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A lick of paint Painting a piece of furniture covers up scuffs and scratches, and brings it more in line with your personal taste. You could coat it all over in one single colour, or get creative with patterns and contrasting shades.

Alterations and tailoring Raise hemlines if pants or skirts are too long; add in darts to bring a dress in at the waist. Swapping out daggy buttons can give a garment a whole new feel, as can removing sleeves or collars completely.

Polishing Whether it’s old, tarnished silver or a pair of roughed-up shoes, polishing a secondhand find is an easy way to restore it to its former glory.

A patch or two The effect of a patch is twofold: it can cover a hole or tear in a garment, and add a rad embellishment for some extra

pizzazz. All you need are some super-basic sewing skills, and you’re laughing.

Vinyl or wallpaper Almost anything – from rubbish bins to tabletops, picture frames and plant pots – can be wrapped in vinyl decals or wallpapers to create a statement piece. Find patterns you love online, or even in secondhand stores, if you’re lucky!

Reupholstering If a chair or couch has good bones but the fabric is ratty or not to your taste, reupholstering may be a clever way to make the piece work in your home.

Dyeing Tie-dye, dip-dye, bleach, shibori: there are plenty of ways to give things made from natural fibres a totally different look. (Dyeing is also useful for covering icky stains, but beware: it will get messy.)