DECORATING ON A SHOESTRING

I honestly believe you can create a space that looks like you’ve spent a million bucks on it when actually you’ve spent very little. Here are a few tips that don’t require a ton of cash:

Paint

Cheapest, most transformative thing you can do to any room. It’s the biggest game changer out there. If you want a new look in a day, switch up your paint palette – it’s made the biggest difference to my pad.

Rethink your hardware

Door pulls, knobs, handles are an easy inexpensive way to upgrade cupboards and internal doors. You can go for matte finishes, glossy finishes, you can supersize – it makes the biggest difference. In my kitchen, even IKEA cabinets look bespoke with a few hardware changes!

Add more lights

Don’t restrict yourself to just thinking practically when it comes to lights. Yes you need task lighting and so on, but really more is more. Dim or switch off the overhead lights and use lamps for the most beautiful effect. Table lights should be everywhere and anywhere they add the most beautiful glow to a space. For an average sized room, 8 should be your starting point – build up from there. Second most transformative thing you can do – ever!

Styling skills

I’m a big lover of open shelving, as they instantly become a design feature in themselves. My top tip is to paint them out the same colour as your walls and while you’re styling them up remember to restrict the palette to a few hues. It looks way more sophisticated that way and it means you can mix anything with anything.

Artful arrangements

Buy prints, posters, go to auction houses (if you’re following me on instagram you’ll have seen a huge oil painting I brought from an auction house recently. £95 and huge I adore it!) Art injects instant personality, ramps up the style ratings that really warm up a space. And it really doesn’t have to be expensive.