The holidays can be a very stressful time of year with so many of us having family over.

During these times, when you may want to update your living spaces, sometimes you can’t bring yourself to paint an entire room or buy new furniture. So, what do you do when you want a change but have little time or budget? Here are eight small changes that will make a big impact.

1) Change your fabrics. Whether you camouflage the throw pillows in your living room or purchase a new doona cover, you can rotate fabrics to create something new and fresh. You’d be surprised how different new throw pillows can make a room look. Modern patterns can take a room from outdated to current. A busy space can be made calm with solid, cool colors. Buying a neutral couch and changing the pillows to match the trends is cheaper than to buy a patterned couch only to reupholster it when it’s no longer current.

2) Update your window coverings. It’s amazing what a fresh set of blinds can do for a room! These days, installing new blinds are general both cost effective and relatively easy to do yourself. You may not even realise what a massive impact new window coverings can make to the overall look of your home – changing those daggy old curtains to timber look Venetians for example can lift your entire home.

3) Add new hardware. Try changing the hardware on your kitchen cabinets or dressers. You don’t have to spend a lot to get a new look. Places such as Ikea or Bunnings have high-quality, inexpensive hardware for anyone’s taste.

4) Rethink your artwork. Too much? Not enough? Sometimes we get so used to the artwork we have (or lack thereof), and we might not realize we need a change. Try condensing your scattered photographs into a big gallery wall. Or fill a blank wall with a bright and colorful painting. Love your artwork as is? Switch out the frames for something new. New frames can add a new vibe to old art.

5) Add some greenery. Fresh flowers or live plants freshen up any room. Buy a bouquet of flowers, clip some from your garden or add a potted plant. Don’t just stick to flowers: try leaves, branches and even weeds, such as Queen Anne’s Lace.

6) Try a stencil. Even if you painstakingly selected your perfect wall color, you might think it looks a bit stale or bare. Buy a stencil or create your own for a quick, creative change. To create your own stencil, cut out an easily repeated design on cardboard and trace it on your wall. Paint over your lines for an instant faux wallpaper.

7) Rearrange your furniture. This is completely free and a totally reversible way to change the look of your room. Try pulling items away from walls or floating chairs by your sofa. Make something other than your television your focal point. Don’t like the new look? Change it back anytime.

8) Let spray paint become your new best friend. Spray painting is an inexpensive and quick way to change almost anything. From door handles to pottery, light fixtures to furniture: almost anything can be spray-painted.

There you have it: simple, manageable, ideas to spruce up your home. Because sometimes the little things make us smile the most.

Thanks to Special Selections for some great ideas!