Let’s face it, decorating a house is a costly business. But when you’re having to live with a decor that you inherited from a previous inhabitant or your home is looking a little tired, there’s nothing like sprucing up a room to make things feel and look brighter.

Our home still needs some work before we can say we’ve well and truly put our stamp on it, but what I have learned over the process of doing up a house that needed/s a lot of work, is that revamping a room can be cheaper than you think.

Here are five things to think about if your home needs a little TLC.

A LICK OF PAINT

There’s a reason paint is so popular. With little cost and little effort, you can transform a room in a few hours with a tin of paint, a couple of paintbrushes and a little bit of elbow grease!

There’s nothing like a new coat of paint to make things look fresher. So if your room doesn’t need any major work or your budget is tiny, then paint could well be your best friend here.

And don’t just think walls either! Skirting boards, doors and fireplaces can all be easily transformed with a little paint. Whether you’re a fan of neutrals or love bold colour, there’s a tin of paint with your name on it so don’t be afraid to experiment.

CHANGE THE LIGHTING

The lighting in a house is one of the biggest things in my opinion, because it really does dictate the mood of a room. So look around and think what you can do with light to make a room look and feel better?

Can you scrap your window blinds and replace with curtains to let in more natural light? Or bring in a couple new lamps to boost the ambience in the evening? Or as autumn begins, what about adding a few candles to your fireplace?

It’s amazing how changing or improving the lighting in a room can totally alter it’s feel.

PAPER THE WALL/S

Wallpaper isn’t for everyone but if you’re bored of your decor and want to jazz up a room for little cost and effort, adding some print or texture to a wall or walls is so effective.

Pinterest has some great ideas if you’re looking for some inspiration and don’t forget that most DIY stores allow you to take home a sample of wallpaper so you can get a better understanding of how a wallpapered wall may look.

CHANGE YOUR FLOORING

Stuck with old dirty carpets? Then get rid of them. Flooring doesn’t have to be costly, particularly if you’re confident at having a go yourself.

You could replace an old carpet with a new one (most carpet retailers sell off cuts for a much cheaper price) or perhaps think about adding laminate flooring. It’s much cheaper than a wooden floor, relatively easy to lay and looks fantastic. Plus a laminate floor is easy to clean so it’s particularly great if you’ve got pets or young children.

Can’t afford either of those options? Then you could invest in a fabulous rug or hire a professional carpet cleaner to brighten things up.

GET ARTY

I’m a big fan of gallery walls as I think they bring so much character and are the perfect way to add some life to a room without spending the earth or putting in too much effort! They also allow you to show off your personality and bring ‘you’ into a home.

So look around and get creative. On my walls, I have everything from photographs of the kids to my daughter’s first pieces of artwork, an old antique mirror that belonged to a great grandparent and art prints that I fell in love with.

It doesn’t have to be expensive and you can be as creative as you like! Plus the beauty of having art on your walls is that you can move things around or change what you display when you get bored or come across something even more fabulous.