Home and garden: 21 projects for 2021
Get cracking on a great year at home with these fun and fabulous project that will transform your favourite place.
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Get cracking on a great year at home with these fun and fabulous project that will transform your favourite place.
This is how.
1. Start a vegie patch
With autumn approaching, now is the perfect time to think about the best spot for a vegie garden. Look for a spot in the garden or on your balcony that enjoys at least six hours of sun a day and has good quality, enriched soil. Start with easy-to-grow edibles like parsley, lettuce, pak choy and radishes and water regularly.
2. Paint a room
This is an achievable weekend project for two people and offers an opportunity to play with colour and pattern. Preparation is the key to success. Make sure you thoroughly clean and patch the walls before you start. Rather than going for shades of white or grey, look to Pinterest or Instagram for colour inspo that will lift your heart whenever you walk into the room.
3. Make a photo wall
If COVID has made you realise what really matters, make a photo wall of all the people you love. For a more cohesive look, use the same coloured frames and trace them out on paper that you can Blu-Tac to the wall to get an arrangement you’re happy with before putting up hooks. Photo frames are often light enough for 3M adhesive hooks to spare damaging your walls.
4. Reorganise your study
If ever there was a year for the home office, it was 2020. With so many of us caught off guard working from home, this is the time to create a functional and beautiful home office. Major considerations are storage, work areas and natural lighting, as well as managing your tech, such as monitors and cabling. Look for interior designers with experience designing home office spaces.
5. Keep chickens
Hands down one of the easiest backyard pets, chickens offer the promise of fresh eggs and their clucking is guaranteed to make you feel like you’re down on the farm. Chicken coops are now available from major retailers and you can buy chickens from poultry suppliers. They are compatible with most pets such as cats and most species of dogs but they love to forage so fence off more delicate parts of your garden.
6. Create a firepit area
This is a great project as we approach autumn. Look for a cleared area in your backyard several metres wide with no overhanging trees. Any hard surfacing, such as gravel, sand or brick will do for the ground. Place the firepit in the centre. Most hardware retailers sell them now but any non flammable bowl will work. You can either install fixed seating at least a metre from the firepit, or add a few outdoor lounge chairs you can move as needed.
7. Reorganise your pantry
Not exactly a sexy task, this is oh so satisfying nonetheless, especially as the school year kicks off. Go mad with appropriately sized containers and the labelling gun. For long term success, it’s best to get the whole family involved so that hopefully, things will go back where they were. Brag about your results on social media.
8. Make jam
If you’re ahead of the homegrown food game, you may have an abundance of summer fruit and citrus right now. Even if you don’t, making jam could not be simpler. Despite popular opinion, pectin is not essential for jams such as raspberry and strawberry. Just your fruit, a ton of sugar, some lemon juice and a stovetop. You’ll never buy from the supermarket again.
9. Renovate your bathroom
Now is the perfect time to kick off a small scale renovation project like the bathroom, which requires more trades than any other room in the house. If you’re a first time renovator, working with a builder could save you a lot of time and money. Be ready to answer hundreds of questions, from whether you want wall hung taps or counter mounted to what style of showerhead you’d like. The best way to keep your budget in check is to do your homework on fixtures and fittings early so that you know what you’re in for.
10. Create a kids’ garden
Before you splash some cash on play equipment or some Insta-worthy cubby house, think about spaces where children can use their imaginations. Grow flowers they can pick, create changes of level in your garden for role playing and leave materials like bark, sticks and leaves that they can use for construction. Even hanging a bedsheet from a tree branch makes a fun, temporary space that costs next to nothing.
11. Refresh an old piece of furniture
They don’t make them like they used to. Solid, well built furniture may have seen better days but it is often still fit for purpose. Repaint or reupholster it yourself or find a skilled upholsterer who can do it for you and it will last you another 20 years.
12. Paint your front door
Everyone loves a pop of colour, so why not make your home’s first impression one that lasts. Painting the front door is a simple and cost-effective way to jazz up a property’s facade and easy to change at a later date. Go bold with your favourite red or keep on trend with the 2021 Pantone colours by choosing a cheery yellow or a moody grey. Don’t forget to give the door a good clean and sand it before picking up the paintbrush.
13. Master homemade sourdough
It was one of the trends that helped shape the COVID-19 lockdown here in Australia. But now we can get out and about, it’s time to get the right tools – yes we are talking about a good proving basket and a casserole dish – and truly master the trend. Who doesn’t love some delicious homemade bread?
14. Tile the splashback
If the old ‘70s tiles in your kitchen are not your style, get a hammer, a chisel and a bit of elbow grease and get rid of them. Lay an old sheet or cardboard boxes on the floor to protect it and start chipping away. It’s a surprisingly satisfying task. Then tidy up and scrape off remaining grout residue. The choice of new splashback tiles is endless, but think about the scale and size of the area you have to work with. Sheet mosaics or subway tiles are easy to work with. You’ll need a tile cutter, spirit level, grouting sponge, grout float, tile spacers and a notched trowel to do this job.
15. Create a private relaxation zone
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we need to slow down and be grateful for what we have. Mindfulness and gratitude are important buzzwords this year and having a calm and quiet space in your home where you can go to switch off after a long day is important. It might also turn into a zen zone where you can start the day with morning meditation. Remember to make it cosy and comfy, but give yourself room to stretch and ensure there’s a table to pop a cup of tea. Indoor plants will make for another great addition.
16. Organise your photos
Almost every home is sure to have one – that huge pile of unorganised photos. This year is the year to get organised. Whether it be putting the prints into albums, scanning them into the computer or framing your favourites, this task will be very satisfying. It’s also lots of fun looking back through family holidays and major milestones.
17. Restore your outdoor furniture
After a dry summer, the unpredictable autumn weather will soon be here, so protect outdoor timber furniture with a coating of stain or oil. Give your furniture a good brush down, then clean with a mild soapy solution, including any gaps and corners, and wipe down with a damp cloth. For some hardwoods, such as teak, this is all you’ll need to do, although you can use a deck-cleaning oil such as Organoil and give it a light sand using 400 grit sandpaper. For other timbers, allow it to completely dry before giving it a light sand, then use a timber or decking stain to restore a rich colour.
18. Buy or build a new letter box
It’s an item used regularly, but often not much thought is given to the dear-old letterbox. It’s a simple update that can have a big impact. You can pick up a reasonably priced letterbox at your local hardware store or it’s a great project for those looking to try their hand at DIY. Remember, the letterbox adds to the overall appeal of your home so you want it to look good and be postie friendly.
19. Get in project planning mode for next spring/summer now
If you wished you had a swimming pool, a paved courtyard or a new pergola for the alfresco, start planning so you’re ready by September. The Government’s HomeBuilder grants have put tradies around the country in high demand, so they might not be as available as you think, especially to come out and quote. So allow time to plan and budget, get multiple quotes and get building approvals into council so the work can begin.
20. Start composting
Stop wasting those food scraps and start composting – the earth and your garden will thank you. You can buy a compost bin, or build one yourself with free scrap wood. Pop it in a dry, shady spot near a water source and start popping your scraps in there. Fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds and paper are some of the items that can get you started.
21. Plant a tree
Autumn is the best time of year to plant out new trees or shrubs as they have time to establish roots while the soil is still warm. They will also benefit from seasonal autumn rains and have many months in the ground before the next summer heatwave arrives. Plant nurseries will have loads in stock, so grab a trailer and plant out a row of your favourites. Always think about the scale and size of the tree when it’s fully grown, as well as the position for the space you have, and its purpose – do you need extra shade in summer or a deciduous tree that will allow for winter sunlight?
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