A highly decorative wallpaper from Cole & Son has traditional but contemporary feel. For a fresh and elegant style, keep the rest of the room as simple as possible; white furniture, like the four-poster bed from Homes in Heaven, and soft furnishings create a crisp look


Use floral wallpaper in a rich plum from Osborne & Little, teamed with a dark-wood four-poster bed from Lombok



Create a striking look by adding a bold pattern canopy to a Lombok four-poster bed. Rich Mulberry Home silk and velvet cushions and throws provide contrast to the dark wood and soften the effect



White walls and cream carpet from House of Fraser give this loft space a light and fresh appearance. Built-in wardrobes follow the dimensions of the exposed roof beams and blend into the scheme, while the walnut sleigh bed from Housing Units and red Persian rug add colour and depth



The golden colour of this French bed from Barn Antiques is echoed throughout this classic bedroom and the white backdrop is the perfect foil. Gold-coloured cord from John Lewis used as a decorative edging along the top of the wall adds an original touch.



Painted furniture and a toile bedspread gives this bedroom a calming French-style, while the wooden letters above the bed add a touch of romance. The room is kept fresh and bright with an off-white backdrop.



For maximum flexibility, go for freestanding furniture that you can easily rearrange if you want a change. Choose classic, well-made furniture that will stand the test of time, and opt for drawers instead of shelves for a tidier look.

There is nothing horribly wrong with this room, but then again, there is also nothing wonderfully right. Trish and D. Paul tame the bright paint that dominated their room before and streamline the overdone drapery, but fail to make a new statement to illustrate why they should be in this competition. Bland and expected furnishings paired with a bland and expected rug create a bland and expected room that you would see in any hotel lobby.

Instead of building on their great start by selecting a few purposeful accessories, Mikey V. and Stephanie infuse a world of mismatched, small-scale accessories that litter the visual landscape and detract from the great bone structure of their room. Keeping the wood bench unadorned with pillows, removing the gaggle of accessories surrounding the fireplace and replacing the over-grown plant with something of equal scale but more manicured would have finished this room perfectly and given their fresh and airy transformation an idyllic ending. Sometimes it is just as important to know when to stop as it is to know how to begin.

The incredibly tall and dramatic ceilings in the space are diminished because Tracee and Jennifer fail to hang drapery all the way to the ceiling line, leaving them short and stumpy in appearance by hanging them only at window height. Rooms of this magnitude and proportion can be difficult to work with, as this team illustrates.