Home Interior Ideas for Autumn

We are well now well into the Autumn. You can see the change in seasons in the colour of the tree's, and feel it in the sharp change in temperature. With the change of season, I want a change in my interiors and decor because I want to add more warmth to our home. This isn't as daunting as it seems, a change in interiors doesn't have to mean a complete overhaul as there are simple things that you can do to make a huge difference to a room.

When we bought our house two years ago I was in control of every little aspect of the renovation, from the colour of the grout of the bathroom tiles through to the colour of the garden fence. I really enjoyed having the freedom do this and although it was a lot of hard work, our home is now exactly how I wanted it to be. Our dining room currently has oak floors and neutral earth tones decor which can be warming but I want to make it more so with richer colour accents.

Repainting the walls

The alcoves in our dining room are currently painted a warm latte-like colour, which I did originally like but now I want to completely repaint them with a richer colour, perhaps maroon or a deep green. I think this would really make the room pop and make it feel warmer in these cooler months.

Upgrading the flooring

We have laminated wood effect flooring which was a great temporary fix but recently we've been looking at investing in Engineered Oak Flooring as it would really complete the room and also add value to our home. I'm also looking into underfloor heating too as our dining room is notorious for being a bit chilly, even in summer.

Revamping the furnishings
We have soft furnishings in most of the rooms in our house, some of which are old and getting a bit tatty. We have a loveseat in our dining room which has seen better days but it's the most comfortable sofa that you'll ever sit on. We don't have the heart to part with it so we are planning to re-upholster it with South West Upholstery.

Adding accent pieces

Another quick and easy way to give a room a little overhaul without spending a small fortune is buy buying accent pieces. Vases, candles, ornaments, rugs, photo frames, canvases and so on. All of these can be picked up for next to nothing at places like Wilko's or B&M Bargains.

- This is a PR collaboration.

My top decorating and renovation tips

When we bought our first family home last year we had no idea how much work we had ahead of us. It was a house with potential but one that was expensive and needed a lot of hard graft but we totally underestimated how much work there was to do. 

When viewing the run down property we had to try and see past all the faults and try to envision what it would look like after everything had been completed. This was easier said than done with the bright green carpets and avocado bathroom but we just knew it was the house for us. 

I'm not claiming to be an expert when it comes to all things DIY but I have certainly learnt a thing or two on our journey so I thought I would share a few of my top tips which I hope will help you save time and money. 

Be realistic - 
If you have a dozen jobs on your renovation to do list then add another twenty because once you start the work more and more will crop up. It's better to be prepared for this because we were often disheartened when we had completed one job to find another two a long the way. It's better to be realistic.

Do your research -
It's going to save a lot of time and money if you have some sort of idea on what you want. From the colour of paint on your walls to the type of carpet on your floors. Do you want paint or wallpaper? Do you want luxury carpet or engineered walnut flooring? I found that google was my best friend during this process as I searched for idea's on every aspect of our renovation.

Bargain hunt -
We had a limited budget to work with but you would be surprised with how far we managed to make our money go. We would often buy second hand products on eBay, car boots or buy and sell pages. Items were often into next to new condition and you can save extortionate amounts of money. There is nothing wrong with not buying new. 

Upcycle - 
With a new house you often want to buy new furnishings but don't throw away that old side table, it can easily be revamped with a lick of paint. Many of the furnishings in our house are family hand me downs or charity shop finds that we have upcycled by simply sanding and repainting white.


Do you have any tips that you would like to share? 

Our home: Home decor haul

With most of the house renovations now out of the way I've finally been able to focus more on home decor. This means one thing... shopping! To be honest I'm not usually a 'shop to you drop' kind of gal but shopping for home decor is the only exception, I love it!

Here are some of the pieces that we have bought recently;

Night light from Rose & Grey. I recently won a £50 voucher to spend at the fabulous Rose & Grey and decided to spend it on Noah. I bought him this super cute night light and a little wooden chair for his bedroom.

Shabby chic inspired vase from Feather & Black. Not sure where this is going to go yet but I adore it.

Scented candle from B&M. I'm a secret candle hoarder and my Mum recently bought me this candle as a little house warming gift. Isn't it lovely?

Vintage look wall clock from Morrisons. I actually bought this a while back but it's only just gone up on the wall so it feels new! I think it suits my kitchen perfectly.

Kitchen sign from B&M. Can you believe this sign was just £1?! Another addition to our kitchen decor. 

This haul is all from B&M and all for under £50. The cushions and lamps have gone up into our bedroom while the rug and laundry basket (temporary toy box) is in our living room. 

As you can tell from by buys I shop everywhere for decor pieces. From bargain stores, to supermarkets and online boutiques. It really pays to shop around for the best price and don't settle for the first thing you set eyes on.

Where are your favourite places to shop for homeware? 

- I was not sent any of these products for review or reimbursed for featuring any stores mentioned. 

Our home - Recent buys

With the house renovation currently in slow motion I have felt like a spare part. As I mentioned in my last post it still doesn't seem real that we have bought a house and I can't imagine us living there. Maybe because it's still so bare and it feels like we've been working on it for forever? I don't know, it's hard to describe. I know that once we are in there, making memories it will quickly start feeling like home.

Having idle hands I've turned to shopping and I've been buying little bits and pieces for our new home. I am scrolling through eBay and local buy and sell pages every night trying to spot some last minute bargains. I have bought a few pieces of furniture on eBay which I intend to repaint, upcycle and blog about soon.

But for now here are some of my recent home decor buys-

Heart alarm clock - B&M bargains - £2.99

Family Rules sign - The Range - £15

Shabby chic frame - B&M Bargain - £9.99

I love all three and as they were all so cheap I could justify the spend. The clock and the picture frame are both going into our bedroom but I am still undecided about where to put the sign. 

What do you think of my recent buys? Where is your favourite store for home decor?