Choosing colours and finishes that will not date

Cushions change, paint gets redone, sofas get replaced. Shutters and quality curtains often stay for a decade or more. That difference in lifespan is the argument for treating window furnishings as part of the architecture rather than part of the decorating.

It does not mean everything has to be white. It means the more permanent the product, the more conservative the colour choice usually deserves to be.

This is the single most useful piece of advice we can give. Colour is completely different under shop lighting, in a photograph, and on your own wall at four in the afternoon. A white that looks crisp in a catalogue can look grey or yellow in a north-facing room.

Look at the sample against the actual wall, the actual flooring, and in the light that room genuinely gets — morning and afternoon, because they differ. It is the reason we bring samples to you rather than asking you to choose from a screen.

Blinds and shutters are visible from the street, and from the outside they read as part of the facade. A row of windows with mismatched coverings is one of the more common things that makes an otherwise good house look untidy.

It is worth checking what your choice looks like from the kerb, particularly on the front elevation.

Where a standard colour is not quite right, colour matching is available on selected ranges. That is worth knowing if you have a specific trim colour or a joinery finish you want the shutters to disappear into — matching exactly usually looks far better than choosing the nearest standard shade.