We all want to live in a stylish, clutter free home but getting rid of old stuff just to replace it with new stuff not only defeats the object of de-cluttering it can also be expensive. These DIY home hacks and space saving solutions will help transform your home’s look quickly and cheaply.
Transform
Give your kitchen a new lease of life with an acrylic splashback. You can get these made to size, they are super easy to clean, add colour and vibrancy to a kitchen without the cost involved in re-tiling and can be simply installed by even a beginner diyer. And if you’re thinking about getting a coloured acrylic splashback in your kitchen it is easy to do. Companies like Cut My Plastic will cut it in any size or colour for you so it is easy to install.
Use old wallpaper to line the insides of bookcases to give the illusion of a bigger space.
Renovate old drawers by painting the frame in a simple white or soft grey and the drawer fronts in a bold colour. Pick up funky handles or antique-looking ones at car boot sales to finish off the look.
Paint window and door recesses in white to bounce more light around your room but also to add detail to your existing colour. It’s a quick way to emphasis your room’s colour without repainting the whole room. Or experiment with colours and go for something bold.
Completely transform your bedroom with a new headboard to give the room a fresh new focal point and turn an old tired bed into an opulent and new looking one.
Save space
Organise your draws by taking some scissors to old shoe boxes and make your own dividers rather than buy ready-made ones.
Put a Velcro strip on the wall of your child’s room to stick their soft toys to, keeping them off the floor or creating more space on a much needed shelf.
If you have deep shelves you store DVDs or CDs on think about creating a mezzanine-style shelf at the back with an upturned box or supported plank to give you another level to store your discs whilst still being able to see the labels.
Use a pegboard (or framed and painted MDF with tacks) to create functional wall-art with your wooden spoons and utensils freeing up drawer or counter space.
Put another shower rail up on the opposite wall and use cheap s-hooks to hang products and loofahs from.
Use an old wine rack to store your towels on the back of your bathroom door.
There are many ways you can improve your home for next to nothing including picking up pieces on free-cycling websites, giving stuff away, selling unwanted clutter on eBay, making smart use of mirrors to give the illusion of more space or simply by investing a bit or time or money – or both – into a centre-piece for each room.
Make an activity of it and invite friends and family round for a painting session, be it walls or upcycling projects, and open up a bottle of wine, order in a pizza and have fun.
This article was written by Zoe Brown