I see the DIY trends of 2022 for the most part being a continuation of the rising popularity of traditional crafting skills since lockdowns began – utilising the materials that homeowners already have at their disposal – with a refresh based on current colour trends.
Those who have persisted with their new-found interest have developed both their skills and their creative style. We have seen some stunning interior decorations recently created by homeowners. We already know that appealing decor can ultimately help to secure a great home sale.
There are lots of ways you can renovate your home without it costing a fortune, but DIY can be daunting to those who don’t have much experience. However, there are simple life hacks that can make the renovation process easier than you may expect. On a regular semi-detached property, DIY alterations have the potential to raise value by £10k and may only cost a fraction to implement.
Very Peri painting
When we think of the latest style, a crucial element is of course hue and character. A good cornerstone of trends for next year is to incorporate the colour ‘Very Peri’ – Pantone’s colour of the year for 2022 – into furnishings and accents throughout the home. Very Peri – a new shade of periwinkle blue – aims to create a ‘dynamic presence’ and ‘encourage courageous creativity’ and is seen as a colour that reflects the shift towards digital and virtual worlds.
Combining Very Peri with traditional crafts and DIY methods is a sure-fire way to decorate your interiors with future buyers in mind.
When it comes to painting, there are lots of things that can go wrong – which is why many people tend to pay over the odds for a professional decorator – but following these tips and tricks will help to fine-tune your decorating skills, achieving a professional finish without the expensive price tag.
Before painting, line your paint tray with cling film to avoid wastage and the need to wash it after use. When painting over a few days, prevent paint rollers drying out by wrapping them in an old damp towel and plastic bag so you can continue painting with ease the next day. You can also keep extra jam jars and mason jars to store any leftover paint that can later be re-used for smaller jobs and any touch ups.
Macramé
The knotted rope art of macramé has surged in popularity since 2020 and I expect it to continue doing so. With endless opportunities for experimentation and creating your unique style, it is a joyful creative hobby to learn. It can be used to hang plants and suspend mirrors. Using macramé this way can raise the sense of vertical space in a room and in turn demonstrate to buyers how to decorate space more efficiently.
Ceramics and concrete
Earthy tones are replacing greys in 2022, with ceramics leading the way in this trend. Give old plant pots a new lease of life inside the home. From utensil holders to light fixtures or maybe even a side table from a larger pot, they are a great canvas to decorate upon using paints – bringing in hints of vibrancy on top of the neutral tones.
Making your house aesthetically pleasing and relatable for the buyer – tapping into current trends – will make the most impact on the buyer, ensuring you get as near-to full asking price as possible.
In addition, it’s good to consider the focal points and decor in your home. We are seeing more people buying pottery wheels, due to the success of The Great Pottery Throw Down on TV and having a spin at their own creations. A simplistic and neutral look can easily be created at home with the right tools or kit.
Transform your front door
Unappealing exteriors can very much lose a sale before the buyer has even set foot through the door. Placing an emphasis on exterior work can make your property the envy of the neighbourhood – curb appeal is real.
Spruce up your front door with a lick of on-trend paint and a hand-crafted house name or number, showing to buyers from the outset that efforts have been made to create attention to detail. Sellhousefast.uk research suggests painting your front door blue can increase your house value by up to £4,000. Show a glimpse of what’s to come once people step inside with warm lighting seeping through the window frosting.
Paint your window frames
New windows cost anywhere between £500-£3,000 per window and many old wooden frames can look tired and weathered after a long period of time.
Rather than spending a fortune on refitting new frames, spray your existing ones with a lick of paint to give them a new lease of life, and possibly add up to £10,000 to your house value. Painting the exterior frames can tie in the interior colour scheme into the exterior and transform your house’s curb appeal.
Japandi trend
Japandi combines the unique qualities of conventional Japanese and Scandinavian interior design to create a simplistic and decluttered environment that favours natural and sustainable materials.
Reclaimed wood such as pallets can be used in a multitude of ways to decorate the home in the Japandi way, including arranging vertically to divide up open-plan space. This can create unique nook spaces that may increase property value as the buyers envisage the potential behind these uniquely-shaped spaces.
Re-fixturing
Replacing old taps and doorknobs can be surprisingly transformative to existing kitchen hardware. While basic and low-cost, clean shapes and lines that complement the fittings will be less invasive on the buyer’s mind, enabling them to better imagine how they can use the space rather than focussing on what is not to their taste.
Low-cost panelling
DIY vertical slat panelling is a popular and easy-to-fit way to add depth to your walls this year – whether in whole or sections. If you want to go for a polished, painted look then make sure you paint the panels before fixing them – you can create a 3D effect by painting the wall a different colour to the wood.
The relatively small cost of panelling is incomparable to the stark change it can bring to a feature wall. For less than £100, accounting for the cost of MDF, a tin of paint and treatment, you can decorate a large wall space with on-trend colours and patterns that serves as both a functional and statement piece.
For any mishaps that may occur, you can use nail polish remover to tidy up unwanted paint splashes or a thin highlighting brush – often found in hairdressers – to achieve the perfect painted edge.
Garden room
While you may be tempted to prioritise maximising the appeal of feature rooms, don’t be afraid to spend most of your efforts decorating elsewhere in the house – as the potential of these secondary rooms may be highly desirable to the buyers.
Airy garden rooms to congregate with friends and family will become more in-demand in 2022, with people possibly living and working out of these year-round as they fight for secluded spots in the home. These rooms are the starting point for biophilic design to grow out to other rooms. It’s a great place to incorporate lighting into vases – an easy-to-create lighting solution that can bring to life the surrounding green hues from our ever-growing collections of real houseplants.
Planters in a wooden stand were also everywhere last year and I don’t see them going anywhere soon. They are great for providing some more height to a plant or as a statement piece to transform any area in your home – they can be made easily with some wood and the right equipment.
Transforming the conservatory into a garden room can realise the potential to buyers that that it can serve a purpose year-round, Because of this, revamped garden rooms may increase your property’s value by anywhere between £5,000-£12,000 if we go off conservatory prices alone.
Finishing touches
There are of course simple elements that just add a little extra – like glass jars, which have become a big trend recently. If you have ever kept a particular jar or bottle because it is too nice to throw away, then now is your time to pull them out of the cupboard and get onboard this trend.
Depending on the size, you can use them as a vase for a bunch of flowers. Fill them will pebbles, soil and a cactus to make a glass plant pot, or even put in some fairy lights to give a cosy feel to your home.
Personalisation is also key this year to making a house a home and can easily be made if you turn your hand to knitting and stitching. Embroidery can easily be achieved by following kits and patterns to match the look that you are after.
To prospective buyers, large changes to visual elements will bring lasting value beyond the initial sale. Small changes accumulate into something much more significant, a great low-cost method of presenting the property to peak interest.
