Are you short of ideas? look at your friends decoration, well look at any decoration, seeing a whole room decorated will give you a good idea of what you would like or not, just be diplomatic, keep your views to yourself

Have you got rough walls, paint with matt emulsion this shows the defects less

Go for it, paint the skirting boards and architraves a colour, they don't have to be white

Art is a flexible system

When staining wood skirting boards and architraves, use a soft cloth to apply the stain, this way the stain can be built up slowly to a density you require, if you apply it with a brush the chances are it will go patchy and too dark. Make sure you wear rubber gloves for this.

From, The Art of Strategy, R.L. Wing

If using a steamer to strip wallpaper, be careful of textured ceilings, they are made with a chalk mixture and will absorb the water and soften up this may cause them to come away from the ceiling. keep windows open and try to keep well ventilated.

This carries on from the last tip, take note, if you hear a pop or crack when steaming wallpaper, Sorry you have just blown the plaster off of the wall, So STOP. Use a brush and water to soak the paper, less damage this way.

Feeling lucky?, papering behind wall plugs and light switches without turning off the power, OK so it's quick, not as quick as electricity, aha I hear you say, I have trip switches, 100% sure are you?, anyway if it trips out you still have to go and turn it back on.

Be careful of reds, my suggestion is to open it some time before use, then take your partner turn the lights down low, pour slowly, look deeply into each other's eyes, then enjoy. ?????

I hope you enjoyed the last tip, But to be serious, be careful where you use reds, it is an energetic colour, so a child's bedroom is not a good idea, just be careful and choose the right setting.

Have you got a lot of doors to gloss? use a small gloss roller on the panel area's then if needed brush out the panels, it's a lot quicker than brushing on gloss.

This one is for all the DIY people out there, if you paint gloss onto gloss the next time you rub it down with sand paper the gloss will peel off in strips, yuck, so make life easier for yourself or your decorator, use an under coat, Please.

Stripping paint from wood or a moulding with a chemical stripper, wrap it with cling film or foil this will stop it drying out so making the paint stripper more efficient and you will strip more layers in one go.

Not sure about a colour?, Paint some onto some lining paper or cardboard two pieces, then hang one piece by the window and the other in the shadow part of the room, the colour will look completely different in each situation.

Use a heavy weight lining paper on bad walls and don't try to butt them too close together or the edges will lip, see next tip.

Paint all joints on new lining paper with an extra coat of emulsion to fill the join first, then emulsion all of wall or ceiling as normal.

Hard work pasting wall paper with that big brush?, try using a medium pile roller and remember to roll the paste out well.