HGTV Designers Answer Your Questions

What is the best way to add color to an apartment you can't paint?
Michael Payne: One clever way that I did a long time ago at college, where it was also not allowed that the walls be painted, was to take pieces of fabric, which is typically 54-inches wide, and pinned them to the wall in the corner, where the wall meets the ceiling. The panel of fabric then runs to the floor, where you can pin it once again at the floor line. The fabric is therefore stretched and reads like an 8-ft. high, 4-1/2 ft. wide band of color. By overlapping such panels, or even sewing them, you can introduce color into the room, and there will be essentially no means of detecting that the fabric was ever there. Just tiny little pinholes.

Is it better to paint ceilings light colors or dark? I'm wondering what shades work best for nine-foot ceilings and what works best for high ceilings. Any ideas?
Michael Payne: There really is not a golden rule here. I typically paint ceilings a lighter shade of the wall color. I simply think this looks best. The exception being when I paint the walls deep red. In certain circumstances, when the ceiling is painted the same color it makes the room feel particularly special. You might want to try this, and if you do not like the effect, just paint it a lighter shade of the same color. Remember: it's only paint

We're in the process of picking everything for a house we want to build. Right now, we're thinking about the kitchen. Could you suggest process to follow to make our selections?
Michael Payne: You need to put together the materials, which you will find for every kitchen. They include the cabinets, surfaces (counters and floor), appliances -- stainless steel, white, black -- and a wall color. These variables must all work beautifully together. So, if you loved stained cabinets, decide on which wood you want to use and whether the stain is light or dark. However, as you know, cabinets can be painted. Then decide on a color. Your counters can include granite, marble, plastic laminate tile and so on. And of course your flooring choices can include tile, wood, linoleum, stone and such like. Make these decisions together and get samples that you both love and put together a beautiful palette. You'll be well on your way.

My husband has a 65-inch TV in the family room. Can you please give me some inexpensive ideas for making the TV not stand out as much?
Michael Payne: The best approach, which is unfortunately not the cheapest, is to put the television in a cabinet with pocket doors. However if this is not possible, I have seen other ways of hiding the television by mounting a decorative screen on the ceiling, which comes down and covers the television. Other methods I've also seen are draperies that slide across the television, and you may want to even consider placing a decorative three or four panel standing screen in front of the TV itself. The TV cabinet with pocket doors is the best solution.