Completing your very own interior decorating can seem like a daunting task, especially when you’re a DIY novice and are yet to master your decorating prowess, whether that be your skills with a paintbrush or your creative eye for interior design.

The truth is, DIY can be a huge money and time saver when it comes to renovating and redecorating the interior of your home, so to help out, here are five of the best tips for beginners. 

Firstly you need to prep your house for any changes you are making, especially if you’re planning on repainting. Paint-proofing is super important if you don’t want any nasty spills or accidents ruining your carpet or damaging your furniture, so always cover floors and upholstery with protective sheets. You’ll also need to clean down the walls and remove a radiator or hangings, and it’s a good idea to test out your colour with a sample beforehand too. 

Everyone needs a set of DIY tools in their home, no matter how skilled or unskilled you are with an electric power tool. The best idea is to invest in a toolbox that will provide you with all the essentials you need, including a drill and its accessories, a set of Allen keys, spirit level, tape measure, and lots of other basic necessities. It’s also worth paying a little extra for a decent toolbox too, that way you’ll have everything you need to make sure your interior decorating is up to scratch. 

Whilst planning the style of interior you like, it might be helpful if you put together a design mood board to gather ideas and options that take your fancy. Collect samples of colours, fabrics, and materials for all interior features including floors, furniture, and walls, because this will allow you to analyse what works well together and what doesn’t. Remember that mixing and matching the right colours can make or break the interior design, so choose creatively but wisely. 

The most knowledgeable interior design experts will all tell you that wallpaper is one of the best ways to wonderfully transform any room. However, it’s important you take your time with wallpapering and make sure you know everything there is to know about how to wallpaper the correct way because it can easily go wrong. As an amateur, it’s probably best to get paste-the-wall style paper and remember to pre-plan where you’re going to start and finish the pattern.

With your tape measurer in hand, it’s now time to measure your room before any new furniture or decorative accessories are purchased. This is a vital step because it also allows you to size up the space and decide on what type of furniture you want and where it can be positioned. One of the most important things to measure correctly is the windows because the best quality curtains and blinds usually have to be tailored to your exact size and measurements.