Some people love DIY, and others would rather watch paint dry. Sometimes, you need to get the paint brushes and screwdrivers out because, let’s face it, home improvements are expensive, and that’s if you can get a contractor to come to your home in the first place. Hacking your DIY with some tips that actually work is both satisfying and rewarding, and these hacks can often save you precious time, giving you more space to investigate your DIY options.
Creating an entertainment space
The biggest problem with creating an entertainment space is, well, space. When we think of an entertainment room, we often think of pool tables, big gaming chairs, etc. Now, if you have the space, that’s great, but many people don’t. However, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out, you just need to be a bit more creative.
So, if bar room games are your thing, why not try a dartboard instead of a pool table? If you don’t have a free wall or door to hang your board on, you can purchase a fold-up stand and get it out as and when you need it.
If gaming’s your go-to, you don’t have to miss out, either. You can play thousands of games on your Smartphone these days. All you need is a reliable internet connection. This also saves on having to squeeze all of your friends into your place, as you can play with people online.
Take bingo for example. You’d need a pretty big space to comfortably play Bingo with a large group. However, when doing so at an online casino, you have no spacial problems. You can arrange to play bingo for free with friends and chat in the lobby or meet new people altogether. This saves you from having to set aside a whole room if you don’t have the space. But if you do, you can make this a relaxing haven to game, whether you’re playing online, with friends, or alone.
Create a mini outdoor kitchen
Are you lucky enough to have a tiny balcony, a minute courtyard or a tiny patio area? Don’t let the lack of space deter you from creating a mini outdoor kitchen and dining area. Our design has tiny spaces in mind to squeeze into the smallest space.
Take a wooden trellis panel and paint it or varnish it in your favorite color and attach it with screw fixings to your wall. Next, take four matching-sized wooden crates painted to match the trellis.
Once dry, stack them together on their sides and secure them with fixings, with the open face pointing out, then attach them to the bottom of the trellis. Position your crates against a wall below your trellis and adorn them with all your outdoor cooking kit. Add a BBQ and your cooking. Alternatively, add a folding chair, a glass of wine, and voila! Your outdoor set-up is complete.
Make flexible shelving out of plate racks
Keeping with the kitchen or garden ideas, you can make easy and flexible shelving with two plate racks and some shelving.
Use a kitchen or garden wall by adding beech plate holders as shelf brackets. Start by fixing them next to each other (a shelf length apart) and using cut-down wooden floorboards or painted MDF planks for shelves. Adaptable shelving gives you extra space for plates, bowls, and mugs, and it’s also a stylish feature that can turn into a coat rack or tea towel holder once the shelves are removed.
Hang your photos and prints
How many of us have photos and pictures that we have brought back from holiday and then just left to gather dust on a bookcase or shelf? Most of us are guilty of this, we are sure. So make a pact you will frame and hang those memories this weekend.
The most important hack for a gallery wall is to keep your frames cohesive; purchase them all in the same color and size; the photos and prints should have a matching theme. Or you could just go crazy and fill the wall with non-matching frames collected from a thrift store or flea market. After all, it’s your home, and the most important thing is you show off those memories and enjoy them; how you do that is secondary.
Whatever you decide to do with your home, make sure it feels comfortable and natural to you. If you’re unsure, just window shopping for some new decor can always get the creative juices flowing and help you create your dream interiors.