14 home improvement and interior design hacks to try in 2021

 

The year 2020 has seen most people spend much more time in their homes than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns and restrictions and this has resulted in a significant growth in people updating their homes including trying new things.

We have chatted to four interior design and home improvement heroes who are Welsh or based in Wales.

This group are willing to take on just about any project and share it on Instagram, they've done these projects and can pass on their experience and lessons.

Here are to get their favourite hacks for you to try choose your favourite and maybe even try in 2021.

1. Update the stairs

Go wild with your stair update (Image: Carla Elliman @carlaelliman)

Expert: Carla Elliman

Carla specialises in taking something standard and arguably boring and bringing new life to it via pattern and colour. You can find Carla on Instagram as @carlaelliman.

Carla says: "In a lot of houses the stairs are the first thing you see when you open the front door so it’s a great way to make an impact on anyone coming into the house."

Carla says: "Take up your carpet from the stairs. Be sure to pull off all the carpet grippers and any staples that are left in the wood. Give everything a good sand and fill any holes/cracks. Give the wood a coat of primer then paint using a black satin.

"For the zebra effect I used vinyl from Jes Rose, it was so easy to apply, just measure each section, cut it out and stick it on."

Carla's strong piece of advice for this hack is to measure at least twice so the measurements are accurate so you only have to cut the vinyl once.

Cost: Approximately £100.

What to use: Zinseer BIN primer and Leyland Trade quick dry satin paint in black from Bromborough paints. Vinyl from Jes Rose.

Time: It took about a day.

2. Update flatpack furniture

Ikea cupboard updated to look stylish as well as functional - as a cat litter tray! (Image: Carla Elliman @carlaelliman)

Expert: Carla Elliman

Carla says: "In this instance the project was to makeover a normal flatpack cupboard into a cat litter tray!

"Having a cat means, for most people, they have to have a litter tray in the house which is really unsightly. We wanted to create a space for it to be hidden away but still be accessible for our cat to use."

How to do it:

Carla says: "Purchase an IVAR unit from IKEA. Before it is built, identify the side panel and mark out a circle to cut a hole in it using a jigsaw.

"Next build the unit as per the instructions that come with it. These units are great because they are pine so can be painted/varnished in any colour to suit your home once they are built.

"We marked out a pattern to paint on the front of ours with masking tape. You can also customise them further by adding legs and handles."

Cost: Approximately £100.

What to use: IVAR unit from IKEA £65, paint was Zinseer BIN primer, Leyland Trade quick dry satin in brilliant white and Johnstones Trade quick dry satin in Midnight Blue - all from Bromborough paints.

Time: It took about a day,.

3. Stencil old floor tiles

Helps if your tiled floor is fairly flat but the update of stencilling is a cheap way to refresh a space (Image: Carla Elliman @carlaelliman)

Expert: Carla Elliman

Carla says: "Replacing tiles can be really expensive, it’s a cheap and easy way to change the look of them for a fraction of the cost."

How to do it:

Carla says: "Give the tiles a good clean with sugar soap and allow to dry. Next prime the tiles then paint them with your base colour; we used white.

"Use a stencil to paint your pattern on the tiles using a foam roller, use masking tape to hold the stencil down while you roll the paint over it. Once they are all done seal with a varnish to ensure no water damage can occur."

After the experience of this project Carla advises that less is more when painting the stencil. She advises to only put a small bit of paint on the roller.

Carla adds: "Start stencilling with the full tiles, by the time you get to the edges where the tiles are cut you can then cut your stencil to do these ones."

Cost: Approximately £100.