Do you like a cool, calm, clutter free zone and contemporary furniture? Or is a rustic environment with cosy sofas and masses of memorabilia essential to your wellbeing? To get the look you want, follow the tips given in our checklists to create five of the most popular styles around using basic DIY skills. MODERN MINIMAL
Less is more for this look but you don't have to live in a city loft apartment to achieve it. Create a feeling of space and calm with white walls, stripped floors, and modern materials like stainless steel and glass. Make your space individual by blending old and new - a battered leather armchair next to an elegant glass coffee table for example.

GET THE LOOK
Colours: Create the ultimate light and spacious backdrop for minimal living with matt white emulsion on all the walls. If that's too harsh, take off the edge with a hint of colour in shades like lime white, chalk white or pale grey white. If you have a big space and want to add bold colour, paint one wall in a primary shade like purple or red, or for a gentler effect pick a softer duck egg or lilac shade. Make the coloured walls work by matching them with a piece of furniture or cushions.

Floors: Keep them simple and uniform throughout in wood or stone. Sand and seal or paint your original boards if they're good enough. If not, install new or reclaimed floorboards in oak or pine if your budget permits, or use the less expensive alternative of laminate flooring. Limestone or ceramic tiles give a modern edge and can be kept warm in winter with underfloor heating and funky flokati or sheepskin rugs.

Windows: In keeping with the industrial influences in this style, modern Venetian blinds work best. Choose them in steel, white or wood according to your decorating scheme. If you're going retro, those 1970s vertical blinds could be the answer, especially for tall windows. For a simple and cost conscious alternative, opt for roller blinds in a shade to match your walls or a strong contrast colour.

DIY Details: Make your minimal backdrop interesting by highlighting exposed features like glass bricks, sculptural radiators, cutting edge bathrooms in steel, glass, and wood. Add a professional looking kitchen with steel cooker, American style fridge and sleek appliances that are as good to look at as they are to cook in. Hide everyday clutter with plenty of storage in the form of unobtrusive ceiling to floor cupboards.

Accessories: This is the setting for state-of-the-art hi fi, plasma TV screens, and contemporary Italian style, or funky retro, furniture. Keep furniture long and low or oversized, with huge mirrors and large modern canvases - you can get some fantastic effects by framing blown-up colour photocopies of plants. Add interest with a mix of fabrics and materials such as suede, leather, plastic, glass, fake fur.

SAY YES TO THIS STYLE IF YOU:

like open plan living and a sense of space and light don't need to feel cosy with lots of clutter around enjoy mixing modern textures like leather and sheepskin with salvaged items like reclaimed floorboards and iron radiators like making modern or retro furniture the focus of your interior

SEASIDE STYLE
You don't have to live by the sea to enjoy the mood of sun-drenched beaches and lapping waves in your home. Seaside style is easy and inexpensive to emulate and can be as subtle, with just a few shells and nautical accessories, or as full blown as you choose.

GET THE LOOK
Colours: Natural beachy shades of sand, pebble, pale aqua and sky blue highlighted with lots of bright white are soothing and easy to live with. Only add primary nautical shades of royal blue and red if you are sure you won't tire of them.

Floors: Sanded, bleached or whitewashed boards, strewn with cotton rugs, best sum up the look. If you like the comfort of carpet choose sand coloured sisal or neutral tones for the bedrooms.

Windows: Painted white louvres or stripped wood shutters shout "seaside"! Blinds in natural wood also work well. If you like curtains and your rooms are warm, use sheer floaty muslins (particularly good for tall windows) for a light and airy feel. For a cosier look try textured linen or coarse cotton in neutral shades.

DIY Details: Use natural or painted wood to reflect the feel of beaches and ships. Make a fireplace with a big slab of pine in place of a mantelpiece and create shelves from driftwood, or bleached or lime-washed pine. Use tongue and groove panelling on walls (it's particularly good in halls and bathrooms), up to dado height, or make tongue and groove wardrobes, kitchen or bedside cupboards and paint in cream, white or distressed shades of sea green or blue.

Accessories: Salvaged twigs and pieces of driftwood silvered by the sun make interesting displays on shelves or in vases. Use shells to decorate frames, mirrors and for displays in bathrooms. If you're feeling really creative, set shells into concrete for an unusual wall finish in a bathroom or loo. Or get a Gaudi-inspired mosaic effect using or broken china and pieces of mirror (handle with care!) set into concrete. This is good for outside walls too.

SAY YES TO THIS STYLE IF YOU:

find the idea of sunshine and beaches mood-enhancing whatever the weather at home like seaside accessories such as shells, driftwood, distressed furniture enjoy hunting for bargains from second-shops and salvage yards like your home to look shabby chic rather than shiny new

FRENCH CHIC
Sumptuous and romantic, French chic should look elegant and expensive but can be achieved on a budget. It's ideally suited to period homes with tall ceilings and plenty of light, but can be used in moderation anywhere from modern lofts to country cottages.

GET THE LOOK
Colours: Keep an elegant backdrop with sophisticated off-white or pastel shades. Paint walls in ivory or pale, dusty shades with a hint of grey, lilac, softest pink or blue. Pick out details like coving, shutters or picture rails in toning, irridescent paints to add a splash of glamour from reflected light.

Floors: Stripped or painted wood works best and will give a harmonious result if used for every room. Herringbone parquet is authentic but costly unless used in laminate form. Choose the shade for the look you want - natural or white painted boards make a room light and airy, dark stained boards (best in a room with tall ceilings) create elegance and sophistication. Add elegant Oriental rugs in pastel shades in sitting rooms and bedrooms. Alternatively pick marble, limestone, pale porcelain (or vinyl lookalikes) for the kitchen and bathroom.

Windows: If you like airy rooms and they are grand or you have beautiful shutters, just add pale sheer blinds for privacy. For a warmer look think faded grandeur for curtains with second-hand opulent silks or velvets, or new fabrics shot with irridescent threads that reflect the light.

DIY Details: A chandelier is essential for French chic, but it could be a pretty reproduction from a high street store or a less costly "real thing" from a flea market or junk shop. Search out old or reproduction Louis style chairs, chaise longues or sofas for the sitting room. Give your bedroom a boudoir feel with a curvy, carved wooden or painted bed, a dressing table which can be improvised from a console or kidney shaped table and decorative mirror.

Accessories: Opulent mirrors, ornate candlesticks, and sumptuous cushions create an air of luxury and romance. Choose a gilded carved mirror over the fireplaces, Venetian glass mirrors for bedrooms and bathrooms. Pile up richly coloured cushions sofas and beds and light perfumed candles to create an intimate atmosphere.

SAY YES TO THIS STYLE IF YOU:

love luxurious and gracious surroundings like opulent fabrics like silk, velvet and chenille, and rich trims using embroidery, beading, tassels enjoy the splendour of chandeliers, gilded mirrors and ornate furniture get a buzz from hunting in flea markets and auction rooms for bargains

RUSTIC COUNTRY
If you crave the comforts of country living with squashy sofas, log fires, iron bedsteads, exposed brickwork and beams this is a cosy look that's easy to achieve. Best suited to rural living where some elements like stripped wood and flagstone floors may already be in place, it can be adapted in degrees to urban spaces.

GET THE LOOK
Colours: Should go with the natural tones of stripped wood doors, floors and window frames, bare brick walls and exposed beams. Paint walls in rich earthy tones from sand through ochre to terracotta, or if you want to keep rooms light choose off-white shades of chalk, cream and ivory rather than brilliant white which is too harsh.

Floors: What comes naturally looks right, such as wood, stone, slate or terracotta heaped with richly woven rugs in living rooms and bedrooms and sisal matting in kitchen and utility areas. If you prefer carpets, keep them natural with honey-coloured sisal or coir.

Windows: Country style means curtains in rich warm fabrics like velvet or patterned chintz for the sitting room, lighter florals for bedrooms and gingham or floral for the kitchen and bathroom. Fabrics should err on the side of faded and worn, shabby chic style.

DIY Details: An open log fire in the sitting room, a pine dresser stacked with china, a big dining table for hearty meals, and large kitchen range to cook them on. Cover walls with paintings, photographs and displays of books and personal possessions. Bedrooms and bathrooms should be floral and pretty and kitchens hung with pots and pans, herbs, dried flowers, strings of garlic etc.

Accessories: Think cosy and comfortable with lots of cushions to plump up in velvet, faded florals, patchwork and checks. Use wicker baskets for storing logs, vegetables, magazines and towels in the bathroom. Hunt in car boot sales for stone storage jars, mixing bowls, old pine chests and faded oil paintings.

SAY YES TO THIS STYLE IF YOU:

are a natural hoarder and want to display your clutter like a look that's lived in rather than pristine and tidy want a home that has character rather than a fashionable style prefer old furniture with a sense of history

ECLECTIC ETHNIC
This look is a mix of inspirations from the east - India, Thailand and Indonesia as well as Morocco and the rest of Africa but they all add up to a style that is glamorous and opulent. Ideal if you're bored with pared down looks, it's easy to achieve without leaving the UK and can be a dramatic statement or just hinted at.

GET THE LOOK
Colours: Create a warm setting with paint effect walls in spice colours ranging from pale saffron through to warm cinnamon and soft clove. If rooms are small or dark choose lighter shades, even white, and add colour with wall decorations like embroidered bedspreads, sari panels, rugs or carved panels and mirrors. Windows and doors should be stripped back to bare wood and sealed.

Floors: Ethnic means natural so go for stripped wood, sisal carpet, terracotta or honey coloured tiles in bathrooms or kitchens. Use lots of rugs for warmth and colour - from richly woven Persian styles to paler, more sophisticated Oriental style in an elegant sitting room or bedroom.

Windows: Simple yet different, Moroccan- inspired decorative metalwork grids look pretty and save the need for curtains. If you have original shutters they are ideal stripped back to natural pine. For a more dramatic statement choose opulent fabrics like silk or velvet in rich warm plums, bronzes, or old golds. For vibrant curtains or blinds, go for the Indian colour palette of exotic hot pink, bright lime or sparkling turquoise using sari panels or sarongs.

DIY Details: Keep seating low with velvet covered chaises or benches with cushions covered in rich fabrics or rugs. Add colour with mosaic-topped tables in jewel shades (easy to make yourself if you're feeling creative) and colourful lanterns and wall sconces. Use carved wooden chests and free-standing cabinets for storage with small, low, brass-topped or carved tables dotted around.

Accessories: Add luxurious touches with piles of silk or velvet cushions richly embellished with beading and embroidery. Decorate curtains with sumptuous tie-backs and tassels. Use embossed silver mirrors and picture frames to reflect the light. Create an intimate and opulent atmosphere with an open fire, plenty of candles and perfumed incense.

SAY YES TO THIS STYLE IF YOU:

are a natural hoarder and want to display your clutter like a look that's lived in rather than pristine and tidy want a home that has character rather than a fashionable style prefer old furniture with a sense of history