DECORATING ROOM WITH WHITE WALLS

Dear Jellybean,

I want to make my room really really cool. But the problem here is that my parents won't let me paint the walls. They want the walls to remain white. I am trying my level best to redecorate it but I am not succeeding. What should I do? I would be very grateful if you could tell me how to make my room look cool without painting it. Thanx.
-Divya

Dear Divya,

White walls can be boring, or they can be awesome! It's all about coming up with a theme that makes the white color of your walls seem purposeful, instead of something you had to work around.

Do you like that high-design look that's often seen in the fancier home magazines? They've been encouraging people to rock a black-and-white color scheme for a while now. It's a trend that will probably always be with us, because it's so classic and chic.

To pull off this scheme, think about sticking to just black and white for your room accents, furniture, bedding and drapery. Furniture can be painted, or covered in fabric.

Keeping this look from being boring is about mixing textures. Bring in texture by adding some sheepskin throw rugs, a nubbly white or black fabric chair, a faux-velvet blanket draped over your desk, fringed lampshades, and so on.

Any accents that are black-and-white (not just black OR white) will also look fabulous. Think a fake zebra-skin rug and/or zebra-pattened bedding, for big impact. You can also add black-and-white posters (photographs or artwork), a black-and-white vase for your night table, and so on. Black candleholders with white candles will also look amazing. Large department stores, like Ikea and Target, and great sources for accents.

If you crave color, red or hot-pink are colors that really add a "pop" when added to a black-and-white room scheme, so choose ONE of these and then use it in moderation to add to your bedroom's high drama. A red plastic table lamp, or a hot-pink picture frame, is just the right touch.