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20 Transformative Budget-Friendly Home Decorating Ideas

Published on:

9/19/18

written by:

Carrie Barker

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Are you ready to freshen up your home décor and transform the look of a room in your home? Is money (aka, the dreaded budget) the only thing holding you back?

If so, I have GOOD NEWS for you! You don’t need to spend lot of money (or any money) to completely transform the look of any room in your home! All it takes is some small styling changes … and a little bit of time!

Below are 20 quick, actionable, and budget-friendly home decorating ideas that will make a HUGE impact!Budget-friendly home decorating ideas caroline on design

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NO-COST HOME DECORATING IDEAS (yes, please!)

1. REARRANGE YOUR FURNITURE

Simply moving furniture around tricks your eye and makes a room feel like a whole new space!

2. REARRANGE YOUR ACCENTS

Just like moving furniture, rearranging accents (vases, books, and other ‘knick knacks’) tricks your eye and gives the room a whole new vibe!

3. ‘SHOP’ YOUR HOME

Talk a walk through your whole home (including your storage room) and pull things from rooms to spruce up other parts of your home. Furniture, accents, and art can look very different from room to room!

4. BRING IN FRESH FLOWERS FROM YOUR YARD

5. STACK BOOKS AROUND THE HOUSE

‘Shop’ your home for old books (coffee table books or other) … stack these books by color or theme, and add an accent piece on top to give it a finished look!caroline on design book decor

6. REARRANGE YOUR BOOKSHELVES

I sound like a broken record … but rearranging your shelves will trick your eye as well!

You might enjoy Your Guide to Styling Bookshelves (this post includes inexpensive ideas to bulk up your book collection!) 

7. DECLUTTER!

8. REMOVE A PIECE OF FURNITURE

Removing a piece of furniture (especially a large one) will not only trick your eye (ugh … I said it again!), but it will also make your room feel larger!

9. ‘REUPHOLSTER’ A PIECE OF FURNITURE

Drape a patterned blanket (that you already own) over a neutral chair to make it feel like it was ‘reupholstered’!

nesting with grace

BLANKET DRAPED ON CHAIR via NESTING WITH GRACE

LOW-COST HOME DECORATING IDEAS

 You might enjoy 20 Great Places to Shop for Mid-Priced Home Décor Online!

10. PAINT YOUR ROOM A FRESH NEW COLOR

11. BUY NEW (INEXPENSIVE) THROW PILLOWS

Changing your throw pillows can completely change a space … especially if you implement new colors, patterns, or textures! 

You might enjoy How to Mix and Match Pillows. (this post includes my favorite places to shop for pillows)

12. NEW ACCENT PIECES

My favorite places to shop for INEXPENSIVE home décor accents are Target and Home Goods! Pick up a few little knick knacks to add to your existing décor.

13. ADD TEMPORARY WALLPAPER TO ONE ACCENT WALL

I am a huge advocate of wallpaper! I know wallpaper freaks some people out … legit, FREAKS them out!  If you feel this way,  I encourage you to give temporary paper a try … it’s a low commitment way to ease in and see the transformative power of wallpaper!

Please see ‘Wallpaper 101: What you Need to Know to Get Started’ for tips and places to purchase!

14. DIY ‘WALLPAPER’

Add a stenciled pattern to your wall. You wouldn’t believe how this inexpensive project transforms a room … and looks like real wallpaper! Full confession … I am NOT a DIYer so I can’t give you step-by-step instructions, but I’m sure you can find a guide with a simple google search!

stencil wall decor

STENCIL WALL ART via DESIGN SPONGE

15. ADD BOARD AND BATTEN TO AN ACCENT WALL

Adding a little millwork to a wall makes a HUGE impact! It makes a room feel SO much more custom (less cookie cutter). Again, I am not a DIYer, but I imagine this is a fairly easy project for someone well versed in home improvement!

board and batten or wainscoting

BOARD AND BATTEN GIVES OUR BASEMENT A MORE CUSTOM FEEL

16. HANG FRAMED PHOTOS

I know you have thousands of photos hanging out in your iPhone, so develop a few and buy inexpensive frames from Tar-jay to hang on your walls!

17. GET A NEW SHOWER CURTAIN

A new (cute … not blah) shower curtain completely transforms a bathroom’s style! My absolute FAV place to find shower curtains is Anthropologie! The quality is amazing and the curtains are truly ART in your bathroom! They’ll take your style up a notch for sure!

floral shower curtain

FLORAL SHOWER CURTAIN via ANTHROPOLOGIE

18. CHANGE YOUR HARDWARE

This is such an easy and inexpensive change! Order some new hardware (you can find ideas HERE), grab a screwdriver, and get to work!

19. PAINT A PIECE OF FURNITURE

All this requires is sandpaper, a little bit of paint, a paint brush, and some sweat equity! Again, I don’t do DIY, BUT I did paint some furniture years ago; it was NOT hard and it made a HUGE impact in changing the look of the piece!

the posh home painted furniture

ADORABLE PAINTED DRESSER via THE POSH HOME    PHOTOGRAPHY: JCQLINS PHOTOGRAPHY

20. BUY A NEW (INEXPENSIVE) RUG

You don’t have to spend a fortune on a rug! One of my absolute favorite rugs in my house is my (inexpensive!) Lulu and Georgia Prisha Rug in my family room! It’s not as thick as my more expensive rugs, but it IS soft, cozy, looks gorg, and has held up AMAZINGLY well!

You might enjoy Where to Splurge and Where to Save when Decorating!

lulu and georgia prisha rug

PRISHA RUG IN OUR OPEN FAMILY ROOM

CONCLUSION

I hope you enjoyed these easy and actionable budget-friendly home decorating ideas, and I hope you feel empowered to get out there and make one or more of these changes in your own home! Just remember that you do NOT have to spend much money (or really money at all) to transform the look of a room!

I would love to hear YOUR no- to low-cost home decorating tips below!

  1. karan joshi says:

    I love this article and all information about budget-friendly home decoration ideas. this article helped me a lot to decorate my house. Keep on writing such a wonderfully informative post.

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I designed my own custom home from the ground up, inside and out. A home that is cozy, comfy, laid out perfectly for the way my family lives, and makes us happy every single day. Oh, and did I mention I did this all without blowing the budget?! 

Yep, it’s true. I’ve been there, done that, and actually lived through it … and you will too. Pinkie promise!

a.k.a. Caroline on Design

I’m Carrie Barker.

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