40 easy style updates
Top tricks and quick projects
1 Make your bedroom oh so cosy
PAINT A BAND OF DUSKY GREY BEHIND THE BED FOR WARM COLOUR THAT DOESN’T OVERWHELM THE ROOM. THEN SWITCH COTTON SHEETS FOR FLANNEL AND LOAD THE BED WITH THROWS AND CUSHIONS TO CREATE A COSY NEST DESIGNED FOR LIE-INS.
2 LUXE UP YOUR CUTLERY
Make dinner with friends a more glam affair with silverware in a gold or copper finish. Available at Habitat or House of Fraser.
3 USE A COOL COASTER TO MARK YOUR SPOT
Prevent teacup rings on your coffee table, and make it clear which corner of the sofa is yours, with a chic alphabet coaster emblazoned with your initial.
4 Get a quirky look with cork wallpaper
TEXTURED WALLPAPERS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR YONKS AND NOW CORK IS HAVING A MOMENT. IT’S AN EASY WAY TO STAY IN NEUTRAL, WHILE PUTTING A LITTLE FASHION ON YOUR WALLS.
5 Put on a floor show
SPRUCE UP BARE WOOD FLOORBOARDS WITH A PAINT TREATMENT USING A LARGE-FORMAT STENCIL AND BLACK SPRAY PAINT. CHEAPER THAN NEW FLOORING AND A GREAT WAY TO DISGUISE PAST-THEIR-BEST BOARDS.
6 USE A SOFTER SHADE OF WHITE
Pure white gloss paint can give woodwork a bit of a grey tinge, especially in winter light, so make it easier on the eye with a yellow-tinted eggshell, like Little Greene’s Slaked Lime, £27 for 1ltr.
7 REVAMP YOUR DINING TABLE WITH A £5 FIX
This simple runner will update your dining table in an instant. We think it looks like something from posh fabric company Ian Mankin, but it’s actually a bargain buy from Wilko!
8 Brighten a gloomy corner with f lowers
ANY CITRUS-YELLOW FLOWERS (WE USED MIMOSA) WILL TRANSFORM A LIGHTSTARVED CORNER AND ADD A LITTLE EVERYDAY HAPPINESS TO YOUR ROOM.
9 FIT WARMER LIGHT BULBS
Audit your light bulbs and swap clear bulbs that give a white or bluish light for ones labelled ‘warm white’, for a softer illumination and a cosier feel. Look on the box for a colour temperature of 2,700K or 3,000K.
10 Paint inside your kitchen cupboards
FANCY A CHANGE WITHOUT REPLACING FURNITURE? PAINT THE INTERIOR OF GLASSFRONTED CABINETS A CONTRASTING SHADE – THE SHARPER THE CONTRAST, THE MORE STANDOUT THE EFFECT. DISPLAY CROCKERY INSIDE AND IT’LL POP AGAINST THE COLOUR.
11 Create a beautiful fireplace
IF YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE ONE, MAKE THE FIREPLACE THE HERO OF THE ROOM – AND A PLACE THAT DRAWS EVERYONE TOGETHER. PAINT THE CHIMNEY BREAST A DEEP SHADE AND DISPLAY TREASURES ON THE MANTEL.
12 CURB DAILY CLUTTER
Tuck a couple of big, wide-mouthed baskets under the coffee table in the living room and use them to stow papers, magazines and discarded toys until you have time to sort them.
13 Fit a row of statement pendants
PUT YOUR DINING TABLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT WITH A ROW OF LOW-HANGING PENDANTS. FOLLOW THE STYLIST’S RULE THAT ODD NUMBERS WORK BEST, AND MAKE SURE THERE’S ENOUGH GAP SO DINERS WON’T BANG THEIR HEADS!
14 INDULGE IN NEW TOWELS
Make winter soaks superluxe by swapping your past-their-prime towels for hotel-quality Egyptian cotton ones with a GSM of between 400g and 600g per sq m – they’re more absorbent and will last longer.
15 TRY LOW-LEVEL LIGHTING
The best-lit rooms have layers of blended light to create a cosier vibe, so switch off the main overhead light and use a mix of table lamps and wall lights instead.
16 REFRESH YOUR SOFA CUSHIONS
Wait for a sunny day and take the cushions outside. Leave them in the sun for three hours, flipping them over after an hour and a half. It’ll dry out any moisture that’s trapped inside and puff them up again.
17 Add a truly fabulous tieback
A COLOURFUL POM-POM TRIM WILL ADD A FANCIFUL FLOURISH TO EVEN THE PLAINEST OF CURTAINS AND IS AN EASY WAY TO GIVE INEXPENSIVE READY-MADES A STYLE UPGRADE.
18 Fix up your bathroom f loor tiles
REPLACE PLAIN BATHROOM TILES WITH PATTERNED ONES TO MAKE YOUR ROOM TOTALLY RETREAT-WORTHY. A SIMPLE MOTIF LIKE THIS WON’T BE TOO BUSY FOR A SMALL SPACE, AND THE EASY-TO-LAY VINYL CAN BE FITTED IN A WEEKEND.
19 TURN BOOKS INTO A DISPLAY
Give a bookcase a mini overhaul by organising books into different sizes. Then stack them horizontally and vertically to add visual interest.
20 BRING THE OUTDOORS IN
Add autumnal colour to a neutral living room with fresh-cut flowers in vivid oranges, yellows and purples, plus lots of twigs and foliage.
22 Put up a full-width wall shelf
A GENIUS IDEA FOR SMALL BEDROOMS: FIT A SLIM WALL-TO-WALL SHELF IN THE WASTED SPACE ABOVE THE BED. IT FREES UP BEDSIDE TABLES AND CREATES AN EXTRA DISPLAY SURFACE.
21 help A BORING Wall BLOOM
Try a 3D treatment to bring a featureless space to life. Arrange porcelain flowers in clusters up a wall, so your room will be in bloom all year round.
23 HARVEST SOME COLOUR
If your hanging baskets have had their time, keep your porch and patio colour going with clusters of potted chrysanthemums and piled-up displays of pumpkins and squashes.
24 SHOWCASE AN ACCENT CHAIR
Prepare for a new season of great telly by getting seating sorted. A patterned armchair will shake up a safe living room by contrasting with plain sofas and flooring. All you need is a super-smart side table for your cuppa…
25 Hang heavier curtains
FLOATY SHEERS MIGHT DO THE TRICK IN SUMMER, BUT WHEN THE EVENINGS START TO GET COOLER, SWAP LIGHT FABRICS FOR HEAVIER-WEIGHT LINED CURTAINS THAT WILL BLOCK DRAUGHTS AND INSULATE THE ROOM, SO YOU STAY GOOD AND COSY.
26 BOOST LIGHT WITH MIRRORS
Want to brighten up a north-facing room? Position a mirror on the wall opposite the window to reflect the incoming daylight.
27 Fall for autumnal foliage
EMBRACE THE CHANGE OF SEASONS AND GIVE YOUR DÉCOR AN AUTUMNAL TWIST – WHETHER IT’S A SINGLE FERN MOTIF AT A WINDOW OR A LIVELY LEAF PRINT ADDING WOW TO A WALL.
28 Include cosy textures in your kitchen
SOFTEN ALL THOSE HARD SURFACES
WITH SOME NEW KITCHENWARE AND ACCESSORIES IN RUSTIC WOOD, BEAUTIFUL MARBLE, TERRACOTTA AND SLATE FOR A MODERN FARMHOUSE LOOK.
29 Paint a bold black splashback
RING THE CHANGES WITHOUT REPLACING YOUR KITCHEN BY SWAPPING THE SPLASHBACK FOR PANELLING PAINTED IN A BOLD SHADE – CHOOSE KITCHEN AND BATHROOM PAINT FOR A WIPEABLE FINISH.
30 Plant an indoor garden
ONCE THE GARDEN’S BEEN PUT TO
BED, KEEP NATURE IN YOUR LIFE WITH EASY-TO-CARE-FOR HOUSE PLANTS. CLUSTERS OF CACTI AND SUCCULENTS ON WINDOWSILLS AND SIDE TABLES WILL BRING FRESH COLOUR TO ANY SPACE.
31 UPCYCLE A TIRED CHEST OF DRAWERS
Give it some love with a set of smart new handles. Rockett St George and Anthropologie have quirky shapes and patterns.
32 PLUMP FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO ARTWORK
Forget committing to a big new canvas and throw in a painterly cushion or two, instead. The stormier the colours, the better.
33 BEGIN THE BIG CLEANUP
Now the kids are back at school, take charge of Operation Clear-up and fill crate-style boxes with garden toys, craft kit and anything else they’ve left in their wake.
34 PUT COLOUR IN UNUSUAL PLACES
Neutral spaces needn’t be boring: throw in a style surprise with a pop of bright paint around door frames, along the picture rail, skirting boards or bannister spindles.
35 Reconsider accent colours
Update your accessories in seasonal colours – pick prints, ceramics and objects in a mellow palette of autumnal browns, gentle yellows and rich russets.
36 Perk up a plain stairway
A SIMPLE WHITE STAIRCASE IS RIPE FOR REINVENTION, BUT IT NEEDN’T BE DRASTIC – TRY USING A STENCIL TO NUMBER EACH STEP IN A SMART, CLASSIC FONT. LITTLE ONES WILL LOVE IT.
37 STYLE YOUR FIREPLACE
Make it the hero focal point with a pair of oversized, turned-wood candlesticks, copper-finish lanterns or clear glass pillar vases filled with pine cones on each side of the hearth.
38 FIND A use FOR A RUSTIC plank
Add rough-luxe texture to your kitchen with a salvaged wooden shelf and shiny copper brackets. Find reclaimed timber locally via woodrecycling.org.uk.
39 GO WITH THE FAUX…
…and enjoy your favourite blooms even when they’re not in season. Buy goodquality artificial flowers in single stems and arrange as you would fresh ones, trimming the lengths until you’re happy.
40 Supersize your living room rug
TREAT YOUR RUG AS THE ANCHOR POINT FOR THE ROOM AND CHOOSE A SIZE THAT SUITS THE SCALE OF THE SPACE. IN A LARGE LIVING ROOM, A TOO-SMALL RUG PLACED IN FRONT OF A ROOMY SOFA CAN LOOK LOST AND A LITTLE SPARTAN. AS A GENERAL RULE, A RUG SHOULD BE LONGER AND WIDER THAN THE SOFA.