Latest Interiors looks at updating the home without spending a fortune

Masters of craft

Updating upholstery, soft furnishings, and other accessories will give your home an instant, affordable facelift. If you want to update your living space with must-have colour and pattern without too much cost, look no further: This week, we bring you the finest of this season’s fabrics.

Mend and make do?
A tatty sofa or chair needn’t mean buying an expensive replacement – if the frame and cushions are sound, you can save yourself plenty of money by investing in new upholstery or loose covers. Many companies offer bespoke upholstery and loose covers, though it may be possible to find something off-the-peg that will do.

If you fancy doing-it-yourself, renovating old items saves money, waste, and helps to reduce your carbon footprint. The skills needed to mend and make do were commonplace to our grandparents and parents, but many under-40s (and some of us who are – just – over) will have left school without knowing much about sewing at all, never mind embroidery, upholstery or knitting. Don’t despair: sewing and knitting clubs for children and grown-ups are the latest craze (see www.stitchclub.co.uk and www.stitchnbitch.co.uk for some local groups, or check out the classes run by knitting and fabric shops). Alternatively, make use of our fabulous local evening classes (www.bhlp.org.uk/index.php?option=com_learning&Itemid=124). Your new skills could prove to be an excellent investment. However, if it all gets a bit much, it’s perfectly okay to throw in the towel and call a professional – unfinished, ill-fitting covers and upholstery will only make you miserable.

Soft furnishings & fabrics
A cheaper (and less traumatic, if you’re trying to do it yourself for the first time) option is to brighten up your home with some new soft furnishings – updating cushions, throws, rugs and runners with the latest colours and prints will make a huge difference to your space (and simple cushion covers are very easy to make!). Plus, because it’s such an inexpensive way to update, you can afford to do it more often.

This season…
Colour and pattern are key to the seasons look- forget neutrals, this year we’re loving some really quite retro brights from the ’70s and ’80s. Teal, mustard, orange, cherry red and chocolate rub shoulders with metallics and bold monochrome. Animal, plant and insect prints remain popular, along with folk art and retro abstracts. Luxury is another strong trend – in this age of austerity, we’re buying less, but investing in the odd quality piece. Saving up for a pure silk cushion, cashmere throw or felted wool rug is the perfect antidote to double-dip depression.