Re-styling my dressing table

This week I shared some ideas about how to rejuvenate your home for the new year, without needing to spend money or too much time. I decided to put some of my own advice into action, which I hope will help you as it’s much easier, I find, to make changes if you can see what someone else has done. The idea is that we get so used to our homes the way that they are, that it’s very easy not to change anything for years. However, just by swapping a few things around, moving objects and adding some flowers, it can feel as though your whole room has had a makeover. Plus, your space becomes more functional as we can clear out stuff we don’t need, or no longer use, in the process.

I am very embarrassed to show the ‘before’ shot because I hadn’t realised quite how messy my dressing table and the area around it had become because I see it every single day. A really good tip is to take a photo of your room or a corner of your room – if you wouldn’t want to show that picture to anyone else, then perhaps it’s time to make a change. Just saying!

Before…

There is so much ‘stuff’ on my drawers that I really don’t need to use on a daily basis. Also, the lamp is too large, the headbands hanging on the mirror look messy and the fan is just randomly dumped there. I need to get rid of the mirror that’s ‘hiding’ under the drawers and put up the hooks that are waiting patiently to be seen to on the basket. The Lloyd Loom laundry basket needs to live somewhere else as it looks too big and clunky there. I want to re-frame the precious family pictures around the mirror and hang them elsewhere so I need to find something to replace them.

After…

The mirror from underneath the drawers is gone, as are the hooks and the laundry basket has been swapped with the Singer machine my kind neighbour, Kate, recently gave me (love it!). Just these changes make the space look tidier and more stream-lined. I’ve also swapped the lamp that I had in my craft room into here as it is a better size and the colour is perfect. It’s the Little Dane lamp from Loaf, if you’re interested.I’ve cleared all the clutter from the table top, which makes life easier as more space has been created. If you’re worried about getting rid of stuff, keep it in a box for a week – if you don’t need it in that time, chances are you may not need it at all.

I’ve also framed some vintage educational wall charts from a second hand book that I bought on Amazon for £9 (it’s called The Art of Instruction), which was my only expense. I just used 50p clip frames so, all in all, it cost very little indeed.

The one thing I would say is that if you are planning to do as I did and swap things around in your home, like the lamp and laundry basket, do make sure that you know where you are going to put them before you move them. Otherwise, you will just end up messing up another corner of your home.

Happy styling!

Katy x