It’s important to love your home. Like any relationship, it shouldn’t be one-sided! The more love you show your home the more it will be reciprocated. Perhaps when you first laid eyes on your home it was love at first sight. As time has gone on things have become more complicated. You have discovered more things that need attention and work. The thought of addressing these things can be exhausting when you are struggling to find the time in your busy life. You have even forgiven yourself for thinking of moving on!

Or perhaps you are obsessed with your home, and you spend a lot of your time thinking about how you can improve it. You love the natural character of your property and have done so much already to improve it that you simply need some inspiration.

The little things you can do

Show your home you care by cleaning and keeping it in tip-top shape. A fresh coat of paint, new lamp shades, and some more collectables or accessories for the kitchen. Candles, flowers, plants, paintings, pictures and perhaps most importantly trying something new. To keep things fresh and vibrant take a departure from your norms.

Try something different

Have you ever painted your furniture? Try it – the kitchen table and chairs or sideboard. It’s on trend right now and the results can be room-altering. There is no such thing as right or wrong when it comes to interior design and decorating. It’s your home to make unmistakably yours. Restore furniture or find something a bit different, that tells the story of who you are.

Commitment – big renovations

Show how committed you are to making the most of your home by not putting off what you have wanted to do for ages. Your dream kitchen, a new bathroom, or both. If you need to borrow for one sometimes the smart thing to do is borrow a little more and give your house the complete makeover it deserves. This will add some serious value to your home.

Garden and outside

A great garden can truly become a magical place. The scope for ideas and to create your own unique world is endless. From decking and flowerbeds to ornate garden sculptures. Multilevel gardens with built-in seating. While it’s still wintry why not create a fire pit and plant some outdoor lights which will create a warm, romantic ambience outside?

A workspace

If like many people, you work remotely, why not create your perfect work-from-home space? If space is limited a balance between aesthetics and functionality can be difficult to achieve. Experiment with your set-up, perhaps put your desk near a window or hang some inspirational pictures, which will stop you becoming bored of the same four walls. The little things here make a big difference, even some flowers or plants. Keep things simple, a well-organised compact desk that does not make a statement but is functional and uncluttered so you can concentrate on the tasks at hand.

Do you want to love the home you live in? Browse our properties and find your perfect place.

• Install a smart meter: this can be supplied by your energy provider, so you can see exactly how much energy you use.
• Loft insulation: this is a simple way to keep heat from escaping your home and can save you a lot of money on heating bills. It is something you could do yourself with the right protective equipment, but don’t fall through the roof! Perhaps you don’t feel up to it after all? Don’t worry; there are many specialists who can do this for you.
• Collect rainwater for the garden: by collecting rainwater in your garden in a butt, a barrel or an all-singing, all-dancing water tank complete with a pump. Whichever you choose, you are making your garden greener by harvesting rainwater!
• Low-flow showerhead: you can buy one of these for less than £20 and install it in minutes by simply unscrewing your old showerhead and replacing it. Being more efficient could mean you use your boiler a little less, too.
• Energy-efficient light bulbs: they might be a little more expensive, but they will save up to 80% on energy use and last up to ten years!

• Install a new boiler: improve your energy performance certificate with a new boiler. Having an old boiler will put buyers off, and the value of your home will increase sufficiently to cover the costs of a new boiler.
• Air source heat pump: with government grants making this option more affordable, heat pumps are becoming more popular. British Gas offers a complete fitting service.
• Triple-glazed windows: this will improve your home's energy rating further. Your home loses a lot of energy as heat escapes through the windows. When they are clean, windows allow a lot of heat from the sun to enter. Triple-glazed windows trap that heat more efficiently, saving you money on the energy you use to heat your home.
• Photovoltaic solar panels: as solar panels become more popular, we are all becoming more aware of them. Less well-known are photovoltaic solar panels, which work even when it’s cloudy—perfect for the UK! Did you know you could sell the electricity they generate back to your local energy supplier, potentially making them pay for themselves?
• Hot water solar panels: placed on the roof like traditional solar panels, they heat the water for your shower, bath, and kitchen sink!
• Install a wind turbine: we see them dotted all over the countryside, but perhaps surprisingly, you can buy smaller versions for your home that will create enough electricity to run your entire home.