Decorating Tips

decorating tips that won’t break the bank!

Having a beautiful home doesn’t have to cost a fortune. There are so many ways to recreate high-end catalog looks on a low end budget! Here are a few of my best design tips.

Declutter

I know it doesn’t sound like a design tip, but by just taking the time to declutter your home will have an immediate effect on how it looks and more importantly feels- a cluttered space can cause anxiety and it makes it hard to relax. The best part- it won’t cost you a dime!

If you need a little jump start I highly recommend watching Marie Kondo’s series “Tidying Up” on Netflix; it’s so motivating and she’s adorable! She also has a best selling book “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up“.

One of the big results of people watching and following Marie Kondo is they started donating their no longer needed items to thrift stores. That brings me to my next tip.

Thrift Stores

Thrift stores, along with second hand stores and Facebook Marketplace, are great resources for finding items to furnish and decorate your home. I recently did a Savers haul and found such cool stuff!

I always check my local thrift shops when I’m looking for baskets, vases, and planters before I shop for something new.

The most expensive item in my carriage was the big planter and it was $4.99 (and I had a 20% off my total purchase). I’ve already put my haul to good use; here are a few pics of my finds

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It’s also so easy to update a piece of furniture with a little TLC and paint. So don’t pass by that table that looks awful if it is solid and has a good shape. I like to use chalk paint when refinishing furniture because it’s so easy to use. You can buy premade or try my recipe for chalk paint.

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Shop Your Home

Sometimes all you need to do to get a fresh look in your home is to switch around a few things. I “shop” my home all the time and switch around accessories, tables, lamps, and art work from room to room. I also have a shelf in the basement where I keep my extra accessories that I “shop” when I have the urge to change things up.

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Change Your Area Rug

Your furniture anchors your space, but your choice of area rug can completely change the look of it. You can find really nice area 8×10 area rugs for under $150. I shop Wayfair, Rugs USA(they have great sales), Amazon, Walmart online, and Target when I’m looking for a new rug. Actually, most of them carry the exact same rugs; I just shop the prices to find the best deal and only buy when there’s a great sale or extra discounts. I did a post on recreating Pottery Barn looks on a small budget; you can read it here

I ordered this navy area rug recently when I wanted to add more blues to my living room and moved the pink/gray rug that was here into my bedroom-so I changed two spaces with one new item.

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Change Out Your Fabric Accessories

Add a few new throw pillows in your living room or on your bed, drape a cozy blanket over the back of your couch, change your curtains, add a new area rug by your front door, or a new table runner on your dining table- these are all budget ideas that will freshen up your space instantly.

I just changed my throw pillows, I found these feather filled ones on Walmart for $10 each and they are so nice! I made my chunky blanket and it’s really easy to do and the yarn cost me around $30 (Michaels big yarn sale).

This is the video that I used to learn how to make the chunky blanket. I love Kathryn from Do It On A Dime’s You Tube Channel; she has great budget decorating ideas.

Well, those are a few of my best tips for decorating on a budget. I hope you try them out because it definitely doesn’t have to cost a fortune to have a beautiful home!

Happy Decorating Friends!