Caxton magazines staffLooking for a speedy way to give a ‘blah’ room a stylish boost? Most of these fab quick fixes can be done over a weekend
COLOUR CONFIDENTIAL
Brighten up an all-white kitchen by giving the chairs around your table a fresh coat of paint in a cheerful, on-trend colour. As these chairs had a lot of intricate detail, they were spray-painted by a contractor to give a smooth, even finish, but if you’re handy with a paint brush you can do it yourself.
HANGING ABOUT
Update your kitchen or dining room with a new pendant light or series of lights in a mod industrial design. Besides providing task lighting, they’ll also draw attention to an island or a table. Fit them with a dimmer so you can change the mood.
RUG TRADE
Rugs are an easy way to instantly create a new look in any room – stripes for a casual style, ikats and dhurries for the world traveller feel and geometrics for something more sophisticated. Use them to define a seating area and add softness and texture.
THE DARK SIDE
Tired of your all-white kitchen? To give it a really dramatic look paint the cabinets black – it looks great contrasted with white splashbacks and walls – and bring in colourful accessories. If the doors are melamine, first prime them with a melamine primer. A fun idea is to use blackboard paint on a couple of them so that they can double as memo boards.
RITE OF PASSAGE
Do you have a boring blank wall at the end of the passage in your home? Turn it into a feature with a piece of furniture such as a chest of drawers, a few colourful accessories and some artwork.
