5 Easy Ways to Re-Decorate!

This pains me to admit, but I used to be a total stereotypical woman when it came to DIY and decorating and could just about manage to wield a paint brush when needed but stayed away from cutting in the edges. I was much more of a give me a cushion cover to sew and it will look the bomb kind of girl rather than a pass me the drill and these shelves will be up in minutes. However, when I used to live with an ex-friend of mine, she was very boy and I kind of had to join in with this an it resulted in me being able to tile (I did a whole shower and kitchen wall!!!) wallpaper, drill and yes put up shelves as well as a load of other things. This opened up a whole new world of things I was able and could do and this comes in very handy especially as even now we don’t have an overly DIY man in the house (I also hate myself for that sentence but hey whatever!) We used to have my step-dad but Bear is much more tech based than drill based but I am happy to give anything a go. However, I can’t go too mad, especially as we live in rented accommodation, but you don’t always need to decorate to re-decorate…

As I said, you can actually make a room look completely different and updated without wielding a paintbrush, roller or even pasting table and it doesn’t have to be expensive either. So, I thought I’d do a quick 5 tip round-up of tips and tricks I’ve used since moving into our new house:

Throw Away

Now, when we moved into our rented house, we were told that we could change carpets etc if we wanted but we’d need to put it back. Now, the carpet in the lounge was very vintage 70s floral and didn’t necessarily go with our black sofas. We’d previously had a very modern lounge with black sofas and whilst black goes with everything, they were a bit harsh with the floral carpet. So rather than shelling out and getting rid of perfectly good sofas, we simply decided to cover them with some nice throws. These are also fantastic with a toddler as they can quickly be chucked in the washing machine for a fresh, clean look again. They really brightened up the room and tied the room together.

Stick It

We were very fortunate upon moving into our rented house that the room that was to be Alyssa’s room was already painted a nice subtle pink colour (though we were given free reign to decorate as we have a nice landlord) which meant we didn’t need to really do anything to her room. However, when she moved into her new toddler bed, the walls suddenly looked very blank and bare, but I didn’t want to paint. Problem was solved when I came across wallsauce.com who do the most gorgeous wall murals for any size walls. We were going with a fairy theme and I chose to get the peel and stick (though you can get the wallpaper paste versions) enchanted forest to go with her theme. It was so simple to put up and I’d done it within two hours (paint would not have been dry in this time) and she thought it was magical – job done!

Light Up

Shockingly and weirdly, something that can make a huge difference to a room is the lighting in it. One of the bedrooms in our house (mine actually) is often quite dark and I like to use energy efficient light bulbs meaning they don’t always get that bright anyway. I also wanted quite a soft look in my room as I definitely need a place to relax. So, I went and found a couple of sets of copper fairy lights (I also use re-usable batteries) and put a set along my windowsill and another set along the back of my headboard and the really add a warmth to the room as well as a softness and the only cost £5 all together!

Look At It

My bedroom was completely cream (which I topped up with a fresh coat when we moved in) and was quite plain. I only had one really high item in the room which was a wardrobe but the rest of the walls were quite blank and definitely needed sprucing up. Now, you could put some gorgeous prints up on the wall or like me you could get some memories put onto canvas prints and hang them around the room. Taking so many photos of Alyssa and of us together was the perfect excuse to get some put on my walls as opposed to them remaining in digital space for the rest of time.

Soft and Fluffy

The last and probably most simple change (when it comes to the bedroom) is to shop online for some new bed linen. The bed is often the focal point of any room and so what you put on your bed can really effect the overall look of the room. I went and found some gorgeous pastel Moroccan inspired linen as well as some copper (matching the lights) and pastel coloured cushions in different shapes and sizes and popped those all in a strategic pile on top… and I love it!

There you have it folks – 5 easy ways to re-decorate without once having to pick up a paintbrush or drill and they won’t cost you the absolute bomb either. They’re also all a hell of a lot easier than turning your floor into a 2p money floor covered in resin.

*This was a collaborative post.