Every home has its fair share of scuffs, stains and other imperfections that are too small to warrant redecorating but detract from the overall finish of a house. Find out how to hide them, disguise them and transform them into stylish design features quickly and easily with our ingenious solutions. You'll fall in love with your home all over again!

If your garden has seen better days there are lots of ways to give it a quick spruce up but here's a great place to begin. Throw down one of these waterproof outdoor rugs and the space will instantly start to feel more polished and put together. No DIY required! 

Give your kitchen a budget makeover with a sticky-backed plastic covering to freshen up old worktops and upstands. Go for purpose-made vinyl films that are self-adhesive and durable and come in all sorts of finishes, from granite to marble. 

If your sofa fabric is beyond salvation and you don’t have the time and money to reupholster, a removable cover will give your sofa a new lease of life. Better still, most sofa covers are machine washable, so you can tackle future spills quickly and easily.

Disguise any imperfections in your paintwork with a display of on-trend wall hangings. The beauty of this idea is that you can arrange them at different heights without it looking strange and it will also soften sounds and warm up a room.

There are now several design-led companies making beautiful doors that fit onto stand IKEA kitchen units, and you can get a brand new look for a fraction of the price. It's also a quick option that won't put your kitchen out of action for weeks on end!

Turn a draughty, empty grate into a feature for your room by filling an out of use fireplace with something to catch the eye. Here, neatly stacked firewood gives a nod to cosy nights but there are so many ways to turn an old fireplace into a focal point: you could try candles, a display of your favourite ceramics, faux flowers or plants. 

Cushions are another speedy way to spruce up a sofa or armchair that’s past its prime. Layer them up in a variety of shapes and sizes to disguise faded or frayed sofa backs and arms, or stained seat cushions.

Luckily for renters, DIY dodgers and people with marked walls, the trend for leaning frames against the wall, rather than suspending them, shows no sign of abating. The low angle does mean that you'll get to see under chairs and tables, so a little extra tidying up might be required but the extra light and feeling of space it will add more than compensates.

Get instant kerb appeal and a warm welcome with a new doormat that makes you smile as you leave for the day or arrive home. The trend for funky floors means that there's a huge range of options available including animal prints, bright colours and interesting shapes.

Interior designers know that adding a statement headboard is the one-step shortcut to creating a beautiful bedroom. But did you know that you can buy them individually and attach them straight to the wall? If you're on a budget, try eBay or Etsy for a second-hand vintage number or splash out on your dream design in on-trend rattan, warm wood or velvet.

You don’t need to be a dab hand with a sewing machine or fork out a fortune to give your windows an overhaul. Replacing your existing curtains with a ready-made pair takes next to no time and there are some gorgeous designs to choose from. You can also use curtains to screen off ugly old doors or to section off practical spaces such as utility areas. 

Add a fabulous finish to your kitchen with a glossy new splashback, adding pattern or colour in one easy step. This elegant grey patterned option is made from one single piece of glass meaning you can have it in place in minutes, through some drilling will be required. 

Another smart decorating hack to make a big improvement to a tired bathroom, the size of a bath panel means it plays a large part in how the overall look of the scheme comes off. If yours is scratched, marked or broken, its time to get rid! You can buy made-to-measure sections that should slot in fairly easily and will provide a springboard to a fresh new look. 

Whether your flooring is past its best or you’ve spilled red wine on your lovely cream carpet, a rug can come to the rescue. If you have a large area of flooring that needs covering up, layer different rugs in similar styles and colours at different angles to create an eclectic, Middle Eastern-inspired look. Rugs don’t have to be confined to the floor – try hanging one on your walls for a stylish, Bohemian look that will also hide wall holes and water damage without needing to paint. 

Throws are an easy, instant cover-up for sofas, armchairs and bedding that have seen better days. They’re also an affordable way to inject colour and pattern into a scheme without committing to new curtains or carpet. 

Floor stains, cigarette burns and other unattractive marks on your floor can be eliminated from view in an instant, simply by rearranging your furniture or introducing a carefully placed side table. This approach has the added benefit of giving your room a totally new look and, if you're just rearranging, it won’t cost you penny.

If your radiator leaves a lot to be desired there are some very cool covers available these days. You can still, of course, go for a classic country style cover with a fretwork panel but what about these bespoke beauties? In a mid-century modern home, they'll fit right in. Find more designer radiators we love in out edited round-up.

Plants and their pots can hide a multitude of sins and are especially handy when it comes to blocking unsightly cables from view. Obviously the bigger the pot, the more they can hide – Ficus aliii and fiddle-leaf fig trees are two supersize plants that grow very happily indoors. Trailing plants such as ferns and ivy will also cover more ground. If you don’t have time for watering, go faux.

Wallpapering can be a messy business if you go down the traditional pasting route. Luckily, there are now plenty of ‘peel and stick’ options out there, which adhere to walls instantly and can be removed just as easily without damaging the plasterwork or leaving behind clumps of paste – perfect for refreshing tired walls on the double.

Wallpaper isn’t just for walls. You can also use it to revamp vintage furniture by lining the insides of cupboards and drawers, or you can think outside the box and incorporate it as a surprise detail, as has been done here by applying it to the outsides of individual drawers. 

Kitchen tiles looking cracked or dated? You don’t have to be stuck with them. In fact, you can give them a face lift by covering them up with stick-on tiles in the pattern of your choice. Many designs are heat and splash resistant, so you can even use them behind sinks. 

Double-sided shelving units can also be used to screen off parts of an open-plan space. Go for a versatile modular model that you can add to or subtract from as needed or make a statement with an on-trend bamboo storage unit.

If your walls are riddled with old picture hook holes, use them as the starting point for a polka-dotted feature wall. Simply cut out paper dots in the colour of your choice then stick them over the holes, adding a few more for good measure so the design looks deliberate.

Ready-made wall stickers are an even easier option for covering up wall flaws. There are countless designs out there to choose from, from stars and stripes to mountain landscapes and woodland scenes. They’re especially handy for adding a playful touch to a nursery or children’s bedroom. 

If your floorboards or staircase are looking a bit the worse for wear, give them a lift with a spot of stencilling. All you need is some durable floor paint and some pre-made templates. 

A simple shower curtain can be all it takes to give a bathroom a clean new look. You can use them either to dress up a traditional freestanding tub or to disguise a dated built-in tub without having to splash out on a replacement.

Bored of your bed? That’s nothing a set of statement bed linen won’t fix. Whether you favour modern geometrics or vintage florals, adding some bold pattern will draw the eye away from a worn-out old bed frame in favour of the star attraction. Treat yourself to a plush duvet and pillows, too, for an irresistibly sumptuous finish.

Here’s a quick and easy way to turn a run-of-the-mill bed into something special – simply suspend a canopy or voile from the ceiling to create a four-poster feel without the heavy framework.

A gallery wall not only makes an eye-catching design feature, it’s also a flexible way to hide marks on your walls. You can position the pictures to hide the worst offending scuffs while creating also an elegant arrangement that no-one will suspect is there for practical purposes.

A cluster of mirrors can have the same flaw-disguising effect as a gallery wall, with the added benefit that the mirrors will reflect back prettier parts of the room and create the impression of a window through the damaged wall, drawing the eye away from its imperfections.

Floating shelves are another clever wall cover-up, especially if you fill them with arresting accessories. Just make sure you don’t overload shelves on a partition wall for fear of pulling off the plaster and making your wall problems worse.

Books are works of art and accessories in their own right and add character to any space. Stack your bookshelves high to hide cheap or damaged wood, arrange them on floating shelves to disguise wall cracks and holes or place large art and design books on top of a coffee table to demonstrate your creative knowledge (and hide mug rings).

A favourite quick fix for bathroom makeovers, painting tiles can transform a rundown washroom into a bright and clean space. Make sure you get specialist paint for the job, ensure that tiles are clean and dry and use rollers for an even finish. If you're feeling adventurous, use this as an opportunity to experiment with pattern and colour – a pairing of pastels can never go far wrong.

We love how effective this decorating hack is from blogger Addicted2decorating. A plain white shower tray has been given spa style thanks to the clever addition of a wooden bath mat. There are so many sizes and materials available to buy, you just need to find one that fits your particular dimensions and then just drop and go!

A dressing screen adds instant glamour to a space and will hide messy hanging rails or clothes-strewn floors from view without anyone being any the wiser. They can work wonders outside the bedroom, too, for example, to separate a hard-working home office from a peaceful living area in an open-plan scheme. 

Talk about a 60-second makeover! This beautiful bedroom trick will take your space from basic to boudoir without the need for any serious DIY. This white-painted carved wooden panel has been placed behind a simple divan, leaning against the wall to create an instant headboard. You can buy the ready-made panels in various homeware stores but you may want to attach it with hooks to the wall for extra stability.

Whether real or faux, the deeply snuggly sheepskin is having a moment and throwing one on a stained chair or sofa is the ultimate quick style fix. There are lots of different colours and styles to choose from - just make sure they are responsibly sourced.

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