We all have items in our home that are are necessity – but often ugly. Cardboard boxes and plastic storage containers may be useful, but look unattractive and undesirable. Why not make a few easy DIY changes by restoring the mundane elements in your home? Follow these fun and stylish tips for a neater home:
Give your shoeboxes a second chance:
Most of us are guilty of allowing old magazines and other paperwork to pile up at home. If you have places to organise and store important bits and bobs, you’re more likely to start putting things away. Why not recycle your old shoe boxes into something useful that looks good at the same time? Find your favourite wrapping paper and cover the shoebox to make it into a fun storage idea. Different sized boxes look great stacked on top of each other on the coffee table. You can even attach adhesive labels or luggage tags to the outside of the box to make it easier to get organised!
Recycle your tins and bottles in a different way:
Old tins and glass bottles can look great with a new lick of paint. Tin cans make great pen holders, while glass bottles can be used as fun candle holders. You can buy a can of spray paint to coat your tins and bottles to transform them into a beautiful, coordinated collection. Different shapes and styles look great standing next to each other. When you’re spray painting, make sure you start with the bottles upside down. Remember that several thin coats are better than one or two thick coats – thicker paint can dribble down!
Disguise your outdoor bins:
The huge plastic coloured bins that sit outside our homes constantly are a bit of an eye sore. To minimise their impact, you can create a screen or small compartment to cover them. You can buy wooden storage huts that have easy-access doors. You can even paint the wood to give your bins a complete makeover. Alternatively, a simple wicker or screen will disguise the bins behind and can be easily erected. Once you’ve done this, you could think about planting a flowering creeping that will crawl up the wood – giving you a pretty wall of flowers. No one will ever know that you keep your bins behind there!
Install an attractive room divider:
You can easily hide away kids toys or storage boxes when guests come to stay by closing a sliding room divider on the mess. Sliding doors work best from the lounge into the dining room. This means you can entertain your guests at the dinner table and easily shut out the mess in the lounge. Oakwood Doors have a fantastic range of sliding doors and room dividers, perfect for the traditional or modern contemporary home.
Keep old fashioned wicker baskets:
Wicker baskets might be a bit old fashioned and outdated. However, retain a shabby chic style in your home by painting your wicker baskets white or grey. They can be used as an easy storage alternative and still look stylish. Instead of leaving a plastic packet of loo rolls on the bathroom floor, fill a wicker basket with a few spare rolls for a truly rustic and stylish look. Wicker baskets can also be used in the bathroom to store fresh towels for visitors! Alternatively, utilise a wicker basket in your lounge to fill with old magazines or unwanted cushions from the sofa!