Published at 09:51, Friday, 13 March 2009

DO you ever get fed up of looking at the same old decor around your home?

There’s nothing actually wrong with it, but it can be a shock to the system to realise that you have had the three piece suite since the children were little, and those curtains have been hanging in the spare room since before the Millennium.

Everyone’s thoughts turn to spring cleaning at this time of year, but instead of just going round with the feather duster, or bottoming the back bedroom, why not go the whole hog, and give your home a complete new look with the latest in modern design ideas?

With the housing market having ground to a complete halt, very few people are actually moving house, so more and more are doing the next best thing – giving their existing homes a major facelift.

All that money you have saved in solicitor’s fees, Stamp Duty, the estate agent’s cut, and advertising expenses can be spent on refurbishing your existing property.

And there is the added bonus of not having to show strangers round your home, as they sniffily pointing out the defects in your pride and joy.

Spring is the perfect time to begin brightening up the home. The question is, where to begin?

The best way is to make a careful survey of the home, room by room. Try seeing your home with stranger’s eyes.

Ask yourself if the comforting blemishes you hardly notice, such as the slightly scruffy carpet, worn upholstery, chipped paint and stained wall coverings, really convey the image you want?

Start thinking about where improvements can be made, and how redecorating can be fitted in with other commitments.

There’s nothing worse than moving all the furniture, stripping off wallpaper and laying out the dust sheets – and then finding you’ve got to go out and do the weekly shop, or that you’d agreed to babysit for the afternoon.

It’s possible, of course, that the decor is fine but other things look a little ‘dingy’.

Well, a new set of soft furnishings can work miracles. New curtains, matching blinds and nets perhaps, could add that extra layer of luxury and privacy to each room.

Add a fashionable pelmet with matching ties, and perhaps even an electrically operated curtain drawing mechanism, and you will have added immediately to the comfort and elegance of a room.

You can buy the curtains ready-made, they can be made-to-measure, or you can search among the wonderful selection of fabrics available now and make them up yourself – there are some stupendous bargains around at the moment.

While buying the window dressings, don’t forget that lampshades, loose covers and cushions can all be made up in your own choice of fabrics for that co-ordinated look.

And if loose covers are not exactly what you want, a new three-piece suite or a couple of settees can lift almost any room out of the doldrums and, again, there are some wonderful bargains to be had in furniture departments.

Consider your kitchen – is it up to scratch? A brand new layout may or may not be out of the question but you can make it all look new with tiles or sheet mirror splashbacks, new flooring, new work surfaces, or just a change of lighting.

New lighting can make a big difference to any room not just the kitchen, though here, more than anywhere else in the home, good lighting is essential.

And don’t forget, if the carcasses of the units are in good order, you can buy new doors and drawer fronts to bring about a total transformation.

Does your bathroom really welcome you when you go in?

Is it warm and comfortable, or damp and chilly? Warm up your bathroom with extra heating – special radiator fittings can be bought, though remember all plumbing equipment should be professionally fitted.

You could fit new floor coverings – a thick carpet makes life very cosy indeed.

If you don’t fancy carpet, consider cork tiles –they are very warm to the touch, always.

And if those tiled walls still make you feel cold, why not replace them with warm-touch, thick vinyl, specially designed for this room?

Alternatively you could apply cork wall tiles to match the flooring – correctly varnished they are impervious to damp and very warm to touch and look at.

If you are not really comfortable in your bedroom, remedying this really is a priority.

Do you realise you spend at least a third of you life in there? That must warrant more than a casual consideration of decor and comfort.

A new bed could make your nights feel a great deal better and there are a whole range of models to choose from.

Perhaps you would like a waterbed, or an electrically adjustable model? Beds are no longer just ‘shelves’ for sleeping on.

A new duvet could help you sleep in luxurious comfort. Like any other room, you can give it a brand new look by changing the carpet, hanging new curtains, matching scatter cushions, duvet cover, and subdued lighting.

And if you feel like really splashing out, why not go for a completely new bedroom?

Of course if you need to redecorate, you will find the shops full of wonderful wall coverings, wall, floor and ceiling tiles, paints and varnishes, light fittings and doors.

Almost everything is possible these days if you want to improve the amenities of your home.

There really is no excuse for not taking advantage of the selection of goods, materials and ideas that are available at today’s excellent prices.

And if you haven’t the time or skill to do it all yourself, builders, decorators and interior design specialists will help you make your home into the most elegant and comfortable place you could possibly wish it to be.

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk