Easy Updates For The Home

Easy Room Updates

No time (or inclination!) to redecorate completely? We’ve got some great ideas to quickly revamp your home.

Soft Furnishings

Whether it’s in the bedroom or living room, the addition of some new cushions or a throw or two can instantly lift a scheme. If you’ve kept your sofa, armchairs and bed linen in neutral tones, you can create a real style impact by adding in patterned and colourful cushions and throws. By contrast, if you have chosen heavily patterned upholstery try choosing an accent colour and add cushions and throws in varying textures in that shade to liven up your existing look. Even changing your bed linen can transform the look of your room and swapping patterned curtains for plain ones or vice versa will give your space a whole new backdrop.

Wallpapering the backs of shelves isn’t exactly a new idea but it’s one we really like and a great way to add pattern and colour to a bookcase, wall hung shelves or a small unit.

It’s quick and easy too, which is great if you don’t want to spend too long on your updates.

So, you simply choose the wallpaper you like, grab you love, cut it to size for your chosen style of shelves, apply to the back using wallpaper paste or adhesive (you can give it a coat of varnish for extra protection if you wish) and fill your shelves with your chosen bits and bobs.

Wall art

If you’ve neither the time or budget to wallpaper or paint, adding some carefully curated wall art is the perfect way to breathe new life into your space. It needn’t be expensive either, although if you want to splash out on some original artwork, then go for it! There’s plenty of places online to source affordable artwork, or you can use personal photos of special places or even consider framing postcards of famous masterpieces from gallery or museum shops. Gallery walls look particularly impressive and you can find lots of inspiration via Pinterest and Instagram. Once you’ve filled your frames, lay them out on the floor in front of the wall you want to hang them on and play around with different configurations until you’re ready to hang them.

Rugs

Aside from adding colour, warmth and texture, rugs also cover up a multitude of sins. So, if that red wine stain that just won’t budge doesn’t warrant a whole new carpet or a scratch in a wooden floor can’t be repaired, a beautiful rug is a great way to hide them while also refreshing your space. To create a cohesive look, choose a rug which complements your existing décor so you don’t need to change the whole room. For example, you could choose one colour from the pattern of your curtains or choose the same colour as your walls but opt for a deeper or softer shade. If you have a large space to play with, multiple designs can look particularly impressive just stick to the same colours to avoid your floor looking too cluttered.

Lampshades

While changing entire light fittings can seem a bit of a faff, not to mention expensive, swapping lampshades is an inexpensive and super simple way to update your scheme. Whether you want to change your central lights or table lamps, swapping over your shades is super easy. As with cushions and rugs, if you have a neutral backdrop patterned lampshades can look particularly striking. If you already have a lot of pattern in your room, then look for plain lampshades in accent colours to pull your scheme together.