Every proud homeowner wants to have their house looking great all time.  Even if you have to increase your home insurance cover it's a proud moment whenever you finish a project that enhances not only the value of your home but also how it looks.

Whilst we shouldn't be too hung up on keeping up with the Joneses it's important to everyone's self image to keep their house looking neat and tidy and up-to-date.  Interior decorating trends change all the time so it is difficult to keep paying for improvements that become fashion statements year after year.  It's the same with landscaping.  Every year it seems landscape architects come out with new suggestions that can make your landscaping look a little tired and out of date.

The trick is not to fall into the trap of redesigning the interior or exterior of your house just because an architect or designer publishers some new suggestion on a whim.  It's far better to follow your own sense of style and design and keep your house looking like it is a reflection of your family's personality.

Here are some tips you can follow that will keep you out of the design traps mentioned above and which will still keep your house looking as good as ever.

• Painting.  Nothing freshens up a house more than the new lick of paint.  Sometimes it might be as simple as painting the front stairs or repainting the guttering to give your house a real lift.  On the inside, why not consider a feature wall that you can change every now and then in just a few hours by applying a new colour or paint style.  Many lounge rooms for instance can take on a whole new look simply by repainting a wall in a feature colour that is modern and fresh but still in keeping with your existing decor.
• Tart up the Kitchen.  You don't have to install a new kitchen, while not replace the handles and knobs to give your kitchen a new feel and a fresh look?  Sometimes cleaning up your existing kitchen can do wonders too.  Try cleaning up the bench spaces and taking all your appliances away to store elsewhere in the house.  Removing clutter and give a more open feel and can change the look of the kitchen in an instant.
• Redo the floors.  This is not a major project and you could choose just one room in the house, for example the kitchen or dining room.  Changing the floor coverings gives the effect of the whole decor being changed, but all it takes is a re-polish of existing floorboards or replacing a rug.
• Clean up the bathroom.  Freshen up the walls of your bathroom with a new colour or change a few tiles that can give the bathroom a completely new look.  You can do this in a couple of hours and it won't cost much either.
• Storage space.  Sometimes it just takes a little planning to make your whole house look different.  To do this all you have to do is reorganise how you store items in your house.  Try removing a few pieces of furniture to a different room or hiding some of the existing clutter in a different room. Lack of clutter is a real feature.

These quick makeover tips will help you to keep your house looking fresh all the time and you won't have to pay more for your home contents insurance either!