Avoid painting first and NEVER stick to a strict colour scheme: Interior designers share their dos and don'ts for giving your home a makeover
- Top interior designers have revealed DIY tips for anyone sprucing up their home
- Toni Ford said you should decide on other features e.g. curtains before painting
- Jessica Morris said not everything in your home needs to match or be one colour
- Australian expert Cherie Barber said decluttering is key in the kitchen
Home projects have been rising in popularity as Australians find themselves with extra time on their hands during lockdown - but there are a few key rules to abide by if you want to avoid a DIY disaster.
So to help people prevent making easily avoidable mistakes, top interior designers have revealed their top dos and don'ts.
From never sticking to one colour scheme to ignoring trends and opting for glossy surfaces, here are the things you should focus on and avoid when renovating your home.
Interior designers have revealed their best DIY tips to help your home design look its absolute best (stock image)
DON'T
Do your painting first
Toni Ford from Karana Design told Domain that before painting you should decide on other elements such as rugs, curtains and cushions.
'It is simply much easier to find fabrics that we love and then pick out paint to match. It is much harder to find a fabric that we love that also just so happens to match the paint we have already put on our wall,' she said.
Once you've decided on your budget and chosen your elements, it will be easier to pick out the perfect paint colour.
Hang art without precautions
Toni also said it's great to display art and drawings around your home but make sure you don't create nasty nail holes.
Taping a paper cut-out onto a wall can help you decide on the best place to hang up the artwork.
She also said you should have fun with your arrangement by using different colours, sizes and textures.
Designer Jessica Morris revealed that not everything in your home needs to match or be one colour (stock image)
Stick to a strict colour scheme
Designer Jessica Morris revealed that not everything in your home needs to match or be one colour.
You don't need to purchase all your items from one store, instead shop around and add a range of colours and patterns when designing.
Jessica explained that different colours add character to your home but don't get too carried away.
Keep antiques you don't like
If you have a hand-me-down or centrepiece you don't like, then you shouldn't have it in your home.
'Whether you paint it, hand it off to another relative or give yourself permission to sell it and buy something you love in its place, set yourself free and make your home full of things that make you happy,' Jessica said.
Australian renovation expert Cherie Barber said space is a premium and every single area needs to be working for you
DO
Maximise wall space
Australian renovation expert Cherie Barber said space is a premium and every single area needs to be working for you.
'You might like the minimalist look of a kitchen with virtually no wall cabinets to clutter the space, but when you're trying to maximise space and storage in a small kitchen, you simple can't afford the luxury of bare walls,' she wrote on her blog.
She said it's important to mix up open shelves and cabinets to 'lighten' your space and this will also give you lots of room to store your plates, bowls, jars, recipe books and wine glasses.
Go for glossy surfaces
'It's not just mirrors that give the illusion of space; any glossy surface will bounce around the light,' Cherie said.
You could go for a mirrored splashback to add a third dimension to your home in an instant.
If mirrored splashbacks aren't your thing, go for glossy wall tiles, a glass splashback, gloss cabinetry or a polished stone benchtop.
She also said you should go for glossy surfaces such as a glossy wall tiles, a glass splashback, gloss cabinetry or a polished stone benchtop in the kitchen
Cherie Barber's top renovation tips
* Forget major surgery and work with what you've got. It's amazing what accessories can do.
Cherie Barber (pictured) shared her renovation tips with FEMAIL
* Think about balance in a room or outside area - the harder aspects need to be balanced out with the softer.
* Make sure there is a strategic focal point in the room - or somewhere where your eyes will naturally gravitate. This is key to satisfying interior design.
* Repetition is also visually good.
* Think about where you're working on - and what works there. In a bedroom, for instance, softer colours are more calming - duck egg blues and pastels - you should steer clear of crazy colours.
* Think about the practicalities as well as what you love.
* As a general rule of thumb, expect to at least double the money you put in. For instance, if you invest $5,000, expect at least $10,000 back.
Get rid of clutter
Clutter is a big no no in a small home and Cherie said it will make your kitchen feel claustrophobic.
Instead of displaying your kettle, toaster and blender, she recommends you think about an appliance cupboard where you can store them away.
Cherie also said you should think about getting a small espresso maker that can be easily packed away to use for later.
Use your walls
If you're not afraid of a little DIY, installing shelving running across your wall is a great way to conserve space and maximise storage.
'In this older-style apartment I ran wall-hung shelving the entire length of the living room,' Cherie said.
Using 'butcher's block panels' on brackets from Bunnings, Cherie simply drilled the shelving into the wall, assembling decorative bits and pieces on the top and creating drawers at the bottom to get rid of clutter.
'This was also a really cost-effective solution,' she added.
