10 ways to give your house a budget-friendly makeover

Give your house a fresh new look with these easy and budget friendly decorative tips.

Humans are ever evolving, and whether we realise it or not, we crave change. We are very happy and comfortable with nostalgia, but change is exciting, a whole new level of brave, and it is inevitable. So, we know you have lived in that house for years and years, perhaps all your life, but just like you grow as a person, it is important for your environment to grow with you. We are not advocating that you change houses altogether. No! What we are saying is, let your surroundings evolve with you, give your house that much needed makeover! Here are some easy do-it-yourself improvements you can make to your house without touching the structure at all!

1. Get with the times

Yes, many of us are technologically impaired and making that transition from a book to a tablet has taken a toll already. But some of these new gadgets available are not just for fun, they also serve a functional purpose to make life easy. From cute little dinosaur candles to creative, and aesthetically pleasing, bathroom gadgets can definitely be a cool addition to your house.

2. Turn empty glass jars and bottles into crafty vases or hanging candle holders

All of us have tonnes and tonnes of empty mayonnaise jars and juice bottles just lying in the corner of our house somewhere, collecting dust. The best way to put these little trinkets to use is to buy a some paint, colour the bottles to your hearts content and fill them up with some flowers; decorate your kitchen with these. But don't overdo it with different colours, go with one colour theme! Or make some beautiful candle holders to decorate your entrance or your dining table. You could always make your own aquarium to (literally) bring life into a room but converting a jar into a  small fish tank.

3.  Funky wooden crates

If you are smart, you never get rid of the sturdy fruit crates, or general crates that come to your house. Some of the most useful, do-it-yourself contraptions can be created with a good quality crate; and they are especially great for cost-effective makeovers. You can use them into rustic coffee tables, paint them and use them as shelves for your kids' rooms, or throw some pillows on top and make a cosy little reading corner near a window! When it comes to crates, the sky really is the limit.

4. Brighten up

Lights are the most essential element of any room. Adding quirky yet colourful lights may give your room the much needed revamp it needs. If you can't find nice string lights, you can always make them yourself - and trust me, all of us had to do this in school, so it really isn't that difficult to make!

5. Mirror, mirror on the wall

Mirrors usually do the trick of making smaller rooms appear bigger. If the idea of plain and simple mirrors doesn't appeal to you, decorate it. All you need is a mirror and any accessories you like, be it fairy lights, buttons, sequence, paint, glitter, paper-pins, stones, old magazines, marbles or shells.

6. Hang up some bright artwork

You have lots of barren walls and no money to buy wall paper? We know exactly what you need. Paint that barren wall yourself and cover it up with a large, gorgeous painting. And if you enjoy painting yourself, make a painting yourself or cover the wall with a self-made mural; the word boring will NEVER come to mind again.

7. Add distinctive rugs

One distinctive, trendy rug can change the entire look of your room instantly! Rugs come in all shapes, sizes and costs, so make sure you understand the use of this rug first. If it is going to be lying in a room very frequently used, don't invest in something expensive, just beautiful and cheap - something replaceable every few years; but if it a look that sets itself around the rug, put in that extra cash! Of course, we will never let you leave without a do-it-yourself option, so if you have the time to spare and the creative juices running, make that rug yourself - and it really isn't as difficult as you think. You could put pieces of a whole bunch of carpets together or you could use some acrylic paints and let creativity light your way.

8. Go green

Adding some plants to any room brightens the place up and gives it a fresh, clean look. There are many ways to include plants in your home decor, indoors and outdoors. And the best part, you can make use of your plastic bottles too! Have a look:

9. Picture it

Find a central wall in your house, it could be in the corridor, your bedroom or the TV lounge. Now paint this wall a really bright colour. Now print out a whole bunch of fun photographs, put them in frames of the same colour and fill this wall up. Start slowly and keep it growing! Not only does this look amazing, it has great nostalgic and excitement value.

10. Play with colours

If you have an old bed sheets, table cloths, curtains, upholstery or just random cloth and laces/buttons lying around, it is time to put all that fabric to use. Nothing makes a room cozier than pillows, in all shapes and sizes, strewn across sofas, beds and floor cushions. You can use the fabric to make the pillow cases and the best part is, the more different one pillow case is from another the better they look together!