Six quick fixes for your living room

So, it’s agreed that the bridal shower will take place at my house and about two minutes after that unanimous decision, I realise that the bulb in my living room that I have for the last few months been promising myself to “dress” still appears “naked”. The living room of an interior designer...what will the girls think? As soon as I get home I grab an old lamp shade, tear it apart and begin to weave red faux crystal beaded strings around it...it took me two days but the result, beautiful!
You don’t have to be an interior designer to perform minor surgical interior decor procedures in your home. Look around you and find something you can use to up date your space.

The hat trick
An old hat can make an interesting centre piece for your coffee table. Spray it with gold or bronze paint bought from the nearest supermarket, then embellish it with a string of fake pearls or a few chicken feathers, sprayed too, and set it on the table!

Treasure in empty wine bottles
Alternatively, gather three empty wine bottles of different height and shape. With super glue and coloured yarn (the one used to knit sweaters), carefully roll the thread around the bottle line after line till you get to the top and seal it off. Placed on a shelf or wall unit and see the results.

The bowl of beads
For something more intricate, buy a round fish bowl, glue, small glass beads (usually used to make jewellery, these are sold in packets of Shs1,000 to Shs2,000 each). The colour scheme in your living room will determine the colour range of beads you buy.

Evenly pour a layer of one colour of beads at the bottom of the bowl, spread a thin layer of glue before placing another layer of glass beads on top. Keep adding lighter shades of beads and glue, layer after layer.

A personal touch
To revamp a photoframe, replace the art in it with your own. Place a piece of manila paper on a table. Mix poster/acrylic colour on a tray then one by one dip a converse shoe of each member of your household starting with the biggest to the smallest and print on the paper. When dry, frame it. If that doesn’t work for you, try hand prints.

Kitchen items on the wall
Hang a set of wooden or metallic trays varying in sizes horizontally or vertically on one of your walls big to small size and see the difference they will make.

With paint, take the plunge and paint bold stripes running vertically along the wall (for rooms that have low ceilings) and horizontally (if you want to exaggerate or increase the size of your living room). You could also try large circular motifs or paint leaves randomly all over the wall.

The list is endless. Hopefully, a few examples can kick start a whole whirlwind of decor ideas in your home. Happy experimenting!

Gloria Kawuma is an interior designer