6 half-hour home improvement ideas to try
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Even if you don’t have lots of time to tackle major DIY projects, or the money to fund them, there are still plenty of affordable home improvements that you can try. These small changes can be done in half an hour, cost next to nothing, but still create a great new feel.
1. Lounge
Change the focus of the place you spend most time in. Simply move the sofa and the TV to different positions in the lounge. You’ll be amazed how this changes your perspective, and with a little spring clean in the corners while you’re moving everything around, the whole living room will get a pain-free facelift.
2. Kitchen
Re-cover the kitchen chairs or add a simple fabric backing to wooden chairs to unify the look, with a matching table cloth. Use lighting (a low-hanging ceiling light over the centre of the table, or a pretty table lamp if there’s space) to add a focal point in the evening, instead of the main kitchen light.
3. Bathroom
Re-grout your tiles and make your bathroom look brand new! Don’t take off the old tiles, simply dig out the grout with a grout rake (less than £5 from any DIY store). Be careful not to chip your tiles. Then mix new grout (use a waterproof one, which is again very cheap), and apply it between your tiles and wipe off the excess. For an extra wow factor, go for a bright colour to really lift the space.
4. Bedroom
In addition to a main light and bedside lamps, adding an extra freestanding lamp or safely wall-mounted candleholders can make your bedroom feel more ‘loungey’ in the evenings. Position the light so it makes your necklaces sparkle or casts light on a pretty little table or chair.
5. A child’s bedroom
Liven up furniture with stencil patterns, buy a huge poster map of the world and pin it up, or if you have solid plaster walls, clean one of them down and paint it with blackboard paint, then get the kids drawing their own ‘wallpaper’ with chalks.
6. Clever curtains
Switch living room curtains for full-length drapes for an instant dramatic effect. Choose a pretty unlined readymade curtain (much cheaper than lined ones), then buy a plain unlined pair the same size to create a free-hanging lining. They look amazing for a fraction of the usual price.
How do you freshen up your living space when you want a no money makeover?
Let us know in the comments below!