Home Improvements

It’s a bit of a contentious issue for some people; kids who don’t leave home or indeed, kids who do leave home, attend university, maybe have a year’s travel and then return to the loving fold of their Mum and Dad’s house to ‘save up’ or even just ‘to recover’.

During the 50s, 60s, and even the 70s there was an unfortunate trend in home decoration which resulted in many beautiful and original fireplaces being ripped out.

If you are lucky enough to live in a heritage property, then you will be only too aware of some of the drawbacks to living in older houses. Creaky floors, draughty doors and windows and dodgy wiring being just a few.

If you’re trying to declutter or just revamp your home in the New Year, you may want to install some new shelving throughout your home. Shelves are incredibly easy to fit and you can even make your own from timber rather than buying sets. Here are some of the basic types of shelf and how to fit them.

Every Christmas you accumulate even more stuff, so January’s the perfect time to start decluttering and finding homes for all of your new presents. You can effectively organise your home quickly with just a few new storage options.

Finding good wall decorations can be difficult – especially if you want something unique – so why not make them yourself. It takes surprisingly little time and skill to make beautiful wall decorations that suit your home and family – you just need a little patience and a plan for what you want to do. Here are 3 of our favourites from around the web.

Bay windows offer the perfect space for a window seat, whether you want a quiet reading nook or just some more storage. It’s a great way to use the additional space that bay windows offer, which is often just wasted. The structures you need to create for a sturdy window seat are fairly simple but cutting out some of the angles may be more challenging, especially if you don’t have a mitre saw.

Decorating your staircase may not be one of your biggest DIY priorities, but you can make a huge difference to the feel of your hallway and home in general by updating it. Anything from replacing some parts or adding a lick of paint, through to adding decorative touches, can help you keep your home looking fresh.

It can be surprisingly difficult to find a good desk that fits your home, needs, and budget, but very few people consider making their own. You can make anything from a single desk top through to corner desks using timber or sheet materials. Take a look at these ideas for a little inspiration, and click through to the instructions if you find something you like.

Winter means your family will be wearing far more boots and coats, and it doesn’t take long for your hallway to look messy and disorganised (especially with kids leaving school and sports bags lying around too). Here are a few ideas to upgrade and update your hallway while giving them somewhere to store shoes, trainers, boots, bags, and coats.