Interior decoration has always been a subject for householders to consider but never has it had as much significance as now. Go back in time and while there were certain trends in the way we used wall coatings in our homes, mostly they were influenced by available materials and the higher up the social scale you were, the more expensive and elaborate the wall coating. To a degree this still stands and since time began, money has never influenced taste.

However, when it comes to interior design, what is good taste and what is bad? Surely, what a person chooses to use as wall coating is personal preference and who is in a position to say it is good or bad? Not everybody with money wants to line their walls with tacky gold leaf as not all people on a lower income are happy with magnolia woodchip.

That said, the interior design of a person's home will still reflect on them and people will, unfairly, judge them on this. Many people are swayed by the wall coatings that are in the shops at the time of decorating and so go with the trends that manufacturers impose on them.

Some people will shop by mood. If I shopped for decorating materials depending on my mood I may well end up with a black living room or baby pink kitchen or, god forbid, the hideous magnolia woodchip as a wall coating in the downstairs loo.

Most people will build up to a change in interior design. It usually starts off with something totally unrelated, like an unsolvable row with the partner, or two weeks bad weather when you're stuck in doors convincing yourself that the answer to all your problems lies in changing the wall coating. And so, the seed is planted.

Next comes convincing the partner of your need. Nagging is the way to go here. Start gently, just suggesting the odd thing here or there. Build up to mentioning it every day. Leave homes magazine strategically placed in the toilet and hide the newspaper. He WILL read it when there's nothing else and before you know it, he's suggesting a Sunday afternoon trip to the local DIY store because HE has had this great idea about redecorating.

It always pays to have some sort of wall coating in mind before you go. Him indoors may well think it's his idea but attention span in a DIY shop very rarely stretches beyond the tools section. You know, the aisle where all we have to occupy us is eyeing up all those hunks with their tool boxes?

Speedily get him through the decorating aisles to where you need to be. Like I say, have something in mind because once your senses are bombarded with New England paint colours, a choice of eggshell or chalk paint finishes or dramatic statement style wallpaper you'll be utterly confused.

Pick the right store and you can get all your purchases over and done with while your partner is still dazed by the paint fumes. Wall coatings are just the beginning. You then have the lamps, rugs, throws and cushions to choose. These are all the incidentals that men cannot comprehend but they make a house a home so don't be fobbed off by his rush for the checkout.

If you experience difficulty getting your partner this far, simply suggest you pick up beer on the way home and he'll be putty in your hands.