No time (or money) for a reno? Update your home with these easy tweaks

Here are 15 fast and clever ways to update your home over the weekend.

By adopting a minimalist mindset, you’ll enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free home.Credit: ISTOCK

Entry points

Updating the entry to your home can create a welcoming and stylish first impression and requires minimal investment. Consider adding a fresh coat of paint to the front door and a statement doormat, or installing new outdoor lighting fixtures. If there’s a verandah or generous landing, add a small bench seat to enhance the space and provide somewhere for deliveries to be left. Don’t forget to sweep and tidy, then add some potted plants that can be swapped out seasonally.

Minimalist design

By adopting a minimalist mindset and embracing the power of negative space, you’ll enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free home. You can easily create a calming and organised environment by removing unnecessary items, clearing surfaces, and finding storage solutions that will keep things tidy around your home. Simplifying your space not only enhances its visual appeal but also promotes a sense of tranquillity that helps to reduce stress.

Curated collections

A neat and tidy home allows for curated collections to be exhibited, creating a decorative drawcard for any room. Display cherished items in a cabinet, bookcase or along a shelf, focusing on what you truly love rather than their monetary value. Perhaps add a sense of nostalgia by placing vintage glass bottles on a dining room console, affixing old wooden washboards to a laundry wall, or displaying kitschy toys in a home office. Be innovative and opt for oddities or out-of-fashion items.

Display cherished items in a bookcase or along a shelf, focusing on what you truly love rather than their monetary value.Credit: Jennifer Soo

Global influences

By integrating design elements, patterns, colours and artefacts from a particular culture, you can create a new aesthetic at home. An authentic approach is best, so choose things you are drawn to or have gathered on travels or from family heritage. These could be artworks mounted on walls, patterned textiles used as bed covers, or weavings used as floor rugs. This not only adds instant visual appeal to your living spaces but also promotes cultural appreciation and discussion.

Change layouts

A quick way to make a big change is by exploring alternative layouts, such as moving furniture around to optimise natural light and create distinct zones. In living areas, move furniture away from walls to create a conversation-friendly layout and avoid the focus being solely on the TV. In bedrooms, move the bed to take advantage of an outlook, positioning the bedhead against the wall. In dining areas, swing rectangular tables around 90 degrees, removing end seating if necessary.

Biophilic elements

We all know a room can be instantly transformed with indoor plants, but try to be strategic about where they are placed. Position large potted plants to show off their sculptural qualities or line smaller ones on a sideboard. If space is limited, fill old tins or antique bowls with herbs, or hang trailing plants from the rafters. Be careful not to overcrowd your space with too many plants, or too many species. And don’t neglect them as this will quickly diminish their vitality and visual appeal.

Position large potted plants to show off their sculptural qualities or line smaller ones on a sideboard.Credit: Jennifer Soo

Flower power

Cut or dried flowers are a classic way to add vibrancy to a room, but they can appear twee. A dramatic alternative is to take cuttings from your own garden, particularly from plants that require pruning. Gather a generous cluster from a flowering tree, bush or vine, such as an unruly camellia, wattle or bougainvillea, or trim a few substantial leaves with stalks from an impressive plant like the Monstera deliciosa. Display these cuttings in a tall vase for an eye-catching arrangement.

Sweet dreams

Create a sophisticated and stylish bedroom incorporating recent styles in textured textiles. Upgrade bedsheets with new-look neutral linens and cover them with soft and inviting fabric items such as faux fur throws, heirloom bedspreads and knotty knit cushions. If you can afford it, re-cover the bedhead in a luxury fabric such as velvet. These textured elements will enhance the warmth and comfort of your bedroom, transforming it into a sanctuary for rest and rejuvenation.

Create a sophisticated and stylish bedroom incorporating recent styles in textured textiles.Credit: Jennifer Soo

Earthy tones

If your home is starting to look a little drab, add some colour and warmth to the spaces with an on-trend palette of earthy hues such as terracotta, olive green and sandy beige. This can be achieved by buying accessories such as glassware, ceramic planters, floor coverings, bedlinen and other soft furnishings in these shades from your local warehouse outlet, or try your hand at bargain hunting
in opportunity shops and markets.

Sustainable materials

Choosing sustainable materials for quick home decor updates adds instant style while reducing your carbon footprint. Bamboo, cork and reclaimed wood are not only durable and contemporary but also contribute to a greener future. Examples include bamboo flooring, cork wall tiles, reclaimed wood furniture, blinds, coasters, kitchen utensils, wall art, shelves, planters and rugs. These items promote sustainability in your home.

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your bathroom design.Credit: Jennifer Soo

Statement lighting

Lighting is a key decor element but is often overlooked. For an instant change to the mood and ambience of living areas, choose warm LED bulbs, characterised by their orange glow. In dining rooms, invest in a dramatic pendant light (or three) over the table to produce a focal point. Or you could hack your own by feeding an electricity cord and hanger through a hole cut in an upturned open-weave basket. It’s also easy to create a low-cost shade with wire and fabric strips.

Bathroom bliss

To create a spa-like retreat in the bathroom, place scented candles or a diffuser on the vanity for a relaxing ambience – although nothing beats the fragrance of a small posy of cut flowers, such as jasmine or jonquils. Another option is to quickly transform your bathroom with inexpensive copper, brass or other metallic accessories to add a sense of sophisticated luxury. Stylish soap dispensers, toothbrush holders and modern towel racks can be purchased relatively cheaply.

A gallery will serve as a daily reminder of the moments and art you love most.Credit: Jennifer Soo

Kitchen crafts

Add charm and character to your kitchen by displaying handmade ceramics, woven textiles, vintage kitchenware or artisanal products. Clear out an open shelf or bench area to showcase a collection of rustic pottery or handwoven dish towels. Hang vintage utensils on the wall or arrange them in a basket. Incorporate products such as hand-crafted cutting boards or unique spice jars. These kitchen crafts will infuse warmth into your culinary space.

Hallway galleries

The hallway is the perfect place to create a captivating gallery of curated artwork and cherished family photos, and the project can be completed in a weekend. If you really want to impress, hang frames of different sizes and shapes, and art of various styles, in an idiosyncratic pattern. Or, create a photo wall, but instead of photographs of your family, opt for images and drawings they have produced. This gallery will serve as a daily reminder of the moments and art you love most.

Outdoor oasis

Elevate your outdoor deck area with some simple decor updates, such as adding vibrant outdoor cushions and pillows for a pop of colour and comfort. Hang string lights or lanterns to create a cosy ambience and incorporate potted plants or hanging baskets for greenery. Roll out a decorative outdoor rug or rattan mat to define the space. These quick updates will transform your deck into a stylish and inviting outdoor retreat.

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