Lively up yourself

Our kitchen is so dated, I wish we could rip it out and turn it into a lovely big open-plan kitchen/diner… with a roughly-hewn wooden table for ten, French doors to the backyard and an Aga (a girl can dream). But that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Rather than live with it as is, we decided to highlight the kitschness of it all. Mainly so people wouldn’t look too closely at the details – exposed wires, tired lino and the like.

If you have a horrible room that needs renovation, why not freshen it up with some new paint and inexpensive fabric or artwork? Just until you have the funds to do it properly. On the downside, you might never get around to it. On the plus, you won’t cringe every time you’re in it.