Home Decorating on a Budget: Ingenious Money-Saving Ideas for Homeowners
Budget decorating is easy and fun. With great inspiration, you get to express your persona through interior design. These days, it’s easy to make your home stylish and inviting on a budget.
Decorating on a budget can give your home a new look if you can mirror a design without making it feel cheap. Keep reading to learn more about decorating your own home for less.
Things to Consider Before Decorating Your Home
DIY vs. Interior Designers
If you’re on a tight budget, you can choose to go the DIY way. Hiring interior designers might balloon the project costs. However, hiring a professional depends on a design’s complexity.
If it’s just a few tweaks, you can probably solve it yourself. DIY may be a perfect option if you have style and an aptitude for interior design.
Where to start
Collect interior photos of your favorite furniture, textures, and materials. Use items that catch your eye as design inspiration.
Establish a cohesive base and style for your room without going overboard. If you go over budget, make substitutions until you find a solution.
Determine your decorating style.
Your style is easy to find. A design quiz can help you to target your search. If you host a lot, you want your guests to be amazed by your design style, not turned off by a messy area.
Create a tangible mood by setting aside space for accessories that you like.
Do a budget
Budgeting shouldn’t stifle your creativity. You may have all you need, so check if everything you own still serves a purpose and fits your style.
Examine your cash flow to determine how much you can spend on revamping your home. A decorating budget helps you set realistic goals and avoid overspending.
Best Ways to Decorate Your Home for Less
We’ve rounded up a list of the most practical ways of decorating on a budget. Most suggestions in this article can make a dramatic contribution to your home’s interior design.
1. Repaint
There are many paint options available if you’re on a tight budget. Painting lets you match your walls, furnishings, decor, and persona. Why not start with your home’s inside walls?
Painting your inside walls with a new coat will make your home seem and feel modish. It’s helpful if your tastes have changed since you last painted.
2. Use slipcovers on a dated sofa
While earlier couch types may have had garish arm covers or paneling, today’s slipcover alternatives appeal to discerning tastes. They’re a cost-effective, function-focused option for older sofas.
Slipcovers make a big difference to your home’s dated color scheme. Slipcovers help create a blend since a mismatched, dated sofa can detract from the style you’re looking to achieve.
3. Add a sheepskin rug
There are many fun ways to decorate your living space with a sheepskin rug. It gives your home the country vibe. We love waking up to the warm, cuddly fluff of sheepskin rugs, especially in the fall and winter.
You can use sheepskin rugs in the bedroom, kids’ room, or office. A sheepskin rug often turns the corner where you keep your extra chair into a stylish sitting area.
4. Upgrade your lamp shades
You can try out different DIY lampshade ideas to add a decorative element to your home. Designing a floral lamp shade, for instance, is easy to make without a sewing machine.
You may want a new lamp shade or refurbish an old one. Moreover, you don’t need to change the base to achieve a new design. After all, the ultimate makeover goal is decorating on a budget.
5. Get a new shower curtain
Shower curtains let us try out colors and patterns without committing forever when decorating on a budget. Picking one with a little color can breathe new life into a neutral area.
It’s ready to make an impression whenever you or a visitor enters. You also want to go for a simple shower curtain with an artful border that can match your tiles.
6. Grow your magazine collection
Adding more magazines to your collection is an affordable way of giving your living space a new look. Before organizing your magazines, the first step is to choose light or neutral-colored cabinets to make the placement easy to spot.
In other words, the aim is to make your magazines the focal point of your collection. You also want to declutter your home of old issues to make room for new ones.
7. Find great deals from thrift stores
You can walk into a thrift store or visit flea markets and find great deals ranging from furniture and turn plates to dining room accessories. You also want to consider shopping from estate sales.
People tend to contribute on weekends, so visiting on Monday or Tuesday presents the perfect opportunity to shop for rare decor. You’re likely to find a display of items like lamps, picture frames, mirrors, art, and more.
8. Create an accent wall
You can draw inspiration from places like Instagram or Pinterest when looking for fancy accent wall ideas. Accent walls let you add color without painting the whole room, making it an easy way to save money.
Don’t be scared to use bright colors. Turning an accent wall into a console is a practical idea if you have a small living space and want to maximize your storage options.
9. Accessorize your dining room table
You have many dining room decorating options, whether looking to accessorize a tiny bench or a formal table and chairs. Candlesticks and fresh flowers are a classic centerpiece in any dining room.
Vases and bowls are other typical accessories you could use if you’re decorating on a budget. You can choose to cluster or scatter them. The result would be a bright, textured dining room table.
10. Reinvent the bathroom
DIYing helps reduce the cost of improving your bathroom’s storage, organization, or appearance. There are thousands of bathroom DIY projects to try out. You can add a mat made of cedar or bamboo to make your bathroom feel like a spa.
It’s also easy to design a modern toilet paper holder. Adding unique toilet paper might make it a conversation starter. You can also make a birch plywood tissue box to decorate your bathroom.
11. Give your coffee table a fresh coat
Coffee tables fade over time due to wear and tear. A small amount of latex and oil-based paints will give your coffee table a satin or semi-gloss finish. Refinishing and painting an old coffee table gives it new life and boots up its aesthetic quality.
Coffee table paint isn’t much more expensive than interior paint. You just need to choose a color that matches wood, plastic, or metal coffee tables.
12. Use shelves instead of cabinets
If you’re decorating on a budget, you can save money by installing shelves rather than upper cabinets. Open shelves tend to make a big difference in giving room for more storage space.
The design is also perfect if you have extra kitchen space but no pantry. It also encourages visitors to feel at ease and assist themselves with whatever they require.
13. Add trim to your curtains
Adding trim to curtains is a terrific way to add a little elegance to something basic. It’s also a cost-effective approach to achieving a unique style.
You can add a dramatic touch to your window treatment even if you’re on a shoestring budget. To ensure proper placement, use straight pins to hold the trim in place before gluing.
14. Buy a rustic clothing rack
A clothing rack can help you organize your wardrobe. Dowel rods make a great low-budget clothing rack. They’re easy to cut to size, stain, and paint.
For an industrial-chic look, build a garment rack using pieces of copper pipe. It takes a small effort to build a functional, rustic clothing rack.
15. Try out DIY storage ideas
Maybe you don’t need a thousand plastic storage totes to organize your home. You can use hooks to display measuring cups, spoons, and other kitchen tools. It’s also easy to convert your home’s stairs into drawers even if you’re on a budget.
16. Get a washable area rug
You can make a dull space more exciting with area rugs. It adds warmth and interest to a room as ornaments do. Choose a greenish rug with yellow and sea green to create a beach vibe.
It’s best to use colors when looking to blend two rooms. Make sure an area rug reaches under all the room’s furniture.
17. Make a pallet end table
End tables are ideal for indoor and outdoor seating. Using a simple and practical design, you can make an end table out of pallets. End tables aren’t cheap. Purchasing one isn’t a solid idea if you have some handy DIY skills or know your way around woodworking.
18. Consider reupholstering
You don’t need to dispose of your old chair or furniture. If you have no experience reupholstering a sofa, it’s easy to end up feeling overwhelmed.
Upholstery can be a fun DIY project worth considering with the right tools and skills. Before updating your piece of furniture with new fabric, check if its structure is in good shape.
19. Remodel your old furnishings
Redecorating doesn’t require buying all new furniture and accessories. Rearranging your belongings may transform a room’s ambiance.
For example, if you have many pieces hanging on a gallery wall or in an open space, you can simply switch their positions.
20. Bathroom ceiling wallpaper
While the whole idea is decorating on a budget, pick a wallpaper that can withstand humidity, splashes, wiping, and more for a long-lasting upgrade. If your bathroom is well-ventilated and not wet, you can use regular wallpaper.
Depending on the decorative element you’re looking to achieve, there are many designs to pick from. You can consider specimen-style flora wallpaper for a garden-inspired bathroom. Peel-and-stick wallpapers are also trendy and affordable.
21. Frame your photos
You can give your home a fresh look by framing your photos when decorating on a budget. A frame can elevate and style your photos and prints, but they can be expensive, especially if you need a custom-sized one.
You can opt for a DIY frame and save money without sacrificing style. Instead of buying frames from a store, make your own and get to give it the coat of your choice.
22. Grow some houseplants
Indoor plants improve comfort and airflow. They’re a viable option if decorating on a budget is top of your priority. Houseplants maintain a healthy indoor environment and make your home a green haven.
They reduce stress, create oxygen through photosynthesis, and can boost productivity if kept in a room or home office desk.
23. Add throw pillows
Adding throw pillows can decorate a room without spending a lot of money and effort. They make decorating on a budget seem practical. Mixing patterns and hues help pillows blend.
Keep the pillows’ overall tone the same, bright or subdued, to blend with other colors in a room. Choose simpler pillow fabrics and tones if your room has a patterned sofa or rug. If you love color but don’t want to use it on large pieces of furniture, you can use bright pillows.
24. Replace the handles
It’s easy to notice broken or vintage cabinet hardware. You can replace the handles even if you’re on a strapped budget. This simple change improves dressers and kitchen cabinets.
Metallic handles look great with any paint color for future cabinet makeovers. New hardware can modernize even the most essential items. Take a photo of the room for inspiration and color matching when shopping for handles.
25. Shop from garage sales
Finding antiques and vintage items at garage sales is easier than ever. Knowing what to look for and avoid is the key to making the most of these bargains.
You can find collectibles, craft supplies, and wall decor at garage sales if your goal is decorating on a budget. You’ll also spot accessories such as lampshades and turn plates.
26. Upgrade your candle holders
Candles tap into our instinctual desire for fire in an elegant way. They’re a popular housewarming gift and enhance the ambiance of a wax candle when it’s lit up.
If you have a wide flat surface, like a coffee table, use candleholders of different textures and heights to mimic a fireplace. A stunning candleholder can give your space a serene and charming glow and improve its look.
27. Opt for a bistro kitchen table
Add a bistro table to your dining area for a French bistro feel. Traditional French bistro tables are small, circular, or square and have no lip, allowing diners to cross their legs. French bistro tables are a piece of art, but they’re versatile.
They can be dining tables, occasional tables, or desks. French bistros often display old art. For this reason, you’ll need the right wall paint to make your French bistro kitchen stand out.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ
Will budget decorating make my home look cheap?
Regardless of your budget, home decor mistakes can make your space look cheap and unattractive. For example, using a tiny rug or living in a cluttered space can make your home look cheap. Overdone themes and inappropriate light fixtures can also lessen your home’s appeal.Where should I begin my budget decorating plan?
With a project management approach to decorating on a budget, making decisions is more effortless. If you know the style you want, you’re the experience will be painless. The next step would be to create decorating plans for your most important rooms.
Is hiring interior designers worth it?
Hiring an interior decorator can be affordable and save money over time. Gather color, fabrics, carpets, and pictures before contacting an interior designer.
It will save money and allow your decorator to focus on your imagination. Be honest about your budget. Decorators know not everyone can afford expensive renovations.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace?
Sentimental furniture might be hard to replace. Therefore, restoring might be worth the investment. Long-lasting furniture is expensive, as is repairing or restoring it.
If your broken sofa has no sentimental value, you can also consider fixing it. However, replacing might be worthwhile if the cost of repairing exceeds its overall value.
Budget Decorating Ideas: Conclusion
Planning and prioritizing your decorating goals is key to designing your home’s interior budget. There are many low-cost ways to improve your home’s interior design.
A nicely decorated home isn’t overrun with décor. It just needs to speak volumes about your personality, look attractive, and include well-chosen accessories.