We’re all spending a great deal of time in our homes at the moment. If you’re anything like me you start noticing all the little jobs and bigger projects you wish you had got round to doing.

I want to repaint our kitchen and the floors are getting very worn. This is one space we haven’t tackled yet and I would really like to add the timeless parquet flooring which elevates a room and gives it the wow factor.

So if you have the time now to get on with some tasks, what can you do which has the most impact? There are plenty of home improvements which can be done with little experience.

Find out below what the trends are for this year and how you can incorporate them into your home.

Shades of…grey

Although you may be getting tired of seeing grey interiors this shade isn’t going anywhere. It’s a wonderful neutral colour which can be easily enhanced with accessories every time you have the desire for a change. Offset with pinks, teal or lilac.

Lilac is the colour of the season across interiors and clothing, however, if the thought of any sort of purple on your walls is troubling, remember lilac is actually very gentle.

It can be as deep or pastel as you would like; I would go for a paler shade and add hints of it through your decor such as with pretty coloured jugs of flowers or scatter cushions.

Under your feet

One home improvement which creates maximum impact is updating your flooring. In some areas of our house, we had carpet installed and I wish we had gone for laminate flooring throughout instead.

Not only does it look more modern and is easier to clean. There are such a wide range of colours and textures to choose from now and it’s incredibly hard-wearing which really suits families.

The trends for colours this year are moving away from pine and towards whitewashes, grey and very pale shades, or a deep, rich, finish such as walnut.

Sustainability

As we all become more conscious of our effect on the environment; this is the perfect moment to try and use eco-friendly products when updating your home.

Sourcing energy-efficient windows or doors. Thinking about using energy-wise construction and design materials.

If you need furniture, can you upcycle, or buy second hand and repurpose an item? Only install energy-saving lighting and make sure you are reducing waste as much as possible.

Going green is a big trend in 2020 and even if you just find organic materials for your home accessories it can be a great start and creates a beautiful natural living space.

Bring the outside in

As we’ve all found in lockdown the natural world is a great healer. How would we have coped without those 1 hr daily walks?

You don’t need to rely on these though to create calm in your life. Bringing more plants into your home cleans the air, increases humidity and produces more oxygen.

So these are the technical reasons why you need greenery in your home but the reason this is a trend in 2020 is that they make us feel better.

House plants boost your mood, improve your productivity and concentration. This has the overall effect of reducing stress and fatigue.

It’s the little things

Should all of these projects above seem too much, there are lots of little things you can do to update your home.

Details really make a room and trends this year which can easily be embraced are the nod to the 1920s geometric lines and hints of gold.

Easy ways to make these changes with minimal effort are to update lampshades and cushions. Another tip is to source some unusual doorknobs or drawer handles and add these to a door or chest. This can completely transform them and anyone can take on this diy task.

I once bought some beautiful wire drawer handles in a shop in Paris. They now grace my bedroom chest of drawers and I always think of that trip when I use it.