They say that an Englishman’s home is his castle – but that’s open to debate. It would be more true to say that everyone’s home is their refuge from the sometimes maddening and stressful world outside their front door.

A better saying is “be it ever so humble there’s no place like home’. But humble doesn’t mean that your home should not be a refection of your own unique style and personality.

There are plenty of home decor hints and tips that can turn even the most humble of abodes into a just such a refuge – in fact there’s no reason that your home cannot be a place of warmth and welcome – and it need not cost you that much.

Let’s start with paint. If ever there was starting point paint would be it. There is no more cost effective way to give your home a face lift than with a new coat of paint. Not only are there more colors available than ever before but with today’s mix and match color guides you can make every room in your home shine with your own individual touch. Warm colors like luscious browns and deep mahogany tones will allow the brighter highlights of other decorations to really shine and become talking points of their own.

If you want to really brighten up a room go for the tinted whites – many of them offer a slight tone such as green to make any room bright and breezy as a spring day.

Stores like IKEA can also help out with drapes that will compliment a new paint job. There’s actually no reason to hem them – that’s just an added cost. Letting the drapes puddle on the floor can lend an air of elegance to a room if done right. Just don’t let those bottom hems get dusty or dirty.

Picture frames with family or holiday photos can also become a focal point for any room. Choose a wall and some diverse frames and gather them together to create a collage of interesting talking points. Just make sure not to let the frames clash with each other. Simple white frames can let the photographs speak for themselves.

If your concerned that your floors lack interest then visit your local carpet store and ask them about remnants of previous orders – these can look great and the store may offer to bind the edges for you. You can really pick up some bargains by taking this approach.

Take a good look at the lighting in your home. This is often overlooked by many homeowners. there are some fantastic shades available in low energy bulbs. These don’t reduce the amount of light, but they do offer a subtle change in mood lighting and that can really make the difference to any room.

Making simple changes like these can turn the dull into spectacular, no matter the size of the room. It goes to show that when it comes to expressing your own individuality money should not be a limiting factor.