Design ideas for the ultimate home makeover

Transform a functional front door into an eye-catching entrance, and give it a splash of bright red or blue paint. This can also look fantastic in a living room or kitchen filled with neutral tones, especially if you complement your bold door with candles, ornaments and accessories in the same colour, dotted around the room.

An antique mirror in your bedroom with good, overhead lighting will help make you feel like a million dollars whenever you get ready to go out.

Give the illusion of space in smaller rooms with some strategically placed mirrors, and double the brightness in duller spaces by placing them opposite windows.

An inexpensive way to transform the look and feel of a room is to experiment with wallpaper. Papering your hall with a bold design can make for a grand entrance to your home, whilst covering just one wall in a room adds a touch of drama to the space. Brighten up the inside of cupboards and closets with a striking design and turn the mundane into the marvellous.

The era of big, bulky stereos and clunky speakers has long gone, so why not upgrade your tech with a more minimalist approach in mind? Surround sound speakers tucked away in your ceiling will give you great acoustics that don't encroach on precious space, and you can store away your Blu-Ray player, movie collection and other tech-related eye-sores in a sleek cabinet under your wall-mounted TV.

Spare a thought for the spare room and make it a place guests will look forward to staying in. Give the room a theme, such as music, film or literature. Add a few vintage posters and some memorabilia; the room can then also double up as somewhere to store your bulky movie and book collection.

Put scented candles in the room and light them when you have friends over; they'll really appreciate the gesture.

Let the humble lightbulb take centre stage, and swap your plain and practical bulbs for some Thomas Edison flair instead. The vintage, squirrel cage style filaments create a delightful glow, which adds warmth to a room whilst looking cool at the same time.

Try hanging some oversized bulbs over your dining table; they are guaranteed to be a talking point when you host dinner parties.

The ever-popular kitchen island looks great whilst providing a practical storage and food prep solution – but what if your budget doesn't stretch that far? Shop around for a large, antique bakers' table and have it restored and varnished – this will add a dash of days-gone-by rustic charm to your kitchen and will look great alongside more contemporary fixtures and fittings.

One way to achieve a calm and serene vibe in your bathroom is to call upon nature and bring some of the great outdoors inside. Try using olive green tiles (or paint) which look fantastic with dark brown colours throughout the room. Complement this earthy look with some cacti or other plants suited to humid bathroom conditions, and you've got the perfect haven to soak in a relaxing bath.

Make working from home work for you, with a space that inspires creativity. A clear, calming and clutter-free design with natural light will help you focus on the job at hand, whilst you can put your own stamp on your study with framed vintage fashion or music magazine covers. Shed some light on those late night working sessions with a super cool architect's lamp.

Getting the interior design just right on the 'his and hers' master bedroom can be tricky, and it's important you both enjoy relaxing in the space equally. To achieve this, try a pallet of neutral colours, with white bedding, patterned pillows and wooden floors.

Updating your forever home doesn't always require drastic changes and a huge budget. Often, just a few little changes here and there can make a big difference and help to give your home a bespoke look that's full of warmth and character.