Redecorating your home doesn’t need to cost the earth. Here are some simple and affordable home DIY hacks to help you on your way.
Spring is just around the corner and there’s nothing like a change in season to inspire a refresh of the home.
But you don’t need to rip up the floorboards and knock down walls to transform a space; little changes can go a long way. When revamping your home on a budget, DIY is a great way of keeping down costs. And it’s way more rewarding, as Jane Thomson, interior designer and star of Changing Rooms Australia, explains.
“With DIY, you put a little bit of yourself into your home, which is so beautiful,” Jane says. “It’s a lovely way to get the whole family involved.”
Designing your home for your needs
While social media can be a good source of inspiration for a home DIY project, Jane says the most important thing is to focus on your personal wants and needs. DIFY if you like – Do it for you.
“It’s got to be about you and how you want to live in your home,” Jane says. “We’ve got this new kind of respect for our spaces now and we’re no longer decorating for the next person that’s going to buy the home.”
Jane suggests writing down all the details about how you want to feel in the space to guide the theme. Then, get creative and “make it yours”.
Basic tools for DIY
There are a few basic tools that Jane recommends every DIY designer has to hand. First and foremost? Tape measure.
“Tape measure is so important,” she says. “Drop sheets are a must. And you need a good pencil and magic eraser to map things out on your walls.”
Jane also recommends having lots of cardboard pieces to hand when testing out wall paint. .
“You want to be able to move that colour around the room. The worst thing is to have stripes of colours on different walls all around because that will actually aggravate you more, and it will make you feel quite nervous about doing your renovation.”
DIY home decor tips
The golden rule in designing or redecorating a room, Jane says, is to decide on the furniture and carpet first as it will be easier to find a paint colour that fits with them than the other way around.
“Look to the floor first, because the floor is the hardest thing to work in with everything else,” she says.
“The worst thing you can do is paint your walls first. There is so much choice in paint colours, but when you’re looking at furniture in your price range, it’s harder to find that perfect colour to go with your walls.”
Jane recommends painting walls yourself as a way to keep costs low as it’s pretty easy to do. When choosing a colour, she points to greens, blues and yellows, which have become popular again, as well as neutrals that give a more natural feel.
She also points to Terrazzo design which is very popular, and lends itself to that natural theme. Terrazzo can be created by placing pieces of broken tiles into a mold and covering them with white cement.
How to upcycle furniture
A fresh paint job is a great way to give a new lease of life to old furniture, Jane explains. You just need a primer such as Zinsser, a sponge roller and some paint.
“You can paint that old daggy pine dresser, say navy blue. You can do it in matte, satin or high gloss, that can look amazing. Add beautiful brass handles which cost next to nothing. You’ve got a new look. It’s just your time on a weekend and at the moment we’ve all got lots of time.”
Another option is to refresh an old metal console table to change up a room.
“You can just hit it with some metal agent and spray it with White Knight (metal paint) for, say, an antique brass look. You can go and get an off-cut slab from your local fabricators that do bench tops, cut it to size. It’ll cost you next to nothing.”
Simple changes to colour and materials can make a big difference when looking to change up your space. And humm can help you stagger the cost of the creative touches that can transform your home.
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