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Byline: Justin and Colin

If creamy country dining is a look you're after, make one of these lovely tables your starting point. The mix of wood and painted finish is warm, friendly and perfect for a spot of farmhouse chic..

SCRIMP Canterbury painted pine dining table pounds 382.70 from Pine Solutions, www.pinesolutions.co.uk This table is made from new and reclaimed pine with the reclaimed timber providing a unique look and added warmth.

We love that the website even gives you the cream paint reference so you can co-ordinate your own items - very clever.

Height 79cm; width 183cm; depth 91cm..

SPEND Henley dining table pounds 449 from Cargo, www.cargohomeshop.com Inspired by the furniture of New England, this table is made from a mixture of oak and evergreen chinkapin with a cream finish applied before lacquer. Ideal as a kitchen table or in a breakfast room or contemporary dining room, it handily extends from 140 x 90 x 76cm to 180 x 90 x 76cm.

SPLURGE Bramley Dining Table pounds 685.30 from Laura Ashley, www.lauraashley.com Inspired by rescued cottage furniture, this range replicates the past to save you scouring antique shops. With a worn-effect cream finish, handy drawer and turned timber legs, it really does capture warm memories of bygone days.

Height 80cm; length 200cm; depth 90cm..

ABOVE & BEYOND Add colour overhead with an accent ceiling. Our light blue resembles a summer sky and really makes a style statement. Tip - don't use too dark a shade or you'll end up pulling perceived ceiling height down, making your room feel smaller. We added house "jewellery" in the form of a plaster centre rose and coving. The blue colour is Dulux Holiday Blues 3, www.dulux.co.uk .

MIX IT UP If you think a four-poster and painted dresser have to look traditional, think again.

Home, like catwalk fashion, is all about mixing it up - here the bed is complemented by modern mirror cubes as bedside tables. The cubes would look great with either traditional or contemporary lamps. Venetian cube coffee tables start at pounds 71 each from www.qualityfurniture4u.com

FLOOR SPACE We added smart hardwood flooring, then topped it with a huge rug to soften the look and add comfort round the bed. To elongate this room, we laid floorboards front to back, parallel with the bed.

Gold stain solid oak floor is pounds 70.49 per 1.41m square at Homebase (www.homebase.co.uk) and a shaggy wool rug, pounds 299 from Marks & Spencer tops it off beautifully (www.marksandspencer.com)

GOING LARGE We used plain sheer drapes spread across both windows to pick up the natural light and make the window area appear much larger.

Adding a blackout blind in the rebate of each window helps to keep light out - and allows deep sleep and those lovely long lies. The curtain rod and drapes are both from IKEA, Glasgow and Edinburgh (www.ikea.com)

A BLUE DO We used fresh blue on the dresser and four poster.

Either bring in the pros or do it yourself. Wipe down with a multi-surface primer, then apply several light coats of blue satinwood to build up strong colour and a hardwearing finish. IKEA have a plain four-poster bed for pounds 198 or try Sweet Pea and Willow for something more ornate (www.sweetpeaandwillow.com)

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THE RIGHT BALANCE The trick with pattern is to balance it with plainer elements. So we used patterned wallpaper and kept it in check with plain bedding and painted furnishings. For similar paper try Designers Guild Kabuki in leaf green, pounds 42 a roll, from www.wallpaperdirect.co.uk or Statement Bamboo Cream/Green paper, pounds 16.99, from www.focusdiy.co.uk