It’s not the right time for big interior projects to be started in December.
If you’re looking to update your home before the visitors arrive, then we can help with some fast-fix ideas.
We have seven great tips that will help you achieve a completely new look.
Gallery wall: Arty can be a great way to add visual interest in hallways, staircases, living spaces, bedrooms or other areas.
Put the paint on
With today’s improved technology, paint dries faster, so you won’t need to vacate a room for days on end.
Designer Andrew Martin’s paint collection is touch-dry in just 20 minutes and can be recoated after an hour.
So whether you plan to paint a whole room or just a feature wall, you can start after breakfast and be done by the school run — if not before.
Paint is 100% water-based, virtually odour-free. There are 114 colours that reflect travel and adventure when choosing colors.
Among daring darks, there’s Mendoza Malbec and Japanese Kimono. If you’re inclined to go neutral, there’s Maasai Mist and Sussex Flint. From £31.
K.D. Loves launches a range of wicker hampers labelled ‘roompack’ that are filled with matching items
Accessory for Ace
Accessorize your room with new accessories to brighten it up. You don’t have to worry about choosing the perfect combination of design and colour. Instead, you can buy ready-made accessories that compliment each other.
K.D. Loves has created such a solution and launched a collection of ‘roompack’ wicker hampers filled with matching pieces.
The Salthouse roompack comes with a fuchsia throw and an orange and fuschia marmalade lamp. Priced from £1,200.
Kitchen update
Chests of drawers and sideboards are given new life with drawer and door handles.
Try the Adeline knotted handle in gold (£18, Anthropologie) or the Mother of Pearl brass handle.
If you feel like splashing out, head to Buster + Punch for some slick designs such as the gunmetal pull bar (£42).
If you want to add colour and personality, try brightly painted ceramic knobs (from £8, Anthropologie).
Instant gallery
A gallery wall displays carefully selected prints and photographs on a wall. It is made using photo frames.
It’s the perfect way to add interest to hallways, stairwells, living rooms, or bedrooms, fast. Don’t spend time spacing frames out. Buy a complete set.
Each photo frame at The White Company is numberable with a sticker matching up to two templates.
The guidelines mean you just need to align each frame (from £180).
If you’d prefer wall art to family photos, try the set of 12 Dera framed abstract prints at Oka (£395) or the Eva Watts Tropical Leaves framed prints (£140, John Lewis).
Fast sofas
Do you need a brand new sofa in a hurry? There are many brands that offer pre-made sofas which can be shipped within days.
Sofa Workshop promises its customers that they will receive all their in-stock sofas within 5-10 days.
Snug sofas can be ordered before Christmas and guaranteed by us. Crucially, they can be assembled in minutes and don’t require any tools.
Comfortable bedding
With your bed as the focal point of a bedroom, it’s a good place to start for a fresh look.
The classic white sheet is always popular. Try 600 thread count cotton bedding from Soak & Sleep (from £25).
Add a luxury quilt to add an additional layer of comfort. Oliver Bonas’s pink and green quilted velvet bedspread is a favourite (£125).
Fancy flutes are what your home requires
Oka has a £60 set of four champagne flutes in sapphire blue
Is champagne better if it is drunk in a long, narrow glass or from a large, wide-rimmed coupe?
It’s a bitterly divided issue which may never be satisfactorily agreed upon.
But, either way, your home needs some of these glasses to raise a toast to better times — be that a Pol Roger, award-winning Aldi or a prosecco.
If you want to splash out, Oka has a £60 set of four in sapphire blue while Waterford offers the Marquis Markham, a cut-glass style (£70 for four).
The coupe’s design is claimed to have been inspired by the breasts of Marie Antoinette, but was, in fact, created more than a century before her birth.
Wolf & Badger has a £79 set of six, hand-engraved with a Victorian pattern.
Liberty has £27.50 set of two in smoked grey with a gold rim . If you fear breakages at a lively celebration, the Anyday set of four from John Lewis costs £15.
