Free ways to give your home some love this Valentine’s Day

Staging your home is important when you want to sell. Colours, fabrics, and pictures on the walls all create an atmosphere and give buyers an impression of what life would feel like living there. Even if you’re not thinking of selling, revamping your living spaces can be a real mood booster. Why not try a few of these ideas to change your room’s look? All you’ll need to spend is a little time:

1. Arrange your coffee table: A stack of books, a tray or basket, and a vase of flowers are all you need to make your coffee table look stylish and pulled together.

2. Cut foliage from outside and put in water: You don’t even need flowers, a bit of green foliage from the hedge or tip of a tree branch can be beautiful.

3. Use up leftover paint on small projects: A bit of paint left in the can is all you need to paint a mirror frame or group of accessories. Try painting just the legs of a table or chairs, the edges of picture frames, the interior of a tray or the bottom of a vase.

4. Use your best crockery: Don’t wait for a special occasion to bring out the good plates or fancy glasses. Elevate your daily routine by using your best. What’s the point of having it, if it just sits in a cupboard most of the year?

5. Swap photos in frames: An easy way to give your room a fresh look is simply by trading out the photos or artwork in the frames on the wall. Use old black and white family photos, landscapes from a recent trip or something completely different, like art postcards.

6. Give something away: Sometimes making space is the best way to appreciate your home. Pick 10 items that you no longer like and give them away to refresh your room.

7. Set a timer and speed clean: A clean house feels fresh, welcoming, and well-loved. Set the timer for 10, 15 or 20 minutes, and go to town. If you’re on a roll when the bell dings, set it again!

8. Move your furniture around: Try switching chairs, side tables or lamps between rooms for a fresh look.

9. Make loose photos a focal point: Looking at old photos is fun, but it’s easy to forget about them when they’re hidden away in a box. Try setting out a random assortment of photos in a bowl on the coffee table, or at least leave albums sitting out where you can enjoy them.

10. Rearrange your counters: Counters seem to get cluttered up when you’re back’s turned, but it doesn’t take long to get things in order again. Start by clearing everything off your countertop and replace only the items you use daily. To take it a step further, choose a few pretty items to display, like a serving tray propped against the wall and a vase filled with flowers.

11. Try your rugs in different rooms: Why not bring your dining room rug into the kitchen or switch your living room rug to the bedroom? You may like the results so much, you make it a permanent change, and if not, you can always put the rugs back.

12. Organize your books: Organising books by colour is very therapeutic and can really make an impact.

13. Change the look of a chair or sofa with blankets: For a quick change, fold a blanket and drape it across the back of an armchair.

14. Use candles: Nothing says “hygge” quite like a candle. Light them whenever you want a little mood boost. Put them on the coffee table or the dining table for an instantly romantic and relaxing ambience.

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