Back to School

Putting together back to school

Work outward from one surface. A tray or a mantel is the anchor; the door and the wall come second; the table only needs dressing if people will sit at it. Buying in that order stops the common mistake, which is four half-decorated rooms instead of one finished one.

Colour is the other half. Pick a palette before a piece: there are six that already work on the home page, and everything you add afterwards has a test to pass.