How Can Small DIY Jobs Transform My Living Space? – Keeping an eye on your budget while improving your home can feel like an impossible combination but there are plenty of low cost ways to transform your living space. Let’s take a look at just a few.
How Can Small DIY Jobs Transform My Living Space
Upgrade internal glazed doors
If you have glazed internal doors they can be great for letting in lots of natural light but don’t provide much privacy. Adding a patterned glass film can provide a more obscure glazing unit while simultaneously upgrading the look of your doors.
Reeded or fluted glass is very popular at the moment and can be achieved at a fraction of the price of replacing your glass by applying film instead.
You can also apply the film to windows in your home for increased privacy, to replace old fashioned net curtains or to obscure the lower glass panels on larger windows.
Create a breakfast nook
Creating a breakfast nook can provide a cosy seating area and make great use of an unused corner of your kitchen. There are so many ways of DIYing this task, from using flat pack shelving units as benches to building your own from scratch.
Most approaches are reasonably inexpensive and don’t require advanced building skills. You can even turn your breakfast bench into a handy storage area. Depending on how much space you have, add a round or square table and a couple of comfortable chairs to complete the look. Choose colours and accessories to match your kitchen style and add some artwork to the walls.
Update your skirting
If your skirting boards are looking old and tired it may be time to update them. There are several ways of doing this to achieve a more modern look for your home. You can of course, simply paint your skirting boards for a quick change of colour but the profile will remain the same.
Another option is to fit skirting board covers over the top of your existing skirting. These have a rebate at the back to accommodate your existing skirting boards and give the base of your walls a new profile.
Finally you could remove the old skirting and replace them with new. Fitting skirting boards is not a difficult task but you should always check your walls for wiring and pipework before drilling or screwing anything into the walls.
Makeover an old piece of furniture
Rather than adding to landfill, repurposing an old piece of furniture can be rewarding, cost efficient and add something unique to your home. There are plenty of sources of inspiration online so you won’t be short of ideas.
Whether you are giving an old wardrobe a new coat of paint or turning a chest of drawers into a stylish hallway console, there are hundreds of ways of transforming your living space with an upcycled piece of furniture.
Paint your stairs
If your stairs are dated, giving them a coat of paint is the quickest, easiest and cheapest option to upgrade them. However, you must use a proper floor paint to ensure that the new paint job will stand up to the wear and tear of foot traffic.
When you rip up old carpet from the stairs, you might find that you need to repair some of the treads or risers before you can sand them down and paint them.
Fake an expensive furniture item
Making an everyday item look expensive is a great way of adding an instant upgrade to your home. Applying some marble effect adhesive film to an inexpensive table or plant stand can elevate your home without breaking the bank.
If you are handy and creative, you can mimic any designer pieces that you like with more affordable pieces. Scour interior design magazines for ideas and inspiration to create unique items of furniture at a fraction of the cost.
Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.
Leave a Reply