One of my favourite things to do on an evening is to curl up on the sofa and watch one of my interior design shows on television (while browsing and pinning to my many related Pinterest boards). There’s something so addictive about watching people realise their design dreams on shows such as Grand Designs or even 60 Minute Makeover. And though on these shows things can sometimes get a little out of hand (DIY SOS is a key example of where things can go wrong but may be soon righted with some good-old fashioned elbow grease), it’s still a great viewing experience and makes me more determined than ever to get our home looking just perfect.
One of the things that does annoy me a little about the shows is the fact that they all seem to focus on big-budget homes and makeovers. Sadly I do not have £500 for a light fitting or £200 for a single lamp however this seems to make me all the more motivated to add personal touches and improvements to our house on a budget.
At the moment we have two main jobs on our to-do list. One is to do something with our big box bay window in the lounge (original bottle-glass sash windows!) and the other is to do something about the lack of warmth when the seasons change. Our house is big, old and beautiful. It has fabulous original features such as this gorgeous bread oven and most of the rooms have fireplaces, including the bedrooms.
What our rooms also have are really ugly boxy radiators! At the moment we are researching electric radiators which our energy provider says may help heat the house more efficiently and which will look considerably nicer than the monstrosities we have in place at the moment.
Home heating devices from Verismart’s include electric radiators for example look much nicer and work out cheaper in the long run too. They would also save us valuable wall space because the ones we have at the moment are incredibly (and unnecessarily) long.
Bay window-wise I’m currently searching the internet for the best way to get rid of the nets in the bay and keep the heat in and am torn between shutters and blinds. The quote we had for blinds was £380 which is more than we wanted to pay however being of a thrifty nature I’m wondering about whether there’s a more frugal way around this. If I work this out I’ll let you know as something definitely needs sorted as I hate our nets.
Soft furnishing wise I’ve decide to shop local in the interests of supporting local trade and cutting the cost of my fabric (we have a fab local shop called The Fabric Bird). Sadly I’m lacking any sewing skills however one of my sisters is a dab hand and I’m hope to bribe her into running up some cushion covers and the like for me with chocolate hob nobs and a decent cup of tea (see, thrifty labour).
As ever, I’m keen to hear what anybody out there feels is a fun way of making your (my!) home look chic in a cost-effective way. Feel free to post a link using CommentLuv when you comment to any interior design (especially thrifty projects) you’ve seen or written about below. Indeed any hints and tips on how I’m going to get this boy-filled house into a soft, warm and lovely home on a budget would be much appreciated!
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If you are or have in the past been a fan of Orchard Toys you’ll no doubt have seen or owned the Shopping List game. This fantastic memory, matching and fun game has players turning over shopping item tiles and remembering where they are in order to find the items on their list and fill their basket or trolley first to win.
