You could, for example, decorate your woodpile quickly and easily simply by adding a string of fairy lights to the pile and switching them on after night falls. What a quick way to give your living room a bit of a magical makeover!

Or you could come over all romantic and create a giant floral wreath using sticks and fake flowers to hang over the fireplace in place of the more typical mirror that you usually find hung above the mantelpiece. Finish this off by placing candles symmetrically either side on the mantel and away you go.

If you want something truly contemporary, what about whitewashing your walls and decorating the mantelpiece with some curios found around the world? Interestingly, ram and sheep skulls are quite popular for interior design as wall art at the moment and you could complement it with some books and some plants to help soften the look a little.

For a quick DIY project and one that won’t break the bank, why don’t you recycle old bottles and jars and turn them into vases for ferns and other plants? This would look lovely, especially if you go for bottles in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours. Check out Pinterest for even more design ideas.

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Note that it’s highly possible you’ll have regulations you’ll need to adhere to when it comes to renovating your older house, so always check with your local council and/or building authority before you start work, or you could be in for a bit of a shock in the future. You’d also be wise to hire a builder that has a lot of experience with renovating period homes, as they’ll be more sensitive to what work needs to be done and what needs to be preserved.

If you do have an older home, chances are that you’ve got some amazing windows that let in a lot of light. Try to keep the original ones if you can and have them restored if need be, rather than rip them out and replace them with new ones. Stained glass and Art Deco designs are often found in homes of a certain age and it would be a shame to take them out unless absolutely necessary.

Fireplaces in particular are worth preserving if at all possible, since they make a brilliant focal point for a room. And just because you keep the period features in your home doesn’t mean that your interior decor has to be dated or old-fashioned. You can give your house a contemporary facelift and still retain the period look and feel at the same time. In fact, the juxtaposition of the two can really make your house come alive in a unique and exciting way.

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