Author: Rachel Preston-Bidwell - REIWA

Depending on the changes you want to make, renovating your home can be an expensive and time consuming task.

If you want to make small changes, without knocking down walls, here are our five top picks for simple home improvements.

1. Change up your cabinet doors
Swapping out cabinet doors or applying a fresh coat of paint to your cupboards can bring a retro kitchen or bathroom up-to-date. Paint can hide chips and outdated colour schemes, while replacing doors can change the style of your room altogether.

2. Update your door knobs
Similar to above, small changes can make a big difference to your home. Changing old door knobs to new, on-trend pieces for your bedroom doors, wardrobes and cabinets can change the look of the entire house. Try ‘upcycling’ old door knobs, and mix and match around the house for an eclectic feel.

3. Mood lighting
The right lighting can instantly change the look and feel of a room:

• install hanging lights over your kitchen bench or on-trend light fittings around the house;
• strategically place lamps around a room; or
• replace your higher watt lightbulbs to low watt and create a softer atmosphere.

A small update can make a dramatic difference to the ambiance of a room. Be sure to seek help from an electrician before undertaking any DIY electrical work.

4. Painting
Not just for walls, you can purchase paint for tiles to update your bathroom or wet areas, or even your bath and basins. A lick of paint will help to update a room, without needing to chip out tiles or remove plumbing.

5. Freshen up your décor
The quickest and most budget-friendly way to freshen up your home is to update your décor with key investment pieces:

• Rugs and floor coverings - place rugs and mats strategically in your home to section off rooms within an open-plan space.
• Floor coverings can also help to absorb noise and add a touch of colour to your décor. Invest in a quality piece to ensure your new rug stands the test of time (and the many feet that will walk over it).
• Statement furniture – a coffee table, piece of art or a potted plant can bring new life to a room and even change the décor style.
• That fresh linen feel – who doesn’t love crawling into a bed made with fresh sheets? Invest in bed linen with pops of colour, different textures or patterns. This will create a focal point in your room, which you can change up whenever the mood strikes.