There is no better way to lighten your mood than changing the appearance of your home to make it feel new and fresh.
However, with the current price increases and the cost of living crisis, many people might struggle to pay their bills this year, so their budget for home decoration might fall short. That’s why we’ve decided to put together some tips on how you can redecorate your home on a tight budget:
1. Rotate existing pieces around
The excitement of a newly decorated room is great, but our brains tend to become comfortable with new environments very fast and we may get used to these changes quickly and not enjoy them anymore. A good and economical trick to change the appearance of your home with zero cost is to rotate the pieces you already have.
Moving furniture around or taking a decor piece from one room to another can bring the excitement of a newly decorated room back.
Estimated cost: £0
2. Recycle old decorations
Why not make the most out of the decorations? For instance, you can remove the seasonal ornaments from a wreath and place the wreath on a piece of wood and add a candle in the middle to create a beautiful centrepiece for your table. Or you can put your Christmas lights in a bowl to create a cosy decor for your bedroom or living room.
Estimated cost: £0
3. Update doors and windows with fluted film
Start changing your home's look from the first appearance using fluted film. There are tons of style options online, so you’ll definitely find something you like. For instance, you can try the Alva Victorian Frosted Door Pattern and create a classy decor for your front door. The price depends on the size and number of doors you want to cover.
If you are a fan of fluted film, you can also change the appearance of your windows with it. This can add privacy and style to your windows in less than 30 minutes. The film is usually really easy to install and looks realistic. We recommend the Reeded Glass adhesive film that simulates real reeded glass from Glass Films.
Estimated cost:
Window Film from £13.92 for one 30cm x 40cm window (Purlfrost)
Door Film from £23.20 - depending on the roll width and length (Glass Films)
4. Make or buy a basket lampshade
Use a simple basket to create a beautiful lampshade in just a couple of minutes. You can try this to change the appearance of an old lampshade. Use a basket you already have, or buy one online at a very affordable price. For instance, you can try a lovely, round basket from The Basket Company. Next, you just have to cut a square hole in the bottom of the basket, thread the light fixture through the hole and add the light bulb. You can check all the steps in the DIY guide from Home Edit.
Estimated cost: from £8 - depending on size (The Basket Company)
5. Repaint your dining chairs
A brilliant way to change the appearance of your home is to change the colour of your chairs. This is a small touch that can make a great difference. All you have to do is wash the chairs, sand them to create a smooth painting surface, fill any holes, remove the dust and apply the primer and paint. You can choose a colour that would work well with your room's current colour scheme. Wickes has some great options you can pick from at incredible prices.
Estimated cost:
Primer - from £6
Paint - from £6 (Wickes)
6. Create a gallery with framed wallpaper
Design a beautiful art gallery in your own home using wallpaper cut-offs. You can cut varying sizes of wallpaper and different patterns and frame them. Then, you can hang the wallpaper art pieces in a range of layouts to create different styles. This eye-catching gallery will make your home look very glamorous. We have beautiful alternatives you can choose from in our Wallpaper section. Alternatively, you can use existing wallpaper you may have leftover, or even use sample wallpapers you can get for free at most DIY shops.
Estimated cost: £0 - £19.39 (British Made Interiors)
7. Make your own artwork
If you’re feeling creative and want to play around with paint, why not create some artwork? You can take a simple piece of white paper or a watercolour board, some watercolours and mix the colours to create your own art piece. Or you can colour the hands of everyone in the family and then stick them on the paper. Frame your artwork at the end and see where in your house it will fit the best. This is a fun and low-cost way to add further decor to your home.
Estimated cost:
Watercolour Board - £11.47 (Ken Bromley Art Supplier)
Watercolours - from £5.39 (Ken Bromley Art Supplier)
8. Change cupboard door handles
A small touch that can totally change the way your house looks is swapping out your cupboard door handles. You can pick up new door handles for every cupboard in your house or change them just in one room, such as the kitchen. For instance, the antique pull handlers from Simply Door Handles can transform the look, style, and feel of a room with little effort.
Estimated Cost: from £2.30 (Simply Door Handles)
9. Paint the Kitchen Cabinets
If you changed the cabinet handles, why not change the colour as well? Simply pick a colour you love and don’t fear to be bold with it, colour is in! All you have to do is sand cabinets before starting, to make sure the new paint has a good surface to grip. You can use a sanding sponge or sandpaper. Apply primer and let it dry properly and then paint it carefully. Don’t forget to also protect surrounding objects with rosin paper.
Estimated cost: Primer - from £6
Paint - from £6 (Wickes)
10. Display flowers and switch them out often
You might not think of this, but displaying some fresh flowers in your home can change the way your place looks entirely. Let’s be honest, any room becomes lighter and fresher with a bouquet of flowers in it. You can also switch the colours or type of flower every few weeks, so you can enjoy the effect for longer. This quick trick will cost almost nothing!
Estimated Cost: from £2
11. Change the wall colours
Another smart way to make a room look entirely different is by changing the colour of a wall. Colour trends change all the time, so updating your wall colours may make your home looks more refreshed and up-to-date. All you need to do is pick a colour and then spend an afternoon repainting - put some music on in the background and enjoy it!
Estimated Cost: from £13.69 (Dulux)
12. Adding colour to a room without painting
Pick the colour you’d like to be predominant in a specific room and tie the colour into the room with soft furnishings. You can make sure that the bed base, bed runner, curtains, cushions, seat pad covers and tiebacks are all this colour. The investments won’t be too high, but the appearance will definitely be. Below is an example of how much this could cost:
Estimated cost:
Curtains from £27.53 - depending on style and measurements (Alora Leaf Made To Measure Curtain)
Bed Base Valances from £120.34 - depending on bed size and quantity (Alora Leaf Bed Base Valance)
Bed runners from £56.63 - depending on bed size (Alora Leaf Bed Runner)
Cushions from £18.00 - depending on size, style and filling (Alora Leaf Cushion)
Seat Pad Covers from £34.45 (Alora Leaf Seat Pad Cover)
Tiebacks from £11.80 - depending on quantity, style and pole width (Alora Leaf Tieback)
If you implement some of these changes and opt for low-budget options, your decorating budget shouldn’t go higher than £500. However, you can lower this amount and consider doing just some of them, to fit both your preferences and your budget.
