Nick James, director of Moginie James, on freshening up your living space

There is a no doubt about it but after a few false starts summer has arrived, and the housing market is in full spring as sales pick up in the approach to a season of heat waves.

With the weather finally turning for the better, and good prospects for the housing market ahead, it is an ideal time for those considering a bit of an interior refresh. Even if you are not thinking of selling your property any time soon, doing some of the hard work now will make things that bit easier further down the line, and in the mean time, you can still enjoy the benefits yourself.

It is an exciting time for interior design, with enough themes and trends out there to suit most tastes and budgets, so to begin with, think about what you really want to achieve. Does every room in the house need a bit of a make over, or can you focus on the ones you use the most? Deciding this from the beginning helps you to plan your budget more effectively and breaking the process down will make it more manageable.

The obvious next step is to give your home a really good clean. A thorough floor-to-ceiling de-clutter will help give your house a refresh, revealing anything that needs repairing or touching up. Adding some choice pieces of furniture that come with their own storage, a coffee table with a couple of drawers, or an extra bookcase for example, can be a good way to tidy anything away that you don’t want to get rid of.

The earthy look is in at the moment so if you are adding furniture, think about warm metals, natural woods, and textured soft furnishings. Curtains, carpets and rugs in bold geometric patterns are also popular.

If you are worried about the cost, then there are plenty of ways to inject some new life into your home without breaking the bank. For creative types for example, the current popularity of upcycling, turning unwanted items into something new, can be a great way to add some unusual, quirky talking points to your home at next to no cost.

Something as simple as repainting a single access wall, or adding scatter cushions, a new lamp or a piece of art, can be an easy way to add a splash of colour and create a sense of ‘newness’ in an otherwise familiar space. While you might be someone who likes bright bold colours, remember that they are not going to be to everyone’s taste, so keep this in mind if you are going to be showing any perspective buyers around.

Of course, this advice merely scrapes the surface, so if you are thinking of selling in the near future, have a chat with your estate agent before making any significant changes.

Nick James MNAEA MARLA

Director