Simple ways to update your home this summer without buying anything new

I’ve been struggling with a bit of dilemma – I really want to be more sustainable and do better, at home and in all aspects of my life, especially here, but I also realise that what we do as bloggers and journalists may in some way be contributing to the environmental crisis, by always promoting lovely new things to buy. We will always need certain objects in our homes, we may need to invest in purchases as our needs and lifestyles change, if we buy our first home or move house for instance, but what if we didn’t automatically reach for what is easy and convenient?

On the blog I always try to support brands and companies that prioritise sustainability, naturally sourced materials and design built to last, but there’s another story to be told about what’s already in our homes. Maybe we can find ideas and inspiration by looking at the abundance of what we have around us, or perhaps we could get a fresh look without even spending a penny. It’s easy to take what you see everyday for granted, but with a fresh perspective and a few simple tweaks and changes, I think you can update your home and give it a new feel for less. It may not be quite as impactful as a full-blown makeover and a million pound budget, but I bet the creative challenge of it will be nearly as satisfying. A lot of the time when I see interior clients, I’m not working with a blank slate, they have existing pieces they want to work into a scheme and it’s my job to give them a new context.

Here on the blog, my motto has always been ‘The Simple Everyday’ – for me that means being more mindful in my surroundings and every day appreciating the little things that make a house a home. I don’t buy into ‘must-have’ trends and I’m careful with what I choose for my home, so it fits with my values and style. I have a commercial interest on here because this is how I make a living, working with like-minded brands, but I’m not saying go out and buy everything I post about (because that would be ridiculous and expensive!) – you can sometimes use it as inspiration, whether it’s how a space is styled or an idea that could be translated into your own home. If I wanted to be completely, entirely, 100% sustainable, I probably wouldn’t be a blogger at all, but while I’m here, I’m going to be sharing a few simple, more considered ways to make changes in your home or in the way you think about design – always valuing quality over quantity, mindful consumerism over quick throwaway buys.

So in today’s post I’m sharing a few ways to update your home this summer without buying anything new, at all! And I’m not talking about making decorations with egg cartons or decoupaging a lampshade…

1. Re-style a space with items you already have
One of my favourite hobbies as a child was moving the furniture around in my room, styling it up and having a good old tidy! Maybe that’s just an only child for you but it would give me such a great sense of satisfaction when it was all nice and organised. We didn’t order things online back then and there weren’t many interior shops in the town, so I just had to work with what I had. With the bed in a different corner and some artwork moved around it almost felt like a new room.

While this is a bit trickier in smaller spaces, you can create the same effect by swapping around your accessories. I think this only really works if you can see the space free of some of the clutter, otherwise you’ll feel tied to what is already there. Just like you might reorganise your wardrobe by pulling everything out, move everything to one corner and give your surfaces a good clean. I often do this with my picture ledges in my home office. You can take things from other rooms and lay out your objects like a prop stylist would. Then challenge yourself to put things back, one by one, but in a completely different order or arrangement to before.

2. Call in your friends
People often have parties to swap clothes so why not homeware? I know I have a couple of small objects dotted around that I no longer completely love, and I’m sure other people might too. As they say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. You could also do the same with old magazines you’ve read or cookbooks you no longer use. If you’re green fingered you could get propagating and pass on a plant. I’m sure if you gathered your friends, every person would have something to offer.

3. Look on Freecycle
Freecycle is a non-profit website full of people giving their stuff away for free. It can be a bit hit and miss but you can sign up for alerts and wait it out for something you want. Often people will put brand new items on there; they might have bought the wrong size or be moving out and don’t want the hassle of taking something with them.

4. Dig out those old paint pots
I don’t know about you but I have a dozen or so paint pots and sample pots with leftover dregs gathering dust in my basement. I often keep a half empty pot of each paint colour that’s used throughout the house so I can touch up any marks and scratches – it’s amazing what a lick of paint can do to freshen up a space. But what about all the odds and ends? If you don’t have enough for a whole wall you could get creative and paint something smaller, like some pictures frames or some terracotta plant pots in the garden (I painted some of mine black with some leftover fence paint and it’s lasted really well). You could also look to your woodwork, painting the back of a door or the skirting board a contrasting colour to add some interest (make sure to use the right paint for the right surface).

5. Bring the outside in
Look outside and freshen up the home with elements of nature. You don’t necessarily have to buy a new bunch of flowers every week to create a beautiful display. Of course, a garden or outdoor space helps – I often bring in cuttings from my grasses, olive tree or jasmine bush – but you could also forage outside the home. Maybe don’t go picking wild flowers, but if you see a branch that has come off in a storm or the other day I saw some whole roses that had fallen off onto the pavement, then that’s fair game. My mum for instance has some beautiful pieces of driftwood from the countryside near we live, which look like sculptures. She covered one branch in fairy lights and it looks very pretty at night.

6. Style with the seasons
It’s OK to have more than one throw and countless cushions (guilty as charged) but maybe you don’t need them all out at once. Neither do you need to throwaway something simply because you’ve got a new version. I like to style my home with the seasons, changing things up every now and then to reflect what’s going on outside. In the summer I’ll put away the winter blankets, thicker throws and candlesticks in favour of lighter textiles and lots of plants. Then when winter comes round again, it’s a lovely surprise to discover the things that were put away again.

7. Declutter
If I’m getting a bit bored with how a room is looking and what to make an immediate impact, I’ll have a good old tidy. Simple but it feels so good afterwards! Edit down the things you have in your home so there’s only the things you really, truly like. A good declutter can help you see a space with new eyes and give you some clearer headspace. In terms of styling, working with less will help put focus on your most beautiful pieces. Recycle, give to friends or donate to charity anything you don’t want. Read my tips for organising your home here.

8. Look after your homeware
If you invest some time in looking after your furniture and fabrics, they’ll last better. I personally think that any cracks or coffee marks can only add to a design’s character, showing an item is used and loved, but a little preservation and care goes a long way. Last week I was on Radio 4 talking about how we’re not ironing (more in a separate post!) but while I won’t be picking up the iron any time soon, there are lots of other ways you can look after your homeware. Maybe oil that wooden table, fix that wonky shelf, polish that silver or give the sofa covers a good wash – they’re all those annoying jobs that you keep putting off but once you get round to them you wonder why you didn’t do it before.

Have you got any tips of your own for refreshing the home without buying anything new?