Aimed at renters and those doing up first homes on a shoestring, this well priced book is crammed with stylish ideas. What to pair with vintage pieces so your place looks chic, not nana-ish. How to add decorative splashes that are cheap and removable – hanging a drop of wallpaper from a coathanger, for example. Easy DIY projects (smartening up drawer fronts with wallpaper, creating a display unit from old gift boxes) include cornercutting tips for novices. There are ideas for kitchens and bathrooms, the trickiest spaces for renters to improve – an old metal shelving unit given a vivid paint job draws the eye away from a bathroom’s grungier bits.
Rosemary Barraclough is NZ House & Garden’s associate editor
