While the housing market does its best to scare us off ever moving or buying - or breathing again - we’re flying the flag for staying put and carrying out some much-needed but cheap home improvements.
Making affordable and aesthetic punching updates to your current abode is guaranteed to make you fall back in love with your property. And will probably add value to your home, too. All a bonus should the housing market sort itself out anytime soon!
So, pull your socks up and start scrolling our interior inspiration feed and your favourite Pinterest boards because here’s 8 cheap home improvements that will make your home sing once more.
1. Go for statement wallpaper
Definitely experiencing a bit of a renaissance right now since its boom in the 50s and 60s, wallpaper is an inexpensive but effective way to give a room a seasonal update. And whatever your design style, you can guarantee to find the wallpaper to match. From patterns and prints, to full-scale portraits and captivating art, wallpaper has evolved and brought new meaning to the phrase: “statement wall”. In fact, steering away from the traditional spaces, wallpaper these days works its magic to transform cloakrooms, en suites, kitchens and utility rooms.
2. Make a splash in the bathroom
It’s thought that a new bathroom could add around 5% to the value of your home. But, there are also ways to give your bathroom a new look without splashing the cash, just yet. Adding a few finishing touches to your space can give it a new lease of life. We recommend adding a funky shelf, towel rail or toilet roll holder and then complementing your style with some luscious greenery, framed art and matching towels and toiletries. You could even go a little further and update your toilet seat and basin taps to really make an impression.
3. Add a lick of paint
Bored of looking at your magnolia walls or those tired kitchen cabinets? Painting areas of your home is one of those relatively cheap home improvements that can make a big impact on a budget. The sky’s the limit here with colour choices, so choose what makes you happy and go for it. Stuck for ideas on where to start? Painting the wall adjacent to your stairs or your entrance hallway and sprucing up with some framed art, photos or accessories will make a significant change to your home for relatively little effort.
Read more: Small bathroom storage ideas
4. Try a fireplace revamp
During the summer months, we don’t have much use for fires. So, it’s the perfect excuse to dress it up and add a real focal point to your main living areas. This can be done on a shoestring with trailing plants, cute photos and little trinkets of choice. Or, add a funky fire guard, candles and other accessories to really make the most of it. Stuck for cash? Pick your favourite blooms on your next country walk and place them in a vase on your fireplace and enjoy.
5. Upcycle a tired wardrobe
Whether you have a freestanding wardrobe or built in model, you can spruce it up giving your master bedroom a fresh new look. Make sure you brush and clean all the dust and sand down before you start to ensure an even application of any paint. If you’re not content with just painting the wood to a more pleasing colour, you can always add a framed rattan effect to the doors, add mirrors and change or paint the door handles.
6. Clear the clutter
Clutter can be a real drag, not just in your home but for the mind too. In fact, according to Very Well Mind, it can have a negative impact on your mental health, increasing your likelihood to feel stressed and making it difficult to focus. It can also take a toll on your relationships. Having a good clear out 3 times a year, following a weekly cleaning schedule and finding some cool storage ideas for all that clutter will help. And we don’t just mean in your bedroom or living spaces either. Adding clever kitchen storage and storing away toiletries, towels, cleaning products and toilet rolls in bathroom units can also really make a difference.
7. Accessorise your spaces
There’s nothing more satisfying than dressing up your rooms at home to suit the seasons - or just your mood! You can add cushions and other soft furnishings that actually make a real difference to the look without much effort at all! This can be especially effective in bedrooms and in your living room. But just adding some small decorative pieces in your kitchen and bathroom will also make a real change.
Read more: Check out this amazing downstairs cloakroom makeover
8. Create your own plant heaven
And finally, who can live without plants these days! From quality artificial ones to real luscious greenery, we say the more, the merrier. Plants not only add to your aesthetic, but they also have cleaning and healing benefits too. Ivy is a great plant to have in the bathroom, for example, as it has air purifying properties that can help to reduce mould. Other plants ideal for the indoors include Areca Palm which is thought to help remove toxins from the air like benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene - and even carbon dioxide. And, one recommended by NASA, Aloe Vera, which releases oxygen at night so perfect for the bedroom.
Armed with a heavy dose of home improvement ideas? Whatever you choose to go for first, we are always here to help with all your bathroom needs. Check out our ideas hub for even more inspiration.
