How to Decorate on a Budget

How to Decorate on a Budget

Feb 25th 2019

When we think of decorating our home, we may think of full renovations or complete interior design overhauls. Those are often time-consuming and expensive. But, decorating your home doesn’t have to cost a fortune if you take it one step at a time. The first thing you want to do when looking at decorating on a budget is to plan ahead.

Think First

Put some (financial) thought into your decorating plans before you begin. This will save you the hassle later of having overextended with an item or project while not being able to complete a room. Planning will also ease your mind as you decorate knowing you have a reachable goal that is within your means.

First, decide on the design you’re looking for based on magazines and internet searches. What style do you want? Separate that style into different components such as decor, accessories, furniture, paint, etc. Price those items and be sure to include associated costs like hiring professionals for installation and other work.

If you are able to redo an entire room given your current financial situation, great. If not, pick something small to start, like accessories or paint. You’ll build from there.

Repurpose

It may not sound as exciting as buying new, but you can get a lot of mileage out of reusing pieces or repurposing, like refacing kitchen cabinets for example. What about your floors? If you have carpet, perhaps there are beautiful hardwoods hiding below. Look around your house and think about ways you can reuse pieces in different spaces. Repurpose pieces with new fabric or surfaces to create a whole new look. Paint is a beautiful way to add a new look to any room and it is an economical and easy way to make a change. Look up DIY instructions for these projects and you’ll be amazed at the simple, low-cost transformation options.

Buy Furniture

Since you are prioritizing spending, a good place to invest is in furniture. Furniture anchors a room and has staying power. Often less expensive design features like paint colors or accessories fall out of style after a few years while furniture can last decades. In addition, once you have chosen centering pieces like furniture, adding minor touches is easy to tie the room together. Think of accessories like pillows, side tables, small decor items, and other touches and you have your decorated room, just like that. Your furniture pieces are the fundamental anchors in the room while the other items are the accents.

Shop Thrift Stores

Introduce yourself to the local thrift stores. Find out when they get new inventory, that’s when you want to shop. Go online to shop auctions. Check out flea markets on the weekends. Who knows, maybe your family has a garage filled with heirlooms they are not using. Ask around. Pay attention to any going-out-of-business sales at local shops and go to garage sales. Think quality over style. You can always change a lampshade, recover a chair, or paint a rusted mirror to adapt to your style, however, craftsmanship is built in.

Be Colorful

Color is an inexpensive way to make a bold interior design statement. Paint is cheap relative to other interior design elements; throw pillows are even cheaper and easier to add to your palette. You can make your look high-end by filling your space with color.

If you choose to paint, be sure you love the color. Get samples of a few paint colors from your local home improvement store. Paint small squares on each wall of the room to be sure about which you prefer. Look at the colors at varied times of day in different lights to see how the colors change. It is recommended that you use the 60-30-10 rule with interior paint hues. This means 60% of the space should be a dominant more neutral color, 30% a secondary color and 10% an accent or bolder color.

For accessories such as pillows and accent pieces, pick complementary colors to the walls and large furniture, choose bright colors, anything to pop in your new room. Have fun with color and be bold.

Barn Doors

Another economical and fun way to decorate is by adding a barn door. Barn doors are not only stylish, but they also add cost savings to any home. With a barn door, you add functionality and fuel efficiency as well as a great statement piece to any room. Need help deciding which barn door is right for your decor? We’re here to help. Contact us today.