Home is where the heart is, a safe haven from the world and a place to call your own. So here are some tips to add your personal touch.

Shades of Blue, Paul Smith LA, Painting, John Tierney,,United Kingdom

Decoration

Renting? Can’t paint or redecorate? Well I have the answer: decorations! You don’t even have to spend too much money. A bright lamp, a bookshelf, some heirlooms or even just a rug can personalise a house and make it look like a home.

If you own your home you can buy as much as you want, space permitting. But this is supposed to be an article on inexpensive ways to do up your home so why am I saying buy lots? Well, read below. You can get a beautiful piece of furniture for the price of a trip to the cinema.

Charity shops

Charity shops are treasure troves. While you might not want to wear second-hand clothes, second-hand furniture is a different matter. There is a Trinity Hospice quite near my flat and the furniture in there is of good quality and very reasonably priced. You can get a recently upholstered pre-war chair for £25. Modern chairs cost quadruple that and are not as good quality.

Art

While some art is incredibly expensive you can still get an art print for sale at Saatchi for a reasonable price.

Another favourite is Spineless Classics. Spineless Classics are art that you can read: entire books on one page along with an illustration of the book. Clever and stunning. I love them.

Paint

A lick of paint makes all the different. Different colours affect our moods. Some blue colours can make you feel, well, blue, but it is hard to be depressed around sunshine yellow. If you don’t want to paint an entire room then just do one wall or even just a fireplace.

Bedding

New bedding always makes life better and immediately brightens up the bedroom. Get some sheets in a bright colour or throw some colourful cushions on. You will be surprised how much some bright colours here and there add to a room. If you are renting and everything is white, add some colour with beautiful, bright bedding.

There you go. Some tips for your home. What home ideas do you have?