7 Home Decorating Tips on a Budget

Everyone should have the opportunity to inhabit a space that makes them happy. Just because you are on a budget, doesn’t mean your home has to look like it. With these tips, a little effort, and a little creativity, you can enjoy a beautiful, unique space without blowing all your money.

Geneva Vanderzeil. flickr

Mix and Match
Found a chair you love, but can’t afford the set? A complementary chair in the same color scheme or size/shape range will do just fine. Found the perfect rug for your living room on sale, but it’s not quite big enough for the space? Consider layering various rugs for an ultra-textured, cozy look. Mixing and matching is a trendy way to create an eclectic, bohemian vibe in your space.

Rearrange and Reuse Materials
Sometimes just rearranging your furniture can make a room look brand new. Shop your home for items you already have that may work better in a new location. Or consider hosting a Share and Swap party with your friends where everyone brings decorative pieces that they may be tired of but someone else may love. Consider getting creative and giving new life to pieces by changing their function. Upcycling is an environmentally friendly way to give your home a one of a kind look.

Nina Stähli + Walter Willimann. Wikimedia Commons

Hang What You Have
Good art can be expensive, but no room is complete with bare walls. To forgo that expense, consider hanging items you already have in lieu of expensive artwork. Have a great collection of hats? A hat collage on hooks makes your collection accessible while existing as an interesting focal point in any room. Or consider making a collage of your favorite photos or hanging a beautiful sheet as a tapestry.

Brett and Sue Coulstock. flickr

Paint is Your Wallet’s Best Friend
The quickest and easiest way to refresh a room, is to give the walls a new color. A fresh coat of paint can go a long way in to reviving a room without costing a fortune. Other than repainting walls, consider repainting bookcases, lamps, and cabinetry for an original look. The next time you are at your local home improvement store, don’t forget to check out the mis-tints in the paint section. These stores often sell mistakenly tinted paint at an incredible discount. You may find a gallon of the perfect color here for less that 10 bucks.

F.D. Richards. flickr

Liven Up Your Space With Life
Adding houseplants to your space is an easy, inexpensive way to quickly brighten up any room. Besides being beautiful, living art, plants are also beneficial for removing toxins and allergens from the air in your home.

Sell Old Materials to Make Money for Replacements
If you plan on replacing something, like a light fixture, a piece of furniture, or an item of decor, consider selling the old one on Craigslist, OfferUp, or Facebook Marketplace to fund a new version. Although some people will try to barter their way in to paying less than what something is worth, most people are willing to pay a fair price for your used goods.

One Man’s Trash…
The old saying of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” is specifically true in home design. Shop yard sales, thrift stores, and the buy/sell/trade sites mentioned above to find furniture and decor at incredible prices. You will be amazed at the goodies people are willing to discard, sometimes for free. If you find something that’s almost perfect but looking a little shabby, consider that a can of spray paint can go a long way in making something look new and fresh again. If a chair or sofa has a blemish, remember throw pillows and blankets are a lot less expensive than replacing the upholstery, but reupholstery is a viable option for bringing new life to old pieces.