Has your spare room become the junk room? Do you have friends unexpectedly coming to stay? Or do you simply want to utilize unused space? Here are some top tips for overhauling your spare room without spending a fortune.

Decide what you want to use it for

Most homes have a computer and most people have overnight visitors at some stage, so turning the space into an office-come-guest room makes complete sense. A sofa bed is obviously a great idea if you have one, but an ordinary bed can be dressed up as a sofa when guests aren’t staying. Visit a second-hand shop and pick up a small table that can double as a dressing table/desk and a bookshelf to store the clutter, for just a few pounds. Don’t worry about what the bookshelf looks like – you can easily disguise it.

Decorating

If you have the basic furniture in place, transforming the room into something beautiful is easy. All you need are new curtains and one or two key accessories to transform the look of the room – this strategy is much easier and cheaper than repainting the room.

New curtains or blinds, or a combination of the two, are much cheaper than you probably think. A pair of pretty ready-made eyelet curtains can cost under £20 and you can complete the look with corded tiebacks and chunky brass eyelet poles. Combining blinds with curtains gives the room a professionally finished look, and is an excellent way to achieve privacy and keep light in or out. A white roller blind with contemporary eyelets can cost under £12. Try hanging the blinds and curtains at the same height a few centimeters below the ceiling (if your budget allows), to give the effect that the window is taller and grander than it actually is.

Bring the look of the room together with a matching duvet cover or bedspread. Alternatively, simply drape the bed with a large piece of plain fabric (Mostyn’s have a vast range of fabrics available) that reflects a colour in the curtains or paintwork, and accessorize with matching cushions or something more funky pillows if you want to make a bit of a statement.

When thinking about what kind of curtains to buy there are a few things to consider. Lined curtains will offer more warmth in the winter and will keep out more light when they are closed than eyelet curtains (they also hang better), and your guests might thank you for this. Cream, light brown or white curtains will work with any colour scheme and add interest to the room with an interesting lamp, mirror or rug.

Storage

Clutter can be neatly stacked under the bed or in boxes on the bookshelf. To achieve a completely neat and tidy look, try tacking a piece of fabric across the top of the bookshelf – perhaps one that matches the curtains or the duvet cover – to keep all the clutter hidden away.