Hello Debbie,

I remember watching Changing Rooms a while back and they decorated a room that had little light with a reflective paint on the walls. As my living room is fairly dark I thought I would do the same. Unfortunately trying to track down reflective paint has been very difficult - I've found nothing at all. Could you please point me in the right direction.

Thanks,

Gary.

Our Shopping Expert replies:

Hi Gary,

If your house has a tendency to be dark, then the straightforward solution is to paint it in very light colours, which will reflect available light back into the room. Obviously, the darker the paint, the more light it absorbs.

There are reflective paints on the market, but they tend to come in metallic finishes - which is a bit of a design statement in itself. If you like the idea of a living room that gleams and shimmers, take a look at Crown's range of metallic paints for feature walls. They come in eight different colours - from silver through blues and greens to charcoal. Around £12.99 per 1.25 litres.

If the thought of a copper sitting room is a bit overwhelming, you could try varnishing your walls with one of their pearl or metallic varnishes. These go over an existing emulsion paint and don't actually change the colour, but do give a sheen, which will inevitably reflect more light into the room. Pearl and metallic varnishes cost £19.95 for the 1 litre size and £10.95 for a 500ml pot. To see the range of products log on to Bedec. For stockist and mail order information call Bedec on (01279) 876657.

Best wishes,

Debbie.