Give your home an autumn makeover with some quick, budget-friendly fixes

Autumn makeover time is here, but there’s no need to splash out. Arriving from Hollywood is the Gucci-meets-Gap look.

Based on the ‘spending designs’ of interior decorator to Gwyneth Paltrow, Brigette Romanek, you shell out for a major piece such as a sofa, but scrimp on cushions, throws and accessories from the High Street. 

These quick fixes can make your home chicer and cosier…

Colour and light

Muted tones work well in strong summer sunlight, but can be too drab in the darker winter months.

Designer Katharine Pooley says: ‘I like to add additional colour in artworks, armchairs, decorative cushions and throws.’

She suggests cheery cobalt blue and orange. Graham & Green has velvet cushions in jewel colours for £45. H&M Home’s velvet orange cushion covers start at £9.99.

Lighting can also banish gloom. Tom Sullivan, of Habitat, says: ‘Switch from bright overhead lighting to table lamps, string lights and candles.’

Lights4fun has ivory and orange string lights and LED candles. A nine-candle set is £64.99.

Rechargeable lamps can be moved around the home. The Dunelm Keko in black, grey and green (£20) and the M&S Colby in pink would suit a city flat (£59). Pooky’s Amelia and Walter lamps (from £110) are ideal for formal spaces.

A warm welcome 

Make a hallway more elegant with a console table topped with a lamp.

The Orleans art deco-style console from The Range has gold geometric detailing (£124.99). The B&M oak and metal Tromso console is ideal for contemporary interiors (£42.50). And the Habitat Turner clothes rail and shoe rack can help you reduce clutter (£70).

A mirror will make any room look brighter. M&S has the Madrid full-length gilt frame mirror for £169, while B&Q’s Ayla red Persian runner will add opulence (£30). Dunelm sells its Novis Herringbone rug for £139.

Bedroom bliss 

Layering with heavier-weight duvets and throws is key to an autumn bedroom refresh. John Lewis says its £195 cashmere throws in camel and grey are best sellers. 

Oliver Bonas’s vibrant patchwork quilt will add colour and interest to a room (£165).

William Morris Arts & Crafts prints are also in vogue. M&S’s William Morris duvet covers start at £65. And the covers in bold blues, greens and ochres in its Fired Earth collaboration start at £37.50.

A sofa or armchair turns a bedroom into a retreat. Examples include John Lewis’s Pebble sofa in ivory, now £489, down from £699; Dunelm’s Eliza velvet chair in green, grey, gold or navy at £129; or the Archie loveseat at M&S in grey or peach for £349.

A sheepskin throw is on trend, too. Try Ikea’s Ullerslev (£35) and The Dartmoor Shepherd’s Herdwick fleece (£130).