Kelly Hoppen’s 12 cheap hacks to transform your tired home into a stylish space on a budget
INTERIOR design expert Kelly Hoppen is famed for creating luxurious spaces in celebrity homes, hotels and superyachts.
Over the years her celebrity clients have included A-listers like Gwyneth Paltrow and the Beckhams.
But the former Dragon’s Den star is also a dab hand at transforming tired, lifeless homes into stylish living spaces – on a budget.
And spring is her favourite season to do just that.
Kelly, 65, says: “I love this time of year and the opportunity to welcome the new season with colour and a fresh uplift throughout the entire home.
“We’ve spent all winter retreating into our cosy living spaces and keeping the cold out.
“But for me, spring is about letting the light back in and refreshing our interiors with style and simplicity.”
Here, Kelly shares her favourite 12 springtime home hacks…
De-fluff your digs
A spring clean is an essential starting point for your home’s transition into a fresh new season.
It’s about stripping back, clearing out and adding light and colour.
And then you’re ready to get cracking with a spruce-up. Begin with a quick declutter.
Try to get rid of the unnecessary things you’ve amassed over winter. Take it room by room.
It’s good to get into a seasonal routine of storing homewares away.
Grab some of those vacuum compression bags and pack up all those cosy cushion covers, blankets and throws.
Think of it as a ‘de-fluff’.
‘Shop’ your home
It sounds like a kooky concept, but shopping in your own home is a great thing to do while you’re having a sort-out.
Take a good look in your cupboards for any bright linens you might have forgotten about.
It’s a fabulous feeling when you find a throw or some bedding that you’d hidden away and you remember just how much you like it.
So do have a rummage around before you go shopping.
Be a glassware guru
Drinking glasses are perfect for creating a lovely arrangement of spring blooms on your windowsill or any spare surface.
Take four or five from your cupboard, making sure they’re different sizes.
Arrange them side-by-side, from the tallest to the smallest, then trim down some daffodils and pop them in the glasses.
The £1 bunches from the supermarket are perfect for this.
This makes a wonderfully simple spring display and costs very little.
And again, it’s about trying to use what we already have, but in a different way.
Embrace bargain bulbs
Spring bulbs bring yet another use to drinking glasses.
You can pick up a selection of dahlias, gladioli, freesias – or similar – very cheaply from any garden centre or even some supermarkets.
Then use any glass, small or large, from your kitchen and fill it with super soft grey moss, so you don’t see the plastic pot.
The scent and sight of spring bulbs add joy to any space.
Ditch dreary drapes
Windows can be instantly brightened by taking down any heavy curtains and replacing them with light, or even sheer, fabrics.
This is simpler than it sounds. All you need is a length of fabric that you can drape directly over the curtain rail.
No curtain-buying or hem-sewing is needed, as it doesn’t have to be perfect. If the material is too long, all the better.
Floaty fabrics look lovely when they’re ruffled around the floor.
Get the rug bug
Rugs are one of my favourite ways to transform a room in an instant.
If you already have heavy, dark rugs laid down, (and you’re short on space to store them away) layer one or two much lighter rugs over the top.
Go for neutral shades and simple patterns to add an airy feel to the room.
Monochrome and stripes can be effortlessly stylish, so give those a try.
Branch out
An oversized vase is a must for the new season.
All you need are a couple of blossom branches and you have a bold spring statement that works in any room. Simplicity is key here.
The Ceramic Handle Vase from my new M&S X Spring collection (£19.50) is great for longer-stemmed spring blooms and will smarten up any space.
Wake up your walls
Bookshelves and cupboards can be a great place to add a bold pop of colour and brighten up a room.
Be brave and grab some paint in a vibrant colour – I love to use orange shades here – and paint the back panel only.
You could even colour-coordinate your books, so you’ll have a wonderful riot of shades that’ll uplift your whole space and give it an eclectic feel.
Banish boring headboards
Headboards can be a fun place to start with a spring bedroom freshen-up.
This is easier than it sounds and works for both padded and hard headboards.
Choose some light, bright fabric (off-cuts will do), wrap it all around the headboard and secure with self-adhesive velcro strips around the back. Again, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Fold a few pleats into the fabric if your headboard is curved.
It’s a non-permanent way to soften the look of your bed and you can pop the fabric in the wash or even change it up if you feel like trying a different print or colour.
Bling up your bedding
Bed linen is often the first thing we notice when we walk into any bedroom. And it’s the easiest thing to uplift.
By all means, treat yourself to a bright new, neutral bed set.
Crisp white linens are wonderful for spring. But you can also bring life to your existing bedding by draping a runner or folded throw across it. You’d be surprised at what a difference it can make.
My M&S X Spring collection throw (£35) makes an effortlessly stylish bedroom statement.
Attack grimy grout
Bathrooms offer lots of opportunity for sprucing up on a budget.
If your tiles are looking tired, a simple way to liven them up is to re-grout in a bright colour.
You’ll need a grout rake and a grout gun (both very cheap to buy) and it really is a simple, satisfying job.
You can watch a quick YouTube tutorial if you’ve never done this before. Believe me, you’ll never look back.
Fresh grout can make your bathroom look brand new. And there are some fun colours to choose from these days. Greens, blues, yellows – there are no rules here, so take your pick.
Dump tired towels
A new shower curtain or bath mat can be transformative in a new-season bathroom.
We tend to play it safe here, but opting for a bold colour and pattern can uplift the whole bathroom.
A tired-looking hand towel can also be replaced with a vibrant new one.
All these seemingly small bathroom accessories are big opportunities for statement pieces that you can have a lot of fun with.
And they don’t break the bank, so be brave and mix it up.
- The new M&S X Kelly Hoppen exclusive Spring homeware design range is available in M&S stores and online at marksandspencer.com from 3rd April 2025