Want to change up your living space without having to clear out the furniture and get the painting overalls on? Although it might be tempting to go in for a whole-house redesign sometimes, there are a number of small alterations you can make that can totally change the feel of a room. Requiring minimal effort and next to no financial investment, it’s the perfect way to keep those itchy fingers occupied without committing yourself to a huge project.
Something for every space
One of the best things about decorating is the sheer number of options at your fingertips. Playing with patterns, colours and textures is part of the fun, yet still represents just a tiny fraction of all the number of things that can be done to brighten up your space. What’s more, each room has its own mood and practical purpose, which helps you to refine your plans. Here we take a look at some of my favourite ways to bring new life to some of the major rooms in your home.
The kitchen
Free space in the kitchen is typically in high demand and so leaves little room for change or experimentation with furniture. As a result, one of the best ways to bring new life to the room can be through adapting the colour palette. This needn’t mean painting the walls or replacing counter tops, but rather investing in a few small accessories to dot about the place that offer new accents of colour. For instance: a bright turquoise fruit bowl on the table, a red vase for flowers or herbs for the windowsill or a sunny yellow table covering.
Bedrooms
All too often people assume that simply changing their bed linen colour is adequate to change the feel of their bedroom, but I reckon this is a big missed opportunity. Your bedroom is the most personal space in your whole house so you can be free to experiment a little more with different kinds of look. One of my favourite things in any room is interesting and well-placed wall art: the theatrical poster from your favourite film, the cover art from a beloved album or just a print from your favourite artist. With so many different options to customise or make your own designs, poster printing is an easy and affordable option to brighten up your walls.
Bathroom
Bathrooms can be tricky to decorate because of the level of moisture the room is exposed to. Consequently, my answer is always to opt for the ultimate in natural accessories: plants! Not only are they great for keeping the air in your place fresh, plants have that particular charm of being living, growing things; constantly changing shape as they grow and adapting with the seasons. Depending on the design of your bathroom, there are a few different options for where and how you might want to house your plants: on a sill, on the edge of the bath or even on your toiletries shelf. Be careful, only some plants can cope with the very specific conditions offered by most bathrooms – be sure to read this before heading out to buy any!
Garden
A garden can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. Whether you prefer it rugged and scruffy or pruned and perfected, gardens require a lot of care and attention to not descend into a weeded wilderness. There are a few great ways to give your garden that extra edge, however, that don’t require mastery of the weather or heavy-handed use of secateurs. As I discussed in much greater detail in this previous post, integrating a few textural elements into your outside space can take it to the next level. Clay pots, brick edging and wooden planters all help to give a modern yet rustic feel.
