Ask Oliver: The cold sea
Q From the moment the leather furniture was delivered I knew we had made a mistake choosing French navy. I cannot fathom how to make the lounge look warm and inviting. I am ready to change the carpet, the walls and the curtains, but this furniture is going to last a lifetime. Can you suggest something to help cosy it up?
Rose Gander
A There are several things you can do. First, lessen the impact of the sofa with a throw and some cushions (you can more or less hide it!). Second, low-level, mood-enhancing side lights will reduce the sofa's impact. And third, try the designers' trick of creating a focus for the room - a piece of art, or some patterned wallpaper on the hearth (if it contained elements of French navy in the pattern, the room would feel more cohesive). Not only will this create a focus, it will also draw attention away from anything you want to hide - sneaky, huh?
Q I have recently had a cast-iron fireplace installed, but it has not been done as well as expected. When the builders finished they tried to wipe away fire cement from the iron, but it has dried on and left a white streaky mark all around the surround. They offered to paint it, but this is not what I wanted. I have tried to clean the marks off with white spirit but to no avail. Any tips for cleaning my new fire?
Andy
A Ah, where would we be without the great (or should I say grate) British builder? But luckily yours is an easy problem. Depending on the finish of your fireplace you will need to clean it in one of three ways. For a polished metal finish use a fine wire wool to remove the streaks and then wipe over it with WD40. For a matt black finish use the wire wool followed by a high-temperature black spray (around £10), blending the treated patch into the surrounding area. Or for a shiny black finish use the wire wool, then the black spray and finally mix a little Zeebrite (£5 a tube) with some white spirit, wipe over the treated area, leave to dry and then polish off. All materials available from grateexpectations.com.
· If you have an interiors question, email ask.oliver@observer.co.uk