Deciding to renovate your home can be a massively positive decision to make. It means putting energy into your home environment, making it a place that’s enjoyable to spend time in and utterly relaxing.
It can also be quite an overwhelming process to get started; there are so many things that you can change in a house, and this extreme variety of choices can make it easy to become frozen and incapacitated.
To help you get started, we decided to pull together some quick ideas with help from the Woodyatt Curtains team so you can get started on your renovation journey.
Bespoke Shelves
While Ikea shelving can be great, it often won’t maximize the little nooks and crannies of a unique room. Having bespoke shelving put into a room helps to maximize storage space, reducing any dead spaces and improving the overall aesthetic of the room.
If you’re good at DIY, it can be a fun project to get stuck into yourself, and will help to keep costs at a minimum. If you have room in your budget and don’t fancy tackling it yourself, then you can always ask a carpenter to make it for you.
Change Your Curtains
While it can be easy to overlook the aesthetic power of curtains, they make a massive difference to the energy of a room. If you have thick curtains in a room that needs more light, and you only have them up for privacy, consider getting some new net curtains.
Older net curtains can start to fray and get dirty, bringing down the energy of a room; try cleaning your old ones first, but after a certain amount of time, they will eventually need replacing.
Give Your Front Door Some Love
People say that first impressions matter, and this is absolutely the case with your home as well. The first thing that people will see when they arrive is the front door – it should represent the way you want people to see the rest of your home.
If your old door is solid but tatty, try taking it off of the hinges, sanding it down, and filling any dents or deep scratches.
Then, you can paint it in your color of choice; remember to choose a durable paint – front doors get a lot of use, and a weaker paint designed for internal use won’t weather well and will likely chip.
If your old door is breaking, rotten or of low quality, it might be time to get a new one. It’s important to also consider security concerns here – most burglaries happen through the front door, so you want to make sure that it’s as secure as possible.
Reupholstering
While it can be tempting to just throw out tatty old sofas and armchairs and buy a new set, it can be much more rewarding to reupholster them.
You can buy new fabric, choose funky patterns if that’s your deal, and then go through the process of reupholstering with help from Youtube and blogs if need be. If you’re not confident in your sewing abilities or just have too much on your plate, then you can always hire the assistance of a reupholstering service to do it for you.
Change Your Kitchen Backsplash
The backsplash in your kitchen can look amazing, or it can look absolutely dreadful. Over time, old backsplashes can become stained, and if they’re tiled, the grout can start to mold and crumble. If you like the design that you have, then give it some love and clean it up.
If you’re ready for a change, go for it. You can fit tiles yourself, or choose a one-piece glass solution. If you’re into the metal look, you can also buy a copper, brass, or stainless steel piece that will be very easy to fit.
Shower Water Pressure
Something that people often simply learn to live with is a low-pressure shower. There’s nothing quite as disappointing as standing under a trickle of lukewarm water on a cold morning, and luckily, there are ways around it.
Installing a water pump will solve the pressure issue, and a thermostatic shower valve should solve the heat problem. Unless you’re a DIY wizard, you’ll likely need to get the help of a plumber for this one, but it will absolutely be worth the cost in the long run.
New Carpets
Carpets don’t last forever – eventually, they will need replacing. Spills happen, and eventually, stains start to build up to unacceptable levels. Not only will a new carpet change the look of a room, but it can also make it a lot more comfortable – for bedrooms, consider going for something soft and plush. For living rooms and other high-traffic spaces, opt for something that’s comfortable to walk on but also durable.
Go For Wooden Floors
If you don’t have anyone living on the floor beneath you and you’re a fan of the aesthetic, consider going for wooden floors. It’s possible that you’ll have perfectly good floorboards beneath your carpet that will be beautiful and splinter-free after going over them with a planer and sander. You can also look into getting a repurposed floorboard; if you think it’ll be too cold on your feet in the winter, you can still have carpet in certain spaces, such as your bedroom.
Get Creative And Enjoy The Process
Doing up your home should be a fun process. Remember, there’s no rush to finish, and you can get as creative as you like.
Don’t feel like you have to match the old aesthetic of your home – look for inspiration on sites like Pinterest and on Instagram pages and think outside the box. Renovating your home is an ongoing process, and you shouldn’t feel the need to ever “finish”. You can keep adding and changing bits and pieces as you have new ideas.
