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Less is more

By Alexandra Leyton Espinoza (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-17 10:34

How to decorate your apartment

METRO reporter Alexandra Leyton Espinoza asks Borja Tena Prado for tips on how to decorate a flat.

What are the rules about colors?

Try to make contrasts by mixing white or cream tones with darker tones. Use colors to define desired and diverse ambience. Shiny, metallic and golden insertions on furniture are a big no-no.

Should I mix styles or follow a pattern? Can you mix modern furniture with traditional ones?

Yes, fusion of contemporary furniture and traditional Chinese patterns and antiques is quite cool. This is the choice I made for designing and decorating my apartment.

How do I create more space and light in a small room?

Make sure you make the most out of the corners in your apartment, measure carefully the space to perfectly fit in your furniture and maximize space.

Spot lighting and indirect lighting as well as dimming functions can achieve a warmer atmosphere in living rooms.

How do I create an open environment?

Avoid walls, use glass to replace walls if there must be a partition, and use different colors in the walls to define different ambiances.

Just like I did it in my living room. That gives you the feeling of entering two rooms instead of one.

What is the golden rule in styling a flat?

Keeping it simple is my tip for avoiding a feeling of overload or an overall appearance of a room being tacky.

Other tips on how to make your home more environmentally friendly?

Yes, I have.

First, try to avoid artificial wood in your furniture. Avoid furniture with electronic mechanism, like sofas that need batteries or electricity.

Second, change habits and frequently clean dust-collecting items in your room, like the books that you don't read any more.

Third, try to avoid too many electronic products.

Last, use energy-saving yellow-light bulbs.