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Let your choice of fabric determine the colour scheme for the room you're planning to decorate...

Let your choice of fabric determine the colour scheme for the room you're planning to decorate - rather than letting your choice of colour govern what fabric you select.

This, in the opinion of Claire Whitcomb of the Universal Press agency, is the mantra by which most designers practice their arts - as they let the ideas for their rooms flow from the 'mood and colours' of the fabrics they select.

Quoting principles laid out in design tome 'Home Furnishing With Fabric' by Leslie Geddes Brown, Ms Whitcomb says that homeowners should choose to upholster their furniture in solid colours - as this gives them the greatest freedom.

'If you cover your sofa with one of the new neutrals - a beautiful grey, for instance - you can create sophistication by adding pillows in a rainbow of subtle blues,' the writer claims.

'If, on the other hand, you choose brow n cotton viscose for the sofas and leather for your chairs, you might want to add the surprise of crimson walls,' she continues.