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Hit refresh on your home with these simple decor ideas

Fancy a quick refresh? You don't have to re-do every aspect of a room to give it a new lease of life. Often just focusing on one thing – a wall, the flooring, the soft furnishing colour scheme – can give a space a completely fresh feel. Here's how mixing up just one element can totally revamp any room. Warning: contains inspiration that may lead to a completely updated home, not just one room!

Nothing gives a room a quick facelift like some paint does – but where to start? A classic statement wall gives new focus to a room, and you could pick a colour that improves your mood (see here how to use colour to improve wellbeing) or a shade that's very on-trend, like a calamine pink or vibrant teal, which you could easily paint over as fashion moves on.

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For something less dramatic, even a slight shift in paint tone on every wall would make a noticeable difference, just make sure your soft furnishings and furniture would still work with it. For example, a soft grey over old white walls would create a subtle, modern look, or a pale olive or light terracotta on walls that have been beige or cream for years would bring a more Mediterranean vibe into your home.

A dab hand with a paint brush? Add a new dimension to your walls by creating your own scalloped design, a recent interiors and DIY trend that's easy to do, versatile and ideal for using up spare paint. Give scalloped walls a go with our how-to guide.

Furniture can be expensive to buy and also tricky to get rid of, so don't throw out any old pieces if there's a chance they can be up-cycled. Wooden furniture like wardrobes, chest of drawers and coffee tables can be sanded down, stripped of their varnish and re-stained or even painted, creating a whole new item. Stripping darker wood pieces of their old lacquers or thick glosses could make them look much lighter and potentially make the room they're in feel more spacious. Legs of armchairs or dining room chairs can get the same treatment (if they're metal, use metal paint), while the fabric can be re-upholstered to look as good as new.

Whatever size space you're working with, as long as there are walls then they can be decked with all sorts to create a fresh focal point. Buy prints or posters to frame, or get stuck into the latest trend for wall hangings. Alternatively, put up some simple shelves, so you can line them with indoor plants, framed photos, rows of books (arranged in rainbow colour order looks very nice!), or even showcase pieces of your favourite crockery. Why not take old trinkets or antiques out of cupboards and drawers and make a feature of them?

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A dull, tired-looking carpet or a heavily stained one can really dominate a room, so splashing out on a new pile may be exactly what a space needs to instantly to feel fresh, warm and luxurious once again. Bold and bright carpets can act as the colourful base to a room, while muted, natural tones create a neutral, clean canvas.

But where to begin with a new carpet? The Good Housekeeping flooring range at Carpetright is a great place to start. From velvet elegance that’s soft and chic to resilient and hard-wearing twist carpets, the range is timelessly stylish (see the Chartwell in Dapple pictured below) and also comes with the Good Housekeeping Institute stamp of approval to demonstrate its quality.

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Completely tired of carpet all together? If you're lucky enough to have wooden floorboard beneath, this could be the time to show them off, whereas tiling and patterned lino come in so many designs and colours, they're an easy (and often good value, depending on the coverage you need) way to refresh a room from the floor upwards.

If replacing larger, more costly elements of a room isn't an option, you can easily change the look and feel with updated accessories and soft furnishings. In love with a new colour? Scatter cushions, throws, blankets, vases and dried flowers that all tie into a certain scheme will distribute colour around a room, whereas if you're going for a particular theme, such as a tropical paradise or coastal retreat, sourcing more specific items like a palm tree duvet cover and a pineapple lamp, or drift wood and a vintage life ring, can be a fun hobby.

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