Spring is here so what better time than now to give your home a bit of a spring makeover? Giving your home a bit of a refresh doesn’t have to mean loads of time and loads of money spent; there are lots of small things you can do to give your house a lovely little spruce up.

Starting in the dining room, you can update your home with some oak dining chairs and an oak table. Oak is timelessly classy and fits with the look of almost all homes and interior decor themes. If you’re searching for dining chairs UK, you should be able to find some great bargains online and may also want to consider second hand stores, car boot sales and markets, for items you can recondition and spruce up for use in the home.

Mixing and matching new and second hand furniture in this way means you can give your home a makeover without spending a small fortune. Remember though, second hand doesn’t always mean cheaper; you may well find some wonderful vintage items well worth investing in!

As well as the furniture, consider giving your home a quick lick of paint or putting up new wallpaper. There is no point in spending time and effort sourcing wonderful new furnishings and furniture if your shabby wallpaper and peeling paintwork then lets you down.

Make sprucing up your home fun by putting some music on and getting your family involved and in on the action. You’ll be surprised at how quick the work goes when you’re having fun at the same time!

Give your home a finishing touch with fresh flowers in each room. You can pick up lovely vases from charity shops for very little.

Follow these simple tips and, before you know it, you will have a lovely spruced up home with very little effort!

People often feel like it’s time to update the furniture they have in their home, but are concerned about budget and spending too much all at once. However, with the increased amount of competition amongst furniture stores and the abundance of cheap furniture that is now available, it is quite easy to refurbish your home at a reasonable price.

For example, there are some very cheap dining tables available and just because they’re cheap it doesn’t mean to say that the quality is not good. You often find that just after Christmas there are plenty of bargains to be found, as stores want to clear the excess stock they had ready for the rush leading up to Christmas. However, with so many online retailers and high street stores, it’s possible to find a good deal in furniture at almost any time of the year.

The kind of materials that furniture is constructed with can also alter the price dramatically. Obviously, solid oak will be more expensive than a cheaper soft wood that is finished with an oak veneer. It depends how much it matters to you. The solid oak will last longer, but the soft wood with a veneer will be fine for a good number of years, and by the time it begins to lose its looks, you’ll be ready for something new anyway.

If you’re looking to create a modern look, you might not want a wood finish at all. Even modern wooden furniture can feel too traditional for some homes. Instead, pick modern materials like MDF, glass, melamine; all of these can look good in the home. Although traditional coffee tables are made of wood, glass coffee tables have been popular for a long time. The only place where glass is not so advisable is for households with small children – otherwise you will spend a lot of time polishing away sticky fingermarks!

If you’re already something of a DIY / home renovation expert, you’ll already know just how important it is to be able to put your hands quickly on the right tools for the job.

But you may also be aware just how seldom you use certain tools whilst others get used continually.

The main thing to be aware of is the need to get good quality tools. Doing any job with tools which aren’t quite right for the job – or which just aren’t top quality is pretty miserable. It’s advisable to follow the “fewer, better” policy, on the whole. In other words, don’t buy the tool until you really need it – but when you do – get the best you can afford.

Having said that, there are some tools you’ll use continually like a cordless drill and attachments set. These get used up and only last a few years, as a rule, but it’s still worthwhile getting the best you can as this will last well and will have sufficient power. Once you have a good set, you’ll wonder how you ever used to manage without one.

It’s far more advisable to save money on other things around the home, which are less likely to matter. Often, for example, cheap furniture is of more or less equal quality to more expensive furniture if you know what you’re looking for. Or maybe you don’t care? Often, people like to change the look of their homes quickly and easily and don’t really care if the furnishings aren’t built to last. You may be perfectly happy for a year or two with a cheap sofa or sofa bed in a sofa bed sale, for example, but when it comes to fixing them up – you’ll be so glad you bought the right tools for the job.

If you are thinking of doing some home improvements this year or have just moved into a new place, the kitchen is a great place to start.

As anyone who is interested in cooking or eating will now, having a beautiful kitchen will make you want to spend all the more time in it. But there are so many styles of kitchen to choose from, how do you know where to start?

If you are looking at kitchen design options then there are many design styles out there to choose from. One of the most popular and stylish at the moment is the retro style kitchen. Retro style kitchens take their inspiration from the recent past and feature quirky, cool and kooky appliances and design features.

You might decide that your kitchen will have a 1960s feel, in which case you can look for appliances and items from this time period to feature in your kitchen. You can mix genuine vintage items from charity shops with imitation pieces designed to look retro, from modern kitchen suppliers.

Of course, retro encompasses much more than just the 1960s, and can go as far back as the 1920s. You can mix and match kitchen items from across this time period, or choose to focus on one decade in particular; the choice is yours.

For some people, creating a retro style kitchen may simply be a case of mixing and matching a few key pieces of restored and vintage pieces with modern items in your existing kitchen. If you have just moved into a new home however, or want to replace your old kitchen entirely, then you need to be looking at fitted kitchens with a retro design theme. You can find both fitted kitchens and kitchen appliances at www.wrenkitchens.com, to help you design your dream retro kitchen.

If you’ve completed your home renovation project and you’re having difficulty shifting it in today’s sluggish, fearful and frankly over-priced housing market, then why not try selling it liken a Scandinavian?

What people from Norway and Sweden, in particular, do when they’ve decided to put their home on the market is to scrub it to within an inch of its life and completely de-clutter the place to give the illusion of space and order.

There are even companies that specialise in providing this exact service – of making a home look absolutely spotless, calm, de-cluttered and, in short, alluring!

When we’re looking at houses, we all kid ourselves that we can see past such obvious tactics to the basic shape and structures below. But the truth is that we can’t. We are all taken in to a greater or lesser extent by what goes in through our eyes – no matter how hard we try and override it with simple logic.

So when it comes to selling or buying a home – by far the largest investment decision most of us ever make – we’re no different. In Scandinavian countries, potential buyers simply expect to see a home presented at its absolute best and most polished.

But in other countries they don’t. So if you really want to sell, go for it with the cleaning equipment, de-clutter, buy a few choice pieces you’d like to take with you when you eventually do sell from Harveys Furniture or another reputable retailer.

Also, pick fabrics like quilt covers, cushions, rugs, curtains, and fabric sofa colours that complement the overall design and watch how quickly it sells.

Another good tip is to ask a friend who’ll be completely candid with you what he or she thinks of the place once you think it’s ready. A fresh pair of objective eyes can really help.

Happy cleaning!

For anyone interested in home improvements, doing some jobs yourself is a great way to save a bit of money, but it’s important that you get it right. A botch DIY job that’s not been carried out properly will mean you are likely to spend more money in the long run, correcting your mistakes, than if you had simply paid for the job to be done professionally in the first place.

So, it is vital that you follow step by step guides and instructions before attempting any DIY job in the home. In this article, you will find some useful tips on DIY fitting your own doors.

First of all, make sure you measure the doorway accurately and select the right sized door. This means measuring the overall opening space, the middle, top, bottom and height of the door and doorway. You should consider which way the door will open: inwards or outwards. If your door is to open inwards, ensure that no items of furniture, such as beds or tables, are in the way.

(When fixing a new bedroom door, you may also decide you wish to replace some of your bedroom furniture. In which case, you can find a really decent range at Bensons for Beds. And the prices are very reasonable too.)

Once you have your measurements, you can make any small adjustments to the size of your door by planning the wood. Mark hinge positions on your door frame and the door.

Screw each hinge into your door with just one screw and check it opens and shuts properly before using your remaining screws.

Follow all these tips and you should find that you are left with a wonderful new door that you can feel extra proud of because you’ve done it yourself!

We’ve all tried our bits of DIY in the past, successful or maybe a little less successful. And we all know what a pleasure or drag decorating can be, and one of the biggest issues when decorating your home is the colour scheme.

Some like blue and some like orange, but everyone knows they’re complementary colours so it’s probably not a good idea to use them both in one room, unless you’re a professional interior designer and know exactly what you’re doing and how to make it work. If you’re not one, but you’re still keen on using the two, or another pair of complementary colours for that matter, say green and red, you can try using one colour for the courtains and lamp, and then the other for bedding. Occasionaly throw in a bit of  black and white in there just to tie it all together.

Then look at your beds. You might not think you can do anything with them, but there are plenty of stockists such as http://www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk that do beds in a wide range of colours and in a wide range of material, from all different types of wood to metal and even leather.

Then lastly look at your walls. Think of colours first and then think of whether you’d like wallpaper or not, for instance. Wallpaper comes in a wide range of patterns and colours and if you’re looking to add a bit of flavour to your bedroom, why not go into a shop now and pick your favourite style. I guarantee you it will end up looking amazing even if you fit it yourself!

The ultimate in sensual luxury, leather bedding may be something you have only day-dreamed about, but now leather bedding is a reality. However, with prices starting at around £350 for a single Italian leather sheet, it’s worth looking at how else you can get the soft and seductive nature of leather into your bedroom.

These days, even leather childrens beds are available, in cute colours like pink and blue, and you may find that leather beds cost less than you think. Faux fur throws and sheepskin rugs add further texture and drama to a bedroom décor. But to kit out a whole bed in leather perhaps could be described as overkill.

There’s nothing wrong with making an investment in your bedroom furniture, and if you’re looking to replace a bed, than make sure your money is well spent by going to a reputable firm like Sleepmasters for the best range and advice on the high street. But, if you just want to add an accent of leather to your bedroom décor, why not try a project like a leather pillow or cushion. Search on the internet for instructions and similar projects. You could also try your hand at covering a headboard in leather. Do bear in mind that leather is a little harder to handle than regular fabric, though, and requires more upkeep. Remember that when you start a project involving leather, you are making a long-term commitment to the care and upkeep of the material.

Avoid an overly masculine look by bringing in softer tones. Neutral paint will compliment and not clash with the dark black or brown of the leather. Natural materials such as pure wool and cotton can add a much needed sense of innocence to what can, if not kept under control, be overtly bachelor.

Mexican bedroom furniture creates a relaxing, rustic atmosphere that’s sultry and easy-going. A Mexican bedroom fits well into homes which already have a rustic theme such as log cabin and Santa Fe styles, and is a real contrast to more genteel Art Deco, and French Country themes.

In look and feel there is a sense of both rustic simplicity and the discovery of exotic treasures from a distant land. So it’s no surprise that the versatility, informality and resilience of the Mexican style is one of the most popular in forward-thinking modern décor. Bear it in mind when you are looking at beds or bidding for furniture at auction. Follow my step-by-step guide to creating a Mexican tocador.

If you’re lucky enough to find one, choose an antique bed in carved wood or wrought iron, or go for an antique-style from a specialist bed store like Sleepmasters.co.uk. Or use a plain mattress with a wall-mounted, architectural salvage headboard such as a mantelpiece or an intricate section of wrought-iron fencing.

Store clothing in trunks, chests of drawers, blanket boxes and armarios adapted from European styles. Salvaged doors with a distressed look can be used as the doors of a wardrobe. Distress bedside tables to the max – peeling paint is a bonus, so look out at junk stores.

Pick lamps to suit the bedside tables. Use more elaborate traditional styles, combining glass or ceramic with metal, with finer bedside tables in the French or Spanish style. Plainer styles such as lamps with simple wrought-iron or rustic-pottery bases work well with humbler tables. In the centre of the ceiling hang a wrought iron light-fixture. Chandeliers look impressive.

If you are going for a formal look, choose brocade or silk for your bed linen. For a less refined setting, a patchwork quilt and simple tab-top curtains will go well. Curtain rods in either case may be wrought iron or wooden poles, but the finials and carvings can be elaborate when your room is on the formal side.

And voila! A Mexican bedroom. Cacti optional!

Has anyone with a good eye for interior design ever put a colour swatch together for you as a suggestion for a room – or have you ever done this for yourself?

It’s a great way of putting a few colours together for whatever important room in the house you have in mind.

It can be done with anything – old scraps of material or torn up magazines etc.

And if you do this – you’ll quickly see that not only is this a great way of testing out colours and finishes – but the scruffy swatch itself often looks great and of course it’s the only thing you have that includes a little of every colour and finish in the room – presuming you follow your favourite colour swatch of course.

So it’s a good idea to put together a patchwork cushion colour swatch of all the colours to really tie the room together. A couple of these can really transform the room. If you pick up a couple of sofas in the sofa sales and other bits and pieces in the furniture sale, a living room can often look smart but maybe a little spartan or soulless. But if you’ve done your colour planning right, then a patchwork cushion can have a truly transformational effect.

So cut out your chosen pieces, sew them together, (sew two together in two separate lots, iron them, then sew along the seam to make a pattern of four – do this twice for eight etc).

Next, cut out backing fabric, layer it up with wadding and place your patchwork on top. Fold the backing fabric over – and now sew a hem around the edge, then sew up three sides, stuff the cushion and sew in the last seam – and voila! You should now have a patchwork colour swatch cushion that adds the finishing coordinated touch to your room – and it will make a huge difference for such a small effort.