While restrictions have eased dramatically, it’s hard to say when things will get back to normal, and it looks like people will still be spending more time at home for the next year at least.
So the question is: How can you make the most of your time at home? While having an opportunity to regain a healthy perspective and rearrange your priorities is a great thing, you also want to be productive, right? Well, fixing up your home as you ride out the end of the pandemic could be the perfect goal. And we’ve got some easy and affordable home improvement ideas for you to consider.
Ready to redesign your home? The White Interior Design Studio offers homeowners timeless and practical interior design solutions and services for all budgets. Get in touch for personalised ideas or keep reading to get inspired!
DIY and Minor Home Improvement Ideas
There are plenty of small DIY projects that you can handle while being at home, and they’ll make a significant difference in the appeal and value of your property. Let’s dive into a few of them.
1. Spruce Up Your Bathroom
There are plenty of ways to improve your bathroom without fully renovating it. The easiest thing you can do is changing or adding a towel rack, a new cabinet, shelves, a new mirror or vanity lighting. You could also paint your existing cabinet and change the colour and mood of the room.
It all depends on your existing bathroom and what you want to achieve. Give it a thought and see how would be the best way to improve it and go from there. You can start by swapping out your faucets for new ones or switching to a tankless toilet. Maybe the old bath is not for you anymore and you want to include a new shower instead.
If you finally think that a renovation is definitely needed, take a look at these tips to make the most of your bathroom design
2. Creating a Home Office
If you’re working from home right now, you’ve probably learned the challenges that come with balancing your work-home life. One of the best ways to help you stay productive is to create a dedicated workspace. Not only does this offer boundaries so you can stay focused better while you work from home indefinitely, but it can foster creativity, too.
Think about where would be the best place for your new workspace. Maybe you have a spare room where you can install a desk and a comfortable chair or maybe you have to get creative and find the space in any of your already busy rooms. A small desk in the bedroom can be comfortable and beautiful. In the same way, you can have a dedicated area and make it work in the living room. Built-in workspaces under the staircase or using shelves are great ideas too.
3. Change Up Your Kitchen Cabinets
Simple changes like replacing hardware can make a difference in how your kitchen cabinets look. A kitchen can completely change its look by replacing the fronts of the doors and drawers or even just painting them. If your kitchen has old cabinets in colour or shape that you don’t like, simply switch the doors for new ones and the kitchen would look new too.
If you want to go the extra mile, consider sanding down the cabinets and refinishing or repainting them too.
4. Making Your Front Door Pop
One simple way to boost curb appeal is to paint your front door. Opt for a vibrant colour (red, blue, green…) or a neutral one that will stand out and add interest to your property. Choose the right colour for your house based on your preferences, the building and surroundings. Click here to see some ideas and inspiration. Interestingly, the right colour can even add to your home’s value.
5. Painting the Walls
Of course, painting the walls can also do wonders for any space. The mood of the room would vary a lot depending on the colour of the walls. Think about dark tones for intimate and cosy rooms and light tones if you prefer airy and brighter areas in your house.
For a timeless design, we always recommend using neutral colours for your walls. Also, if you have any plans to sell, you’ll want to consider those tones too. Off-white, beige, grey… are paint colours that would work amazingly well with any kind of furniture. There are hundreds of nuances though, and it can seem pretty confusing to select the right colour for you. Check this guide to find the best neutral colours for your property.
6. Panelling the Walls
Alternatively, you can also add some texture to your walls with wooden panels. There are so many options out there, but we are huge fans of these natural oak panels from Nature Wall. At The White Interior, we have installed those panels in some of our design projects creating amazing rooms full of warmth and interest. They can be the feature wall of a bedroom, living room or entrance. They look gorgeous and they are super easy to install. Perfect fit for DIY home improvement ideas!
Major Home Improvement Ideas
There are also many bigger projects to consider. While these home improvement ideas will require more time and energy — and possibly the services of a professional — they can add some serious resale value to your property.
Now, you might be worried about how the pandemic would affect a bigger renovation. If you need funds to make your project happen, keep in mind remortgaging is still an option, regardless of the ongoing pandemic. However, rates keep fluctuating, so do the research so you can make an informed decision and time your project wisely.
1. Install decking outdoors
Building a deck for your backyard or your balcony isn’t cheap, but it can add quite a bit to a home’s resale value. Plus, it can provide your family with some fun and relaxing times outside.
We love natural textures and products, but considerer installing composite decking instead of natural if you prefer easy maintenance. Natural decking needs sanding and oiling every year, so if you want a maintenance-free outdoor space check composite alternatives instead.
2. Improve the lighting of your rooms
Consider changing the lighting on your property. Nice lighting can improve a room considerably. If your rooms are too dark or too bright, check your lighting. The light may be too intense because you have too many spotlights on the ceiling. Think about additional lightings like wall lamps, pendants or floor lamps. Also, check the possibility of indirect lighting in ceilings or skirting.
Light is a really important part of any design. Contact The White Interior if you want help to think about the best ways to improve your house through clever lighting ideas.
3. Replacing the Garage Door
This might seem a bit random, but replacing a garage door has one of the highest ROIs of any home improvement you can make. Replace your old garage door with a stylish new one. Sometimes these old doors make too much noise or don’t insulate or secure efficiently. In many cases, you not only make your home look better, but you also recoup pretty much all the costs you put in.
4. Replacing the Windows
Putting in new windows can make your home more attractive, but it can also help you save some serious money on your monthly energy bill. Depending on the style of your home, you can opt for modern and black frameless windows or for a more romantic vibe with sash windows instead like in the picture above. Go with double-paned windows for the best ROI.
5. Consider changing the layout of a room
Maybe your living room is too small and the room just next to it is too big. Why not improve your home by making a better layout? Sometimes it only takes removing one wall to change the look of a property completely.
Like adding a decking area to your garden or improving the lighting in your property, we understand that this is a major improvement and it needs planning. We recommend you speak with a designer about the best ideas and ways to proceed while doing a renovation. Having a plan and a good design will save you money and make everything simpler!
6. Add bespoke joinery
Sometimes the best addition you can have to improve your house is more clever storage. We truly believe that this is an important part of every design. From built-in wardrobes in bedrooms to entrance cabinets to store coats and shoes, a good design makes a great difference for practical and aesthetic solutions.
Clever storage solutions will make your life easier and more comfortable while allowing tidy and airy rooms in your home. Check this top 10 best storage solutions with custom joinery for inspiration.