As we head further into lockdown, we have loved seeing your DIY creations and home decor across our social media channels. So we thought why not pull together our top 10 ways to update your home during lockdown? Ranging from super quick and easy to weekend challenges, these top tips are great ways to affordably update your home and make it insta worthy over a weekend! We've pulled inspiration from our favourite interior lovers and suppliers across Instagram, Facebook and online so be sure to head over to their individual feeds to follow, support and love what they're doing.
For more home inspiration, follow us on Pinterest. & Instagram
1) CHALKBOARDS!
We absolutely love a chalkboard here at NP Designs HQ and have an abundance of them around our workshop and studio for notes, reminders and lists (I bloody love lists!). Our book Pallet Style has a nifty DIY chalkboard project using old cupboard doors, wood panels and wine corks. But if you're looking to go bigger and better and make a real impact, take a little inspo from the lovely Theresa Gromski (@Theresa_gromski) one of our favourite Instagram accounts. She's used a whole wall in her gorgeous kitchen to create a chalkboard for doodles, or in this case, beautiful illustrations! These are a great addition to an interior and means you can easily change and adapt to give a whole new feel to the room. They're also great for kids and making you feel like a real teacher during home schooling! ;)
Photograph by Theresa Gromski
2) FEATURE WALLS
Talking of making an impact, why not add a feature wall using home decor. We're absolutely loving picture walls at the moment, created used various sized frames, illustrations, quotes and prints. These not only helps to inject colour into a room but also personalty. We are loving Green Fingered Boy (@greenfingeredboy) new botanical prints, check out his print created to raise money for the NHS! Or if you're looking for something bespoke, take a look at The White Emporiums (@thewhiteemporium) new hand drawn calligraphy. Alternatively, if like me, you love trinkets, use shelves to display your finds. Here's a wall display shelf from our book Pallet Style which includes a step by step guide to create your own.
Photo by Brent Darby for Pallet Style (Kyle books)
3) CUSHION COVERS AND TEXTILES
With a background in textile design, I adore beautiful fabrics and patterns. Why not have a go at creating your own cushion covers by using old woollen jumpers or vintage silk scarves to add pattern, texture and a story to your homewares. If you're wanting to try a new hobby, get yourself one of LottieLouLee's (@lottieloulee) DIY punch needle kits, this is a truly addictive craft and is so versatile! We absolutely love the scandi style LottieLouLee creates with her homewares. Why not up-cycle plain cushion covers (check fabric requirements for the technique) with punch needle patterns as you advance in your creations!
LottieLouLee's DIY punch needle kit. Photograph by LottieLouLee
4) GEOMETRICS
I'm a sucker for a geo and we love the way Marie from @plants_planes_and_pressups has been bold and brave with her use of paint when decorating her living room! Consider making shapes and work your furniture and homewares around it to add intrigue and style to a room. Of course, every geo wall needs a Nikkita Palmer Designs reclaimed book shelf with it!
Photo from @plants_planes_and_pressups
5) PALLET PROJECTS
You all knew this would sneak in right? Why not try your hand at a little recycling with a pallet project for your home or garden. Pallets are very versatile, usually free and very forgiving, making them the perfect material for beginners through to experts! If you're debating turning your hand to some woodwork, why not grab yourself a copy of our book Pallet Style which has a range of projects from smaller homewares to larger furniture, with beautiful scandi style imagery, it will most definitely inspire you to get going. If its the sourcing, dismantling and de-nailing you want to avoid, get yourself one our our NEW DIY kits, perfect for those wanting to have a go and create something beautiful but don't know where to start. Our DIY kits come with the cut and sanded pallet boards as well as the basic materials you need to create your projects. Available via our website we have DIY bird boxes, DIY bug hotels and DIY serving trays in kit form. Once the kits are made up, we pop these in the post to you with a step-by-step guide and access to a YouTube video on how to create. Still not inspired? Take a look at our Pallet Furniture and Homewares board on our Pinterest.
DIY reclaimed serving tray kit. Photograph by Gourmand Pixels (@gourmandpixels)
6) UPCYCLING
Having a clear out during your time at home? Why not turn something old into something new with a little bit of upcycling! It really is amazing what a bit of paint and some pallet boards can do to a piece of furniture with a bit of imagination and patience. Our main advice here is to work with what you have in terms of what you're trying to upcycle. Everything is made from different materials and processes and it is important to let that dictate how and what you will do to your product. Remember that not everything reacts and behaves in the same way, so take inspiration from others, but be prepared to work with what you are using. Here's our upcycled recycling station we made from an old cupboard in our book Pallet Style. Check out our Upcycling board on Pinterest for more ideas and creations.
Order our book Pallet Style here.
7) PAINTED FURNITURE
Wanting to stick to the paint brush? We spend our life lusting over painted furniture on instagram and Pinterest. Get creative with chalk paint and think outside the box when it comes to colour and pattern. Masking tape is great for creating solid lines and sections of colour block and be sure to have a range of paintbrush sizes to hand to add smaller details. We created this upcycled desk from two bedside cabinets, a reclaimed wooden top and hairpin legs! Head over to our Pinterest board of painted furniture to be inspired. BEWARE, this board has some seriously cool furniture on it!
For bespoke furniture commissions get in touch here.
8) CHANGE UP FURNITURE HANDLES
This DIY trick is great if you're wanting a quick and easy technique to completely change the look of a piece of furniture and it saves investing in new pieces every time you change your colour scheme or theme. We adore Ian Snow's range of door knobs and handles (and pretty much everything else they stock). Here's another one from the lovely Marie at @plants_planes_and_pressups...
Photo from Marie at @plants_planes_and_pressups
9) STENCIL MANIA
Stencils are a fantastic way to make something look completely different and on trend. We're not going to mess around here and talk about stencil styles because we have to get down to this amazing floor created by A House On Ash Bank (@ahouseonashbank). Emma not only stencilled her entire kitchen floor she also made the stencil herself! If this isn't lockdown DIY dedication I don't know what is! And how dreamy is the outcome? Theres nothing more to say here, just stencil your kitchen floor and spend the rest of your life looking at it. If you're looking for more pattern porn then head on over and follow Emma, you will want to move in with her (or maybe thats just me and Im strange). Not feeling quite so patient? Head over to Dizzy Duck Designs to buy your own floor stencil!
Photo by A House On Ash Bank (@ahouseonashbank)
10) PAINT YOUR FRONT DOOR
If you're on instagram, you already know you want to paint your front door, I'm just here to encourage the idea. With so many amazing products on the market now it really is possible to paint any kind of door in literally any colour, and aren't we doing it well! Of course, living on a narrowboat, I don't have a house with a nice front door, but If I did, I'd paint it! This really is a great way to change the look of the front of your house, make it your own and of course, easier for the postman to find! Here's an image from two of my favourite ladies over at Lords and Ladies in Bedford (@lordsandladies1) who spent lots of hours debating on the perfect shade of pink for their salon front door, and my lordy those hours were worth it!
Photo by @Loveandlifestudio