Quick and clever décor tips that will liven up your home in a jiffy…
1 ‘Makeover’ your chairs and couches. Toss over a throw or a knitted blanket and invest in some new cushions to give your living room a fresh face and some nice and cosy texture.
2 Fill an empty corner with a chair, sculpture, indoor water feature or magazine-holder (anything that will make it feel less blank).
3 ‘Style up’ your coffee table by stacking it with books, magazines, a pretty bowl, fragrant candle, incense holder, reed diffuser and/or a terrarium or bonsai. There’s no right or wrong. The trick is simply to make it look different from before.
4 Go shopping in your own home. Move things around, repurpose items for other uses, swop out linen, towels, rugs and scatters (moving them from one room into the next and vice-versa can change up colour schemes or themes). While you’re at it, get your gran’s old plates and platters out of the cupboard and hang them on a wall.
5 Add pops of colour. Paint an inexpensive piece of furniture a bright colour and add colourful knick-knacks to open shelves.
6 Transform a plain passage or entrance hall with a beautiful, patterned runner. And while we’re on the subject of entrance halls, adding a small dresser, bench or mirror will also add a touch of style and function.
7 Bring in some greenery. A new plant in a pretty pot can instantly breathe new life into any room. Or cut branches from the bare trees in your yard and put them in a vase (you’ll have a ‘bouquet’ that will last for quite some time).
8 Drape a bold, statement tablecloth over the dining-room table to give the whole room a lift.
9 Paint an accent wall. This is an ‘oldie but goodie’ when it comes to décor advice. When done right, an accent wall can help the rest of a room’s décor really sing. The key is selecting a colour that complements your décor without drawing too much attention to itself.
10 Get new lamps for your bedside tables. If you don’t want to part with your lamp bases, then just replace the shades.
11 Do away with tired (and expected) dining-room table centrepieces. A collection of weird and wonderful objects is far more interesting than a pair of candlesticks. The more unusual, the better!
12 Fool the eye by hanging curtains near the ceiling rather than just above the window frame. It will give the illusion of height (great for a small room or one with a low ceiling). While you’re at it, swop solid-coloured curtains for drops with bold and lively patterns.
13 Update your light fixtures; from a glittering chandelier here, to track lighting or a new and funky pendant light there.
14 Change up your bathroom and kitchen hardware with a mixed-and-matched set of knobs, pulls and rails.
15 Update and refresh the photos in your frames and relocate your art. We often stop noticing things that have been in the same place for a long time.
16 Re-style your bookshelves. Try stacking your books instead of standing them and place decorative objects between them. Organize them in a new way (by category, colour or alphabetically) and move your bookends around or replace them altogether.
17 Gold never gets old. So start small and work in a few gold (or copper and rose gold) accessories.
18 A big mirror is a great way to instantly transform a space. It can act like another window, practically doubling the amount of natural light it receives.
19 Replace a coffee table with an upholstered ottoman to soften the furniture arrangement. Add a large tray to the top as a stable base for accessories.
20 It’s the little things that make a difference. Add a new bin or canisters in the kitchen, or a soap dish and other accessories in the bathroom.
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