink, turquoise blue and soft green on a cream background. Also buy some Southwestern hassocks covered in rust-colored leather.

Q: We finally have the funds to redecorate our kitchen, family room, dining and living room. Our ranch home is boxy; it has 8-foot ceilings, there is very little woodwork, and the doors and windows are plain. The open design makes it necessary to color-coordinate the kitchen, family area, dining room and living room.

All of the furniture is oak or maple. Our thick rug is deep green. The windows are curtain-less and have maple half shutters. The living room sofa is off-white with mauve, blue and pale green flowers. This and the two chairs are new and must stay. The walls are painted oyster throughout. I must get as much light in as possible, because there is a large roof overhang all around the house.

I have decided to paint the kitchen cupboards white, and I’m going to install windowed doors. I’d prefer a small print of red, yellow and blue wallpaper. What should I do with the countertops, the floor and the windows?

Diane Johnson

A: For your living room, paint the walls a very pale aqua blue. At the windows with the half maple shutters, hang valances and swags of a pale-blue, white, soft-pink and green stripe. Line the valances in pale blue. For carpeting, choose a soft off-white. Accent your sofa with pale green and light blue pillows. Your trim can be the same white as your new kitchen cupboards.

For the kitchen, your wall covering should include some soft pink and maybe some aqua. Stay away from red and yellow. The countertops can be soft aqua. For the floor, use 18-inch black and white vinyl squares laid on the diagonal. Find a floral fabric for your windows. Carpet your family room as you did your living room.

Q: What kind of window treatments do you prefer?

Bette Emends

A: Windows are the eyes of the house, and they should be treated and decorated in a fashion that complements a room’s design.

When using valances, there is a simple method for determining the proper scale. If your windows almost reach the ceiling and you wish to calculate the proper depth for a valance, multiply your ceiling height by two. The product is the number of inches that the depth should be.

For example, a ceiling that is 9 feet high should use window valances that are 18 inches at the deepest point. A ceiling that is 10 feet high should employ valances that are 20 inches at the deepest point.

I like both soft and hard valances, but the ruffled valance on a shirred pole is one of my very favorites. I like to see valances trimmed and edged and braided. The extra touch always goes a long way.

When planning bedroom decor, consider purchasing a valance and headboard of a matching print. The coordinated fabric always brings a warm, cozy and most inviting look to the bedroom.

And when window decorating, take a look at the decorating magazines. You will find a variety of valance designs.