The more traditional style of console table features thin, tapered legs, a slim top, and a drawer for a little extra storage. This look really helps to bring a sense of elegance and chic to a room, and can evoke the unfussy style of a Parisian apartment as well as the traditional warmth of a country cottage. A traditional console table is a versatile piece, and can really make a difference.

This traditionally styled reclaimed oak console
table is perfect for a warm, cosy home

If you're after something that has a little more of a contemporary edge, then why not go for a more modern piece with chunkier legs that may also incorporate some extra storage such as additional drawers? Unlike the more traditional style of console table, a contemporary piece will probably have a chunky design, and will look great when combined with modern decor.

This contemporary oak console table will
fit in with an up-to-the-minute home

If you're after some extra storage for your hall or landing, why not look for a console table that incorporates some extra storage, such as a shelf at the base of the legs that can be used for storing shoes or even presenting houseplants. By ensuring that even a piece of furniture as small as a console table fulfils a practical role, you'll help to keep your home stylishly organised and refreshingly free from clutter.

If you need some inspiration for your hall's decor, and really want to make the most of this often under appreciated space, check out howstuffworks.com's great guide to decorating halls and landings.

1: Don't be afraid to be bold

The French have a passionate relationship with interior design, and classic French-style looks make the most of bold, fresh colour schemes as well as more traditional looks. In the bathroom, which is often a very small room, wall colour can really help to create the illusion of space. For a classic French feel go for Celadon walls with a slightly darker shade of eggshell paint for the skirting boards and other detailing. If you want to go for a modern look, why not try bold vertical stripes?

Even though this room is small, the bold
vertical stripes bring a fresh, airy feel

2: Choose your furniture carefully

French-style rooms make great use of space, and avoid clutter. If your bathroom is small, don't waste space by trying to cram extra cabinets into the corners. Pick one carefully chosen feature piece that looks great, but which also provides enough storage, and accessorise it with a cut-glass perfume bottle for that classic chic look. Try going for a solid wooden bedside cabinet, as these are designed to be compact, but also have ample storage.

3: It's all in the details

If you really want to nail the Parisian look, you'll need to make sure that all your accessories are up to scratch. Think elegant art-nouveau influenced vases, cast iron door furniture and fresh long-stemmed flowers for a really indulgent feel.

If your interest has been piqued, and you'd like to further research the intricacies of French-inspired design, why not visit the Interior Design School Review's site and check out their article on incorporating a French feel into your home.

A contemporary dining room is defined by its fresh and innovative approach to colour, texture and space, which makes it hard to successfully navigate the huge range of modern dining room furniture and accessories. That's why we've provided this guide, which is intended to help you to achieve a contemporary look that is warm, inviting, and which suits your individual tastes and personality.

Colour

Contemporary style demands an intelligent approach to colour, a departure from the norm. Try using bold, unusual colours with modern ideas like feature walls to really give your dining room that cutting-edge feel. If you need some inspiration, check out Fired Earth's stunning range of wall colours, specially selected by Kevin MacLeod, architect, designer, and presenter of Channel 4's Grand Designs.

Texture

This room uses a wooden dining table to
bring warmth to its contemporary look

Use of texture can really make an impact - when you think of a contemporary styled dining room, you may get an image of sleek, glass or metal furniture and unbroken straight lines, but in recent years, designers have incorporated the more warm, soft and inviting textures of more traditional materials such as solid oak, pine or ash. This allows you to build your dining room around a wooden dining table, for a great combination of traditional character and contemporary design, saving more modern textures such as metal or glass for other items and accessories, providing variety.

Space

The fabric blind used on this window
maximises the light

The use of space is really what defines contemporary style, with a focus on clean, uncluttered surroundings and the creative use of lighting. Use sideboards or chests to provide enough storage to keep your surfaces clear, and make sure you get curtains or blinds that allow you to maximise the light that comes from your windows, but which also look good when drawn. Make sure that you choose a lighting scheme that keeps the ceiling clear - think recessed halogen spotlights and carefully positioned low level lighting.

If you need a little extra inspiration, Channel4.com have a great gallery of contemporary dining room design ideas, which is well worth a look.

This office has lost the war on clutter

8. Stylish and Inspiring Wall Art

You'll need to make sure that your office's walls are inspiring and pleasing on the eye, so take a look around and find yourself some wall art that captures your personality. You could even get one of your own photos blown up, so that when you're busy with your tax return you can look up and be back at that tranquil beach you remember from holiday, or gazing at a breathtaking city view.

7. Inspirational toys and gadgets

Check out iwantoneofthose.com's great selection of office toys and gadgets, perfect for de-stressing in between filing invoices. We especially love the Dead Fred pen holder and the Everlasting Calendar Tape.

6. A comfy couch

Working at a desk can really take it out of you, and sometimes you need extra comfort to really think through an idea. Try bringing in a small couch to give yourself a place to think deeply, and also to bring a touch of style and sophistication to the room.

5. Extra storage to combat houshold clutter

One of the biggest threats to the order of your home office is from the mounds of household clutter that can be dumped there. Invest in a couple of wooden sideboards and you'll not only gain some expansive surfaces where you can keep plants or printing equipment, but you'll also have some spacious storage for all those items that can never seem to find a home.

4. Make sure you have enough filing space

Nothing makes an office uninviting like huge piles of paper and files. Stay on top of your filing by making sure that you have enough filing space. For a stylish feel, avoid traditional metal filing cabinets and go for sleek, stylish wooden cabinets that will make keeping your files in order a pleasure.

3. Get the lighting just right

When lighting your home office, consider the various requirements that you have - you'll definitely need a desk lamp for close reading, and a large, warm central light for a clean, clear feel, but isn't it all a bit harsh? why not accessorise with different lighting options such as low-level lamps or halogen spotlights in the ceiling so that you can remain in total control.

2. Make sure your chair is comfy

If you work from home, or even if you just use your office to organise your finances, you'll need a comfy place to sit. It's worth spending a bit extra to get a chair with full lumbar support and a fully-adjustable form.

1. Get the right desk

The desk isn't just a surface for you to work at - it can also bring a real air of stylish professionalism to a room. Pick a desk in a stylish material such as solid oak, and your study or home office will be a place you'll enjoy working in.

Would you want to sit in here?

The owners of this room have tried to use a red feature wall to tie the room together, but only succeeded in making it dark and unwelcoming. If the fireplace was painted white it would help to prevent the red from overwhelming the room, but the choice of chintzy sofas and gold-coloured furniture and accessories means that even with a better standard of decor, the modern wall colouring clashes horribly with the heavy traditional furniture. It's vitally important that you make sure that furniture such as sofas, coffee tables and sideboards match the style of the room.

This room is suffering from pastel overload

Everyone knows that it's important to make sure that colours are complementary, but this room takes this way too far with a stifling reliance on dated pastel shades, paired with some furniture choices that could charitably be described as 'unusual'. Check out the bizarre soapstone coffee table with its matching detailing over the window. The decoration could easily be toned down by replacing the coffee table and side table with solid timber pieces, and by choosing a sofa in a neutral tone that will not overwhelm the eye.

This room gets everything wrong

This room makes the most of its small size
by keeping things simple

Colour has always been associated with our moods and feelings, and has always been used to help us to understand our environment. Originating from cavemen instinctively seeing fiery red as potential danger, or leafy green as a sign that water is near, our capacity to use colour has developed, and modern interior design can help you to take advantage of the complex network of associations and emotional responses to colour, allowing you create and control the atmosphere that you want.

The BBC have a great article on the psychology of colour, complete with a guide to which colours stimulate which feelings, so take a look and plan out your room's new colour scheme.

Modern interior design moves quickly, and if you're looking for some up-to-the-minute design ideas for your bedroom, then take a look at this video, from interiorcomplex.com, that shows some of 2009's hottest new looks, and let yourself get inspired.

For the more traditionally minded among us, there really is nothing better than a traditional wooden bedroom set, accessorised with floral print curtains and bedding, for a timelessly inviting feel.

Once you've decided on your bedroom's colour and style, you'll need to start thinking about furniture. A luxurious, comfortable bed is obviously the most important piece, and will set the tone for the rest of the furniture, so it's a good idea to find the bed you want, and then pick the rest of the furniture to complement it.

It's possible to get some great deals on your bedroom furniture and accessories, but if you're having trouble finding the best deals, why not take HGTV.com's budget bedroom quiz, and get some tips on sniffing out a bargain.

Once you've settled on a colour scheme, found the furniture that is right for you, and picked your accessories, all that's left to do is settle in for a wonderful night's sleep in your newly designed, peerlessly stylish bedroom.