Course description

A room that looks good and works well rarely happens by accident. It comes from a few simple habits: knowing how you'll use the space, measuring before you buy, choosing colours in your room's own light, and planning the lighting rather than living with one bulb in the ceiling. This course teaches those habits step by step, in plain words, for homeowners and renters alike.

It's a full course, not a quick tour. There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons. You follow a first-time buyer decorating a 1930s semi: from a room audit and a £3,000 budget, through scale plans, paint samples, a lighting scheme and a mix of new, second-hand and kept furniture, to a finished living room, bedroom and hallway. Every section has a worksheet, answers, a cheat sheet and ready-made templates and workbooks.

What you'll learn

• Planning: writing a room brief, finding your style, measuring properly and drawing a 1:50 floor plan with workable layouts.
• Colour: how light changes colour, building a colour scheme, and sampling paint so you choose with confidence.
• Walls: paint finishes, working out how much paint and wallpaper you need, decorating safely, and renter-friendly ideas.
• Lighting: ambient, task and accent light, choosing bulbs, lamps, and when you need an electrician.
• Furniture and textiles: scale, sofas, second-hand checks, rugs, curtains and blinds that fit.
• Styling: storage, shelves, hanging art and mirrors, plants and a step-by-step styling order.
• Budget: tracking spending, where to spend and save, second-hand and upcycling, and working with trades.

Who it's for

Anyone in the UK who wants to make a room work better, whether you've just moved, have lived somewhere for years, or rent and can't change much. It ends with a final project: a full design for one of your own rooms, with a brief, a scale plan, a colour and lighting scheme, and a costed shopping list.

What will I learn?

• Write a brief for a room based on how you really use it
• Measure a room and draw a scale floor plan with workable layouts
• Choose colours that suit your room's light and build a colour scheme
• Work out paint and wallpaper quantities and decorate safely
• Plan layered lighting and choose the right bulbs
• Choose furniture, rugs, curtains and blinds that fit and suit the room
• Add storage, art and accessories and style a room step by step
• Budget, source second-hand, work with trades and finish a full room design

Frequently asked questions