If you look at all the home decor ideas on Instagram or Pinterest, you would be forgiven for thinking it’s super easy to update your living space and give it a fresh new look. Even I fall into this trap. I watch all the reels and tutorials that people share for how they have hacked the billy bookcase and made it into a built-in library or taken a Malm chest of drawers and given it a new tactile fluted surface. It all looks so easy and so affordable. But actually when you start planning to implement your own home decor ideas it quickly transpires that even the simplest projects can quickly add up when it comes to budget.
I often find myself dreaming of ripping out my gaudy fireplace, retiling it with some on-trend tiles and transforming the look of my living room. But the reality is that this isn’t a quick and easy fix and it will actually be a fair investment once we’ve factored in shutting off the gas, blocking the chimney, buying tiles and a log burner and relaying the living room flooring. It all adds up very quickly. And if you need to pay a professional to do the work that will often blow the budget right out of the water.
So what are some simple home decor ideas that we can use to give our living space a fresh new look but that won’t require us to empty out our life savings to achieve? Let’s take a look.
Shop Your Own Home
Image by Dunelm
It was my friend Kimberly of Swoonworthy who introduced me to the idea of shopping your own home. What she meant by this is before buying anything new for your home, why not take a walk around your own home and see if any of the items can be moved around into a different room. This is such a great way of giving a fresh new look to your home without spending any money at all.
Perhaps that lamp in your bedroom would work equally well on the side table in your lounge. Or maybe that artwork that is hanging in your living room could look better in the dining room. Perhaps that rug in hallway downstairs could be moved to the landing upstairs. Shopping your home is a fantastic way to make your home decor items work harder for you while taking the pressure off your wallet.
Change the Layout of Your Furniture
Image c/o Furniture and Choice
And it doesn’t just work for small items either. It’s amazing what a new furniture layout can do, and a quick shuffle of your couch, chairs, or even your bookshelf can make your living room feel completely different. Changing the orientation of your bed can make your bedroom feel like a whole new room.
I used to absolutely love rearranging my bedroom as a child and I think that is what sparked my interest in interiors in the first place. I realised that you can make a room feel brand new without buying or adding anything extra. But by simply moving the furniture around.
Of course, we all know that moving heavy furniture can be difficult, and even dangerous, and we definitely don’t want to damage our backs by lugging heavy furniture around. I suggest you get something called furniture skates which are available from companies like Evo Supplies.
Furniture skates make it easy to move furniture around because you can just push and slide it wherever it needs to go. You won’t damage your floor, the furniture, or your back, so it’s a practical option if you will be frequently rearranging the furniture.
Change Your Wall Art
Another easy way to update your living space on a budget is by changing your wall art. If you already have artwork up, a cheap way to refresh it is to keep the frames but simply switch out the artwork inside. I like to change mine at Christmas time for example. We live in a small flat and we have really limited space which can be a real problem at Christmas. So I have had to get imaginative when it comes to creative that festive feeling in our living room as we have no room for lots of decorations. Switching out the artwork fro Christmas art is a cheap way to get the look.
For something really different, you could go down the DIY route and create your own art – an abstract painting, or simply print new artwork or family photos or repurpose old greeting cards or magazine clippings to create create something unique and personal to your home.
Grow Your Own Indoor Jungle
Left: Image by Cox & Cox | Right: plants in my living room
Adding plants is one of my very favourite ways to refresh a room and plants are the answer to so many problems. They make us feel good, clean the air and give us more oxygen, not to mention the mental health and wellbeing benefits. But again the costs can quickly add up if you don’t keep your plant buying impulses in check.
However, I now know that you don’t have to spend lots of money buying new plants from the garden centre. With a little bit of knowledge you can cultivate your own indoor jungle with very little money. Simply ask friends or family if you can take a cutting of their plants and before you know it you will have a brand new plant that cost absolutely nothing.
I’ve also been taking cuttings from my own plants so what was once one money plant, is now four money plants! Nature is so clever and I love how it helps me stay out of my overdraft!
Hunt Treasures in Secondhand Shops
Image c/o Annie Sloane
For the more creative and patient amongst you, shopping in secondhand shops can be such a great way to save money when refreshing your home. Picking up someone’s unloved furniture and giving it a lick of paint or upcycling it in some way not only allows you to save money but it also helps you create a completely unique piece of furniture that nobody else will have.
So those are some simple home decor ideas that will allow you to refresh your home without breaking the bank. What do you think? And do you have any tips of your own to share? Let me know in the comments below!