You’ve just moved into your new home and are keen to put your stamp on the place. You’ve created a Pinterest board with your design ideas, purchased a few home decor magazines and been to the DIY store to browse the different paint colours.
But, like many of us, you’re also mindful of watching the pennies. You’ve just purchased a property, after all!
Luckily, decorating your new home doesn’t have to mean spending a fortune. With a dash of paint and a splash of creativity, you can create the home of your dreams inexpensively – and have a lot of fun along the way.
With that in mind, read our must-know tips for decorating your new home on a budget.
Upcycle your furniture
Out with the old and in with the new is so 2000s. Now we’re in the era of upcycling, which is all about breathing new life into old objects and materials.
Chances are, you’ve already got a few pieces of furniture from your last home. Maybe you’re longing to throw these items out in favour of newer pieces.
Before you do this, we recommend looking at your old furniture with a fresh perspective. Sometimes, all it takes is a lick of paint or a bit of reupholstering to completely reinvent old objects.
For example, you could reinvigorate old coffee tables or chests of drawers by repainting them in fashionable colours. Adding stencils can also easily elevate older items, giving them a sense of elegance and personality.
With a bit of imagination, you can transform older furniture into pieces that are straight out of the catalogue, all while saving money and reducing waste.
Give bottles, books and knick-knacks a new lease of life
Upcycling isn’t just for furniture. You can also use bottles, books and other knick-knacks to decorate your home stylishly. One idea we love is to put fairy lights into used wine bottles to create ambient, vintage-style decorative lights.
If you’re an avid reader, you can save up the books you buy and use them to adorn the shelves in your house. Or, you could even glue a selection of books together to create an inventive, unique coffee table!
The sky really is the limit here. There are hundreds of ways to turn old objects into beautiful home accessories.
Brighten up your space with natural elements
Never underestimate the power of fresh flowers and greenery to elevate a room and bring it to life.
You could pick fresh flowers from the garden, purchase some from your local supermarket or even take a countryside walk and forage for pinecones and lavender. Pop your finds into a glass vase, and you’ll immediately revitalise your room!
Another idea is to brighten your kitchen with colourful fruits in glass jars or bowls. Oranges, lemons, and apples make for eye-catching, vivid displays.
Unleash your inner artist
Paintings and photographs bring vibrancy, texture and personality to a space. You can completely transform a room by hanging artwork.
But, before heading to your local art auction, try creating your own artwork to decorate your walls. You could, for example, stretch a patterned duvet cover or dress over a canvas to create colourful, intriguing pieces of decor.
Another idea is to get the whole family involved. You and your children, nieces or nephews can have a painting afternoon, where you each create your own pièce de résistance to be showcased around the home! Not only is this a fun activity, but your artwork will have a whole new personal meaning.
Find a hidden gem
Charity shops are brimming with attractive, unique pieces you can use to decorate your home on a budget. Whether you’re in the market for a sofa, dining table or cabinets, you’ll be able to find what you need at a fraction of the price of buying new furniture.
Just because items from charity shops are cheaper, doesn’t mean they’re not good quality either. You can find some fantastic bargains with a little searching. Plus, as well as decorating your home, you’ll be giving to a good cause – a real win-win!
Colour-coordinate
It’s really easy – and free – to beautify your home with some colour coordination. For example, consider organising your books in rainbow order instead of placing them randomly on the shelf.
The same goes for your wardrobe! A simple exercise in colour coordination can completely transform your space, making it look like an image from a lifestyle magazine in no time.
Make a personal statement
Before you recycle those old birthday and season greetings cards, look at them through a new lens. These cards are effectively small pieces of artwork, and you can use them to make pretty, personal displays around your home.
We love hanging old cards on the wall with string to make sentimental displays. You could also clip them to a wired photo frame. As well as decorating your walls, these cards are sure to make you smile and bring back happy memories.
Layer your lighting
Another interior design tip is to layer the lighting in your rooms to add a sense of luxury. Design pros say you need three types of lighting in a room for it to feel complete: ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting.
Ambient lighting refers to the lights that already come with a room, like ceiling lights and mounted fixtures. Task lights are the ones that you use functionally, such as desk lamps or reading lamps. Finally, accent lighting creates atmosphere and mood; think candles and fairy lights.
So, make sure you have all three lighting types in the central spaces around your home to tie these rooms together.
Add a pop of colour
A favourite in luxury hotel rooms and interior design magazines, feature walls are a powerful, cost-effective design choice that add depth and wow factor to any room.
It can be tricky to know which wall to choose for your accent wall. We recommend trusting your instincts. Where is your eye naturally drawn to in the room? Chances are, the focal point of your space should be the accent wall.
The only exception is if the wall already has a lot of pieces of furniture or artwork against it. This could make your room look too busy and crowded.
Colour-wise, accent walls tend to be darker in colour than the other walls in a room. Navy blue or olive green are sophisticated, elegant choices for bedrooms and living areas.
That’s a wrap!
And there you have it. Our top 10 tips for decorating your home on a budget!
If you’d like help and expert advice about buying or selling a property, contact us today.
