The one thing that can make a room lighter and seemingly more spacious is a mirror. The tradition is to place these over mantelpieces where they reflect neither light nor space but simply the wall above the sofa opposite. Forget expensive mirrors with curly baroque frames, and go for a large sheet of lightweight acrylic mirror, resistant to clumsy children and drunken guests. You can get a 1220 x 607mm (4ft x 2ft) piece of acrylic mirror from 365 Plastics for £27, and they will cut it to an exact size for an extra 10 percent. ‘Rather than thinking of them as decorative objects, try treating mirrors as sections of wall,’ says interior designer Anita Rosato. ‘It’s nice to walk into a room and have a mirror to the left or the right reflecting the length of the room. An obvious place would be reflecting a window to bring the outside in.’

Lights
Add instant atmosphere with a new lamp, or simply change the lampshade on a table lamp for a whole new look. You can get two matching solutions for £15 from Littlewoods Direct. The set includes a complete ceramic-based table lamp and a pendant shade in a choice of four fashionable colours. For a little more money, eco-friendly mother-and-daughter team Val and Nicola Prodromou at Use UK make lovely lampshades with bold designs out of recycled cardboard. Their sample sale includes an impressive range of shades, with prices starting from £17.

There’s nothing like cushions and curtains to add a touch of luxury to the home. But don’t worry if you live too far away to be able to visit the shop. Just send owner and designer Dee Bentham some idea of your colour scheme and a stamped addressed envelope, and she will send you samples from her huge range of seconds and clearance stock of gorgeous designer fabrics, including Malabar, Jane Churchill, Colefax & Fowler and Voyage Decoration. Prices are from just £2.50 (for short ends) to £16 a metre for sumptuous silks and embroideries.

Tiles
Boring white tiles in the kitchen or bathroom can be given a retro makeover with Tile Tats. A pack of 10 waterproof, but easily removable vinyl stickers by Mibo from Hidden Art costs £12.50. If you don’t mind queuing to pay, Matalan is good for occasional pieces of cheap but stylish bric-a-brac. At the moment it has some rather elegant Oriental Dawn vases (£12) and some 24x24cm resin wall plaques that look like stucco plasterwork for only £6 each.

If you’ve had to give up on the idea of moving house, you may as well give up on the bland decor that is supposed to sell homes. Wallpaper an alcove with something fancy and create an intriguing corner of delight that would horrify minimalists. Debenhams does a good range of wallpaper with designer names, but distinctly un-designer prices. Julien McDonald Black Dazzle wallpaper is now just £16 a roll. Westbrook Textiles is an eBay store with some extraordinary wallpaper designs by Givenchy for just £7.95 a roll. If fashion designers can do perfume, perfumers can do wallpaper.