Home makeover ideas – simple ways to transform your home

If you have spent much more time scrutinizing your home in the past year, this list of home makeover ideas is for you. 

Whether it’s a long-postponed decluttering day, a creative project or a decorating revamp, these ideas might have been on your wish list for some time – or maybe you are about to add them. 

None of them is too effortful nor costly – and none should take up too much time (especially if you get someone else to do the work). However, these mini home makeover ideas do have the power to transform and brighten your home.

See: Interior design tips – decorating secrets for the world's top experts

Home makeover ideas – to plan or try this weekend

Take your pick of these home makeover ideas – some will take an hour or two; others are more whole-weekend projects.

1. Get creative with craft

Why not take the time to get your creative hat on and make the most of the supplies you have laying around your house? Whether it’s a DIY spring wreath, like the one above, using old birthday and celebration cards, wall paper samples, cotton, ribbon or leftover fabric – you’ll be amazed at what you can create to help give your home a makeover and have some fun in the process. 

Why not create a fun piece of wall art and frame it to display in your home or use spare fabric to create DIY cushion covers? Not only will the items you create look great on display, but they’ll also be completely unique and personal to you. You can also get the children involved to keep them entertained.

2. Create a gallery wall

If creating a gallery wall in your home is a job you’ve been putting off for a while, now is your chance to get it done! It will create a fresh space in your home whilst helping to add something unique. Whatever your style, gallery walls can provide an instant home makeover that will totally transform any space in your house – whether it’s on your staircase, in your bedroom or pride of place in your living room. All you need is a selection of prints, some equipment to position them on the wall and a bit of creativity.

Creating a gallery wall doesn’t need to be complex or take hours on end. It's all about bringing together your favourite pieces that also showcase your personality. Experiment with different styles and types of wall art – whether that’s a mixture of bold block color prints, bright quirky patterns, typography images or your favourite family photos.

See: How to choose art for your home – curate a collection of beautiful artwork

3. Bring the outdoors indoors

Nature can be a really simplistic but beautiful way to transform your home. If you have a garden that’s starting to bloom in the spring sunshine, why not bring a selection of flowers or a smaller plant indoors? They can make beautiful centrepieces for your dining room table and will add instant brightness in your living room.

If you’re going on a daily walk and pass some wild flowers growing, pick the petals and let them dry out. You can then use them to create natural homemade pot pourri that will make a wonderful addition to any room. Not only do plants and flowers instantly make your space look more beautiful, they can also boost our wellbeing and make us feel uplifted – making them the perfect addition to any home.

4. Reorganize and declutter

If the rooms in your house have looked the same since you moved in, now might be the time to have a rethink. Simply changing the position of the furniture in your home can be a really effective but easy way to give it a makeover. You could move items around to give you optimal space or shake up some of your décor by rearranging bookshelves or ornaments.

As well as transforming your home, removing any clutter and unwanted items can also be really beneficial for your mood, providing a positive, uplifting energy into your home.

5. Make the most of your favorite photos

Many of us will have boxes of photo albums in our homes of all of our favorite memories from the years gone by. Or you might find that you have streams of photos on your phone camera roll. Well, now is the perfect time to utilize those photos to create something beautiful in your home.

Print a selection of your favorite online or choose a selection that have been stored in your attic to create an eye-catching feature wall in your home. Or, if you don’t want to display them on the wall, hang them creatively with bunting or string and some clips. This can instantly transform any room in your house and make you feel happy each time you catch a glimpse of your favorite memories.

6. Give your headboard a new look

With a wealth of headboard ideas to choose from, you can create a focal point in your bedroom by re-covering your existing headboard with some fabric. Be it a beautiful plain velvet, abstract print or a blousy floral, it’s a weekend job that will transform your bedroom. Fabric by Rapture & Wright at The Fabric Collective.

7. Go floral in a white kitchen

White kitchens are essentially a blank canvas and allow you to get creative when you want to add in a decorative aspect – this is where wallpaper comes in. It could be one wall or an alcove yet it could transform the overall feel of your room.  

See: Country wallpaper ideas for kitchens – cover your walls with playful prints

8. Add a trim to a lampshade or two

Colorful lampshades are big news right now, so why not add a trim to your existing shades like Penny Morrison has here? Choose a contrasting color for impact - there’s plenty of trims to choose from – pom poms, beading or fringing to name but a few. 

See: Frills and ruffles are the latest interiors trend – and we're on board

9. Add character to plain walls and furniture

The beauty of this kind of decoration is that the looser you work, the better it will look. These panels and sideboard were influenced by the Charleston House, home of the Bloomsbury Group in Sussex, England, and painted by the fabulous Annie Sloan. She shares the beauty of this style below;

‘These designs were all painted freehand but I am not averse to using a few household items such as plates, mugs, and bowls to create shapes – the beauty of freehand, of course, is you get these fabulous charming wibbly lines. 

'Remember that wobbly lines are a part of the charm of this type of design, and you’ll make life easier for yourself if you’re working on a textured “imperfect” surface rather than a freshly plastered wall.’

10. Turn your shower into a work of art

Does your bathroom need a revamp? Wall&decò’s waterproof wallpaper can be applied over existing tiles, Kirsten Wain, designer at West One Bathrooms explains:

''Wall&decò's waterproof wallpaper can be installed directly inside the shower providing a seamless surface that's low maintenance, easy to clean and perfect for making a bold statement.' 

We think it looks stunning, too. 

11. Make a frilly curtain to hide clutter

Time to dust off the Bernina and source some pretty florals or ginghams to hide all those unsightly pieces under our sinks. It’s a trend from the past that we feel is sneaking back as interior designer, Carlos Garcia explains:

’I love a skirted basin in a bathroom and kitchen. It’s the perfect way to soften edges, adds warmth, allows you to indulge in your favourite fabric and it hides a multitude of sins.’

12. Use the rule of symmetry

Sometimes a reshuffle can be all that’s needed to give a space a new lease of life and symmetry can be your organizational friend, as New Orleans interior designer, Maureen Stevens explains: 

‘Symmetry is what makes a space beautiful – to designers, all we need is balance, things don't have to be matchy-matchy. In this vignette, a bold wallpaper called for the other items to be in perfect symmetry, such as the table lamps and X-benches.’  

13. Get creative with china

It’s time to stop hiding away those favorite plates and hang them on your walls instead, as Ana Moisin, Head Interior Designer at OKA explains.

‘I like to display china in a geometric pattern, and for a more contemporary angle, incorporate plain white pieces alongside intricate patterns in the wall design. The most important thing is to position them in a place where they can take center stage and you can really appreciate the craftsmanship – above a console, for example.’

See: 5 tips for displaying china you didn't know you didn't know

14. Paint or wallpaper a ceiling in a color

This trend has been with us for a while, but we predict it’s going to gather pace this year, partly spurred on by this project by Joanna Gaines. 

It’s certainly a design feature that takes a certain boldness, but you can use a pale shade for added, but subtle, interest. 

Artist, designer and owner of Home Ec, Natalie Papier has embraced colorful ceilings to great effect in her home – it works particularly well in rooms that have high ceilings, so if your space feels a bit cavernous and you desire a more cozy feel, it is worth experimenting with

15. Declutter your pantry

We realise this may not sound like the most exciting activity to do on a weekend, but you will be very pleased with yourself when you can find your favorite spices at the first attempt the next day. 

One of our favorite pantry organization ideas comes from interior designer, Katharine Pooley, who says, 'It might sound simple, but make sure the taller items go towards the back; it’s easy to put things at the front when you’ve just used them, but that will lead to smaller items getting forgotten about at the back, plus a general untidy feel.'