If you want to give your London home a bit of a facelift, then you may fear that you have to spend a fortune to make some effective upgrades. However, the truth is that a range of renovations can be made to your home without breaking the bank; many of them can even be done yourself.
Intrigued? Read on to discover how to make some simple but potentially dramatic changes to your London property. Before you know it, you’ll have an updated home that oozes panache while still offering all of those must-have creature comforts.
Table of Contents
Refurb Your Front Door
The front door is, of course, one of the first things anyone sees when they arrive at your home – which means it can either make a positive first impression or a poor one, depending on its condition.
If your front door is looking somewhat past its best, why not spruce it up and instantly transform your home exterior? If you have the budget for it, you can replace it with a shiny new door, but a swap isn’t always necessary. Instead, you can give it a fresh lick of paint or varnish, or, alternatively, change the handle or knocker for a gleaming new one.
Refresh Your Entryway
Once you’ve made a good impression on the exterior you can concentrate on making your entryway warm and inviting. Give the walls a lick of paint, replace your light shade, and consider adding runner rugs leading into your hallway. This will help create a natural flow into your home.
Next you can think about a nook for removing shoes, hats and coats. You could easily put this together with some hooks, an ottoman to take your shoes off and store them, and some floating shelves.
Think About A Skylight
If you have a few hundred pounds to spare on your renovations, then you may want to consider having a skylight installed, perhaps in the upstairs hallway or a bedroom that doesn’t receive much natural light.
Skylights will allow the sunshine to flood in, creating a bright and airy space that is instantly more inviting. In addition, the presence of a skylight adds extra style and flair to your home, making it more desirable.
Upgrade Your Lighting And Your Light Switches
A great deal can be achieved with the use of clever lighting. Not only can you help to create a particular mood or ambience, but you can also use lighting to highlight certain features of your home, such as cornicing, ceiling roses, and special artwork.
There are so many different types of illumination to choose from, ranging from pendant lighting to downlights and various styles of lamps with decorative shades. You can even upgrade your switches and sockets for newer, more stylish and convenient options that will neither mar nor conceal the paint or wallpaper underneath. For example, these clear light switches by Corston come in different styles and colours to match your décor, and their Perspex front plates mean that they don’t block any light from reaching the paint or paper behind them, so there will be no unsightly fading over time.
Jazz Up Your Staircase
Staircases in busy family home experience a lot of traffic, so their carpet can become worn, slippery, and discoloured over time. Fortunately, there is an easy fix: invest in an eye-catching new stair runner. It may set you back a few hundred pounds, but a stair runner will significantly upgrade your staircase and breathe fresh life and colour into your home. It will also help to protect the stairs themselves.
There are various colours and patterns to choose from, so it won’t be hard to find a design that suits the décor in your home. Alternatively, if you enjoy embarking on DIY projects, you can transform your stairs for less than £20 using this clever IKEA rug hack.
Invest In Some Stunning Soft Furnishings
For a dramatic transformation, sometimes all you need is a new pair of curtains, and perhaps some vibrant new cushion covers to match. If you’re a dab hand with the sewing machine, you can make your own curtains; alternatively, you can find a fabric you love and order them made-to-measure, or find a stunning new set in your local homeware store or online.
Not sure what curtain designs are bang on trend this year? The height of window dressing fashion at the moment is small-scale prints such as cottage-core gingham, quirky pelmets, and bold graphics.
Highlight Any Period Features
A number of period features are increasingly in demand in the property world these days, so if your London home boasts vintage adornments such as ceiling roses, Victorian fireplaces, corbels or wood panelling, you’re in luck.
The key is to keep them in good condition, and you can also find ways to decorate your interiors so as to highlight them in all their period splendour.
Add Some Wow Factor To Your Walls
You can produce an impressive transformation in your home with the help of some cans of paint or some carefully chosen wallpaper. In fact, any room in the house can benefit from the application of stylish wallpaper, even your bathroom.
When it comes to the decorating process, you can either cover all of the walls in each room in a different wallpaper or use it to create one feature wall that creates a show-stopping focal point. This can be done yourself, but if you lack confidence, then it may be best to call in a professional decorator to make sure the application is spot on. Of course, paint and wallpaper aren’t the only tools you can use to rejuvenate your walls. If you have some artistic flair, you can paint murals around the home, or, for an easier option, choose some eye-catching adhesive decals that can be removed without damaging the paint.
Build Some Bespoke Storage
Having enough storage space is a big priority for many of us, particularly if we have young children, who tend to come with a lot of paraphernalia. If your home doesn’t have enough storage currently, there are ways to rectify the situation.
For one thing, you can build your own bespoke shelving in any area of ‘dead space’, such as underneath the stairs or in an alcove or in an unused corner of a room or hallway. You can also make use of existing items in your home; for example, the backs of bedroom doors can be used to hang clothing, bags, and scarves. You can also stash clean towels and bedding in storage boxes or baskets underneath your beds, if there is room, and if you are thinking of buying any new furniture, try and opt for pieces that can be multifunctional – for example, a kitchen island or coffee table that comes with shelving space underneath, where you can squeeze a few more books or objects.
Use Broad Brushstrokes
Last but certainly not least, perhaps the simplest and easiest way to give your home a makeover is to pop open a can of paint and start wielding your brushes.
Perhaps some of your walls are looking a little faded and scuffed, or your interior doors need a fresh coating. If you have wooden floorboards, you could even paint them too, giving them a brand new colour and an instant injection of style and interest. Go for soft pastel hues if you want to create a soothing atmosphere, or, alternatively, settle for a rich, bold colour if you are keen to add some drama to a particular space.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, making your London home doesn’t have to be a complex task. There are plenty of simple solutions, many of which can be done yourself. To make the whole process quicker and more fun, you can even get your whole family involved, in a dramatic DIY transformation that will leave you all feeling proud of your efforts – and your styled-up home.
