10 easy home updates for under £100

Spring updates

With spring just around the corner, give your home a facelift with these simple and affordable ideas.

By Charlotte Boyd and Samantha Trapp

Choose wallpaper

Contrast a floral paper on one wall - you\'ll usually need two rolls - with neutral paint on the rest. Perfect for a living room or bedroom, a design in fresh green maximises light and space.

Cost: around £60

Summer wallpaper in Apple, £30 a roll, the Eco collection, Graham and Brown

Bring the garden in

A beautiful container of flowering bulbs, such as hyacinths or narcissi, will fill your home with the welcoming blooms of spring. Or, for a year-round display, choose faux flowers.

Cost: Under £35

Faux snowdrops in footed grey rattan, £32, Bloom

Revive an old favourite

Why buy a new armchair when, with a little sewing know-how, you can make a loose cover to transform an existing one? You\'ll need about five metres of fabric for a small armchair. For instructions, take a look at So Simple Slip Covers (£14.99, Cico Books).

Cost: under £100

Chair covered in Lilac Natural, £20 a metre, Laura Ashley

Change your soft furnishings

Transform your living room with made-to-measure curtains, a Roman blind and coordinating cushions. Add matching accessories like throws and vases, and you\'ll have a bright, new room.

Cost: under £100

Curtains made up in Tavistock Spearmint Cream, £6.99 a metre; blinds made up in Duck Egg Silk, £13.99 a metre; throw, £12.99; Borsala and Floral cushions, all £11.99 each; blue cylinder vase, £6.99; round vase, £4.99; all Dunelm Mill

Create a gallery

Sort out all your photos and, instead of keeping them in a box or on your computer, place them in simple frames and group three or four together above a chest of drawers or console. White frames look fabulous on dark walls. Try dark wood or black frames for impact on pale ones.

Cost: £80

One aperture frame, £30; four aperture frame, £30; long four aperture frame, £20; all The White Company

Light up every room

A stylish new table lamp not only looks great but if you find just the right spot for it, you\'ll make your room look bigger and brighter.

Cost: Under £20

Two-tone table lamp, £19.99, Sainsbury\'s

Add embroidered detailing

An easy way to change the look of your bedroom is to invest in a new set of bedlinen. Look out for embroidered designs to add a subtle hint of colour and luxury.

Cost: £60

Honeysuckle plum duvet and pillowcase set, £50; cushion, £10; both Next Home

Choose a new-look pattern

Another new trend this season is for outline drawings on fabrics and accessories. This is particularly effective on tableware for a subtle hint of pattern.

Cost: £40

Silhouette 12-piece dinner set, £40, Next Home

Embellish your wall

Use wall stickers to add a decorative touch to living room and bedroom walls without having to redecorate. Circular designs look great as a focal point over a fireplace, or try two linear patterns either side of a doorway.

Cost: £20

Flower swirl wall sticker, £20, Next Home

Mix and match

Bring a bookcase or dresser to life by papering the back of each shelf with off-cuts of patterned wallpaper. Or, try Homebase for a great selection of patterned papers from £7.49 a roll, or search out end-of-line rolls in the sales. You can also use good-quality wrapping paper; try Paperchase\'s selection, from £2 a sheet.

Cost: Under £15

Shelves painted in Icelandic Blue matt emulsion, £14.99 for 2.5 litres, Crown