7 affordable DIY hacks to brighten up your home

Brought to you by Johnstone's.

With the Christmas holidays around the corner, the pressure is on to ensure your house is a cosy, cinnamon-scented home by the time your guests arrive.

Finding a painter, decorator or kitchen fitter willing to transform your dodgy rooms before January however is akin to plucking the proverbial needle from a haystack. Happily, if you're willing to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into some DIY, there's plenty of time to complete a home makeover before Santa makes his rounds. Here's seven affordable DIY hacks to brighten up your home: 1. Switch to open shelving Clunky storage cupboards take up extra space in a room, immediately drawing the eye away from its prettier points. Carry out a thorough declutter, sending as much stuff as possible to the charity shop, then rearrange your favourite belongings on modern open shelving. Pro tip: Use baskets to hide items like tea towels in a kitchen and lean a mirror on one open shelf to bounce even more light around the rooms and make it feel larger. 2. Update your kitchen cupboards The kitchen is the hub of the modern family home, so it makes sense that it should be a bright and inviting space for everyone to gather and chat while cooking. If your units and cupboards are dull and dark however, they could be making your space appear small and cramped. Don't stress though; you don't need to rip out the entire kitchen to transform it. These days more homeowners than ever are turning to furniture paint to solve the problem. In fact, Johnstone's Revive Cupboard Paint is designed specifically for the task; it can be applied directly on to melamine and MDF kitchen cupboards with no need for a separate primer or undercoat. It's even low-odour so your DIY effort will cause minimal disruption. 3. Revamp your tiles Now that your kitchen cupboards have enjoyed a complete transformation, why stop there? With a clever tile paint you can gloss right over that dodgy pattern or gruesome 1970's shade of brown in a matter of minutes - with no tile removal or grouting to worry about! 4. Freshen your wardrobes with teabags Wardrobes and shoe storage units can start to smell a little musty at this time of year. To ensure you're met with a pleasant scent each time you go off in search of your runners, pop an unused teabag into each drawer. Tea comes in all scents and flavours so experiment with different types - we love chai for the seasonal cinnamon fragrance, but you could also try mint or fruit teas. 5. Give old furniture a new lease of life One man's junk is another man's Art Deco side table; scour flea markets and second hand sites for cheap and cheerful buys you can transform into showstopping statement pieces for your home, or choose a piece you've had for years to receive a complete overhaul. It's simple to revive tired furniture with Johnstone's Chalky Furniture Paint - you just layer up the colours, sand it to create a trendy distressed look, then seal it all with Revive Finishing Wax. 6. Un-flatten your sofa cushions Has your rear end made a groove in the sofa cushion you most frequent? Deep dents and sagging back cushions can make a sofa look sad and unkempt, but there is a simple way to fix the problem. The first thing is to give the fabric a thorough vacuum and spot clean. Secondly, find the zip that holds the stuffing inside the sofa, carefully open it and put your hand inside, pushing the stuffing into the parts of the cushion that are sagging. Pro tip: Adding a few drops of essential oil to the sofa stuffing will ensure your guests get a delicious scent every time they sit down. With Johnstone’s new Revive range you can upcycle whatever you fancy. Transform tired furniture, update those cupboards or even paint the tiles. Check out the fantastic Revive colour range and start planning your next craft project with 33 percent off Johnstone’s Revive at Woodie’s until the 23^rd of December.