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No matter if you are moving, or improving, our newsletter is packed with the best tips, tricks and ideas to help you dwell well.
Having spent months after months in lockdown conditions, you may have started to feel a little bit of cabin fever set in.
There’s only so long you can hack being in the same space, after all, so if you’re itching to change things up a bit, the new year could be the perfect time to do just that.
But, with furlough, redundancies and job losses at an unprecedented high, making interior design changes on a budget can be fairly difficult.
If you’re having to work from home more often as a result of the pandemic, you may have recently found yourself crying out for some more storage space.
Rather than heading to your nearest Swedish flatpack furniture provider though, why not think about being a little more environmentally-friendly and upcycling your furniture instead?
Whether you have some old furniture you could rejuvenate or you invest in some cheap pre-loved goods from a local charity shop, it’s amazing how much difference a quick lick of paint or wood varnish can make.
While on the topic of upcycling, charity shops are a great place to pick up a few photo frames that can revitalise your walls.
You may not like the image they hold but, as long as the frame is in a decent condition, you could easily create a piece of wall art which will appear a lot more expensive than it is.
Plus, if you have a particular photo or image you’d like to print, many digital printing services can produce it for you in whichever size you require – whether it be a photo, art print or poster.
Whether you’re working from home more often, are looking for new ways to teach your kids, or you simply have trouble remembering things sometimes, painting a section of your wall with chalkboard paint can offer a whole host of options.
You can also use as much or as little of it as you’d like.
In your kid’s bedroom, for instance, you may find it fun to paint a chalkboard paint-shaped animal for them to write their ideas on. Alternatively, you may prefer to add a small chalkboard painted section in the hallway to keep a note of things as you pop out for the day.
From adding a to-do list in your kitchen to creating an area for your young children to draw on the walls with your permission, the opportunities are endless but one thing’s for sure – chalkboard paint is a highly practical way to upgrade your home on a budget.
If you’re a keen reader but have more books than you know what to do with, here’s a novel idea for you (pun intended).
Utilising a few floating shelves, simply tuck the outside cover of your favourite books over the shelves themselves to create a truly magical look. Then, once your bookshelf is in place, pile a number of other books on top of it to make it appear as if the novels are somehow stuck to the wall.
Quick, inexpensive and a great storage solution, floating shelves can be your best friend if you’ve got a lot of wall space – and books – to play with.
For this simple DIY idea, all you need is an old table you no longer use, a wall hip hinge and a saw.
Once you’ve gathered these materials, the first thing you’ll need to do is cut the table in half through the middle, leaving two legs on each halved side.
Then, once you’ve got your two separate table halves, use the wall hip hinge to fit them both to the wall space around your bed. This will create the illusion that the table is going through and into the wall, while also providing you with matching nightstands to use on either side of your bed.
Before you start using them properly though, paint them in a bold colour you like, or varnish the wood to create a much more designer, luxurious look.
Final Thoughts...
So, there you have it – five creative ways to improve your home while on a budget.
You don’t have to rely on brand new furniture, costly ornaments or expensive construction work to improve the look and feel of your gone.
With only a few smartly-designed, creative additions and a little bit of out-of-the-box thinking, you can do exactly that – but a fraction of the price.
Live well with Moving and Improving