Give your home a mini makeover with these DIY ideas and simple fixes that won’t take any longer than a weekend.
1. Rearrange furniture (1 hour)
Just because you’ve always had your living room furniture in certain positions doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.
A quick move around can give you a new-look room. If your couch is tight against a wall, consider bringing it forward and adding a shelving unit or console table behind it, making it a cosier space. Or try turning your couches to face each other, at right angles to the TV, to open up the room.
2. Add a splashback (1 day)
Give a utility room a new look with pretty tiles. Choose large- format styles that are quicker to lay. Using the full height of the tile limits any cuts needed at either end. Fit a floating shelf above your new tiles, painted the same colour as the wall above, for display opportunities.
3. Line up paintings (1 hour)
Displaying paintings or photos in a vertical line adds interest to a wall. Mark a line with low-tack masking tape, lining up the top of your first frame with that of your window or door frame. Then, space the frames equally in a vertical row. If possible, choose a mix of square, portrait and landscape frames.
Pexels / Blue Bird
4. Refresh a window (3 hours)
Use a statement fabric to stitch a simple roll-up blind. Choose a colour from the pattern for your ribbon and look for a contrasting fabric for the lining. Either sew yourself or have a curtain maker run them up for you before installing them in half the time.
5. Paint the ceiling (1 day)
While ceilings are tricker than walls to paint, doing so will make a difference, especially if you continue the colour over coving to picture-rail height (if you have one). Allow two coats of paint, ensuring even coverage, with four to six hours of drying time between coats, depending on the finish of your chosen paint.
6. Fit rattan doors (2 hours)
Remove wood panels from wardrobe doors and staple cane sheets to the backs. Woven linen or soft slub cotton can add texture similarly.
Unsplash / Priscilla Du Preez
7. Tile the stair risers (2 days)
Your staircase is probably the first thing you see when you walk in the front door, so give it an update with statement floor tiles. Fix your tiles in place with a tile adhesive and spacers and ensure they’re completely dry before walking on them. Apply grout in a complementary shade, wipe tiles clean and leave to dry.
8. Expand the kitchen (3 hours)
Need more storage? What about open shelving? It’s sold in a flat-pack, so you’ll need to build this set, but it’s modular, enabling you to achieve the right configuration for your space. Allow time to arrange tableware and organise baskets to store linens.
9. Makeover a tired space (half day)
Give an old piece of furniture statement style with no-need-to-prime paint. Apply two coats to ensure a professional finish, adding a coat of wax to seal. Choose a bold colour – like this rich red – and don’t forget to swap the knobs too.
10. Install panelling (1 day)
Wall panelling can transform a room while also offering acoustic benefits. Either screw the panels directly to the wall (between each wooden slat, there’s a felt section that you screw through) or fit to horizontal battens screwed to your wall first.
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Adapted from print issue of Woman&Home SA.
