We've all been there. Decorated our house up according to the latest trends, only to go off that particular style a couple of years down the line and be left with a house full of furniture you no longer like (I'm looking at you, shabby chic obsession of 2015) Rather than spend a fortune on a full re-dec, there's a number of things you can do to give your home a facelift without shelling out too much.
Repaint & up-cycle your furniture
My absolute favourite - I promise you can transform almost anything with a lick of paint! My favourite find ever was a vintage writing bureau for a complete steal at just £7.50 (exactly how I transformed it below), and my current dining table and chairs were hand-me-downs after sitting in my parents garage for years. Be patient when searching sites such as eBay - something else will always come up so don't pay over the odds for a popular listing. Another good tip is to hunt out listings that contain typos in their title - spell words wrong deliberately when searching as there's lots of bargains to be had on listings others haven't found!
Add some homemade touches
Got your eye on something, but not keen on the price tag? Why not DIY your own? I absolutely love having a go at making something before buying new - I've got over 20 DIY tutorials over in my Weekend Mini Make series, all crafts perfect for beginners, and making things from cushion covers, plant pots, and wall hangings.
Shop your own home
This is something I definitely need to get better at - if you've got a space that needs restyling, instead of filling your online basket with expensive bits, why not have a wander round your home and see if you can move bits around. I recently wanted to revamp my kitchen shelves, after they were looking a bit tired, and wanted to introduce some earthy, brown tones. My initial reaction was to head over to H&M Home and fill up my basket, however after a look around my own home, I found a number of bits with that colour scheme that fitted perfectly together.
Add cheap accessories for a fresh update
If you can't find anything in other rooms that would work, adding some cheap accessories will always give a space a bit of a lift. My favourites are the aforementioned H&M, plus IKEA and the supermarkets, which always have lovely bits in for good prices. You can always find my top picks in my seasonal 'update your home for £20' posts.
Repaint walls
There's nothing like refreshing your walls with some bright colours - if its been a while since you've done this, then I promise it'll feel like a new room. You could add a new style or colour to give a room a new lease of life (half painted if like me, you're scared of colour!), or even use removable wallpaper to create a feature wall?
Add some homemade touches
Got your eye on something, but not keen on the price tag? Why not DIY your own? I absolutely love having a go at making something before buying new - I've got over 20 DIY tutorials over in my Weekend Mini Make series, all crafts perfect for beginners, and making things from cushion covers, plant pots, and wall hangings.
Shop your own home
This is something I definitely need to get better at - if you've got a space that needs restyling, instead of filling your online basket with expensive bits, why not have a wander round your home and see if you can move bits around. I recently wanted to revamp my kitchen shelves, after they were looking a bit tired, and wanted to introduce some earthy, brown tones. My initial reaction was to head over to H&M Home and fill up my basket, however after a look around my own home, I found a number of bits with that colour scheme that fitted perfectly together.
Add cheap accessories for a fresh update
If you can't find anything in other rooms that would work, adding some cheap accessories will always give a space a bit of a lift. My favourites are the aforementioned H&M, plus IKEA and the supermarkets, which always have lovely bits in for good prices. You can always find my top picks in my seasonal 'update your home for £20' posts.
Repaint walls
There's nothing like refreshing your walls with some bright colours - if its been a while since you've done this, then I promise it'll feel like a new room. You could add a new style or colour to give a room a new lease of life (half painted if like me, you're scared of colour!), or even use removable wallpaper to create a feature wall?
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| All the same accessories/furniture - a whole new lease of life with a simple lick of pink paint |
Reupholster furniture
Not something I've tried myself, but if your sofa or armchair is no longer your cup of tea, then why not try upholstering it with some new fabric to give it a new lease of life. You can even get sofa covers to change the colour of your settee.
Replace cushion covers
I've had so many different colour combinations on my sofa - but would you believe all these cushions use the same inner pad? I simply by cheap and cheerful covers when I want to update the look for a new season, or things start to look tired. My current look feature some £8.99 covers from H&M Home - not a bad price to revamp the look of the lounge!
Not something I've tried myself, but if your sofa or armchair is no longer your cup of tea, then why not try upholstering it with some new fabric to give it a new lease of life. You can even get sofa covers to change the colour of your settee.
Replace cushion covers
I've had so many different colour combinations on my sofa - but would you believe all these cushions use the same inner pad? I simply by cheap and cheerful covers when I want to update the look for a new season, or things start to look tired. My current look feature some £8.99 covers from H&M Home - not a bad price to revamp the look of the lounge!
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| Again, the same furniture, but a different look for the new season with a change of cushion cover |
Move spaces around
Can you make spaces around or rethink how you're using certain rooms? Is there perhaps a corner of a bedroom in which you can create a home office (exactly what I'm currently working on!). Even better, is there an under stairs cupboard in which you can create toy storage, or even a pantry? My dream home one day will have a pantry, so why not transform a large cupboard into one?
A couple of years ago I got rid of our coffee table, and replaced with a radiator cover and large mirror - instantly giving a new look and making me feel so much happier about the space. Could you perhaps move your sofas around to give the lounge a different feel? Sometimes all it takes is thinking outside the box a bit!
Can you make spaces around or rethink how you're using certain rooms? Is there perhaps a corner of a bedroom in which you can create a home office (exactly what I'm currently working on!). Even better, is there an under stairs cupboard in which you can create toy storage, or even a pantry? My dream home one day will have a pantry, so why not transform a large cupboard into one?
A couple of years ago I got rid of our coffee table, and replaced with a radiator cover and large mirror - instantly giving a new look and making me feel so much happier about the space. Could you perhaps move your sofas around to give the lounge a different feel? Sometimes all it takes is thinking outside the box a bit!
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| Perhaps I need to also update my photo angles (and slippers!) |
Have a major clear-out
Having a big brutal declutter is always my number one piece of advice in most situations - but I promise it will make you feel differently about a room. Should you be able to clear an entire space/corner/cupboard, you'll have more space to style in your new tastes. This is exactly what I did recently in my living room - I realised the large bookcase was taking up too much unused space, and I replaced it with a side table, which gave me an opportunity to rethink and restyle.
Have you got an area of your home you're no longer in love with, and would like to update?
Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx
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