How to Get a Champagne Home on a Lemonade Budget
When purchasing a new house there are a million things to remember and pay for, with property insurance questions playing on your mind as well as utilities to manage – redecorating might fall under the wayside. However, it’s important to make the place your own and decorate it to your taste, even if you might not have the budget for it. Here are some tips to help make your new house new!
1. Paint your walls! Something as simple as a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a room and give the entire place a new lease of life. A dark or bold coloured feature wall instantly makes the place look more expensive.
2. Add light and expand the space using mirrors. The addition of a mirror or mirrors helps reflect the light and brighten up your dark and dingy rooms. This will also create an illusion of space, making the room look bigger – especially by hanging one large central mirror on an empty wall space.
3. Shop second hand or vintage. Head to your nearest flea market or thrift store in search of some new furniture. You can find a whole variety of furniture in excellent condition for a fraction of the price, with the added benefit of individuality – cheap, mass produced items are a dead giveaway that you are decorating on a strict budget. The mismatched furniture look is also a really trendy way to go.
4. Focus on soft furnishings. If you do have cheaper furniture or if you are working with limited space you can also rely on soft furnishings to help spruce the place up. Rugs, throws and cushions can create a cosy environment whilst also expressing whatever style you want – go bohemian with floral patterns, elegant with pastels and geometric prints or quirky with bold, bright colours. You can get cheap but high quality faux fur area rugs that will instantly class up the place.
5. Paint your furniture. If you can’t splash out on new or second-hand furniture then you can simply paint your old items. This can make cheap furniture look more expensive or revitalise tired old fittings. Painting cheap wooden chairs a funky colour, or simply painting them black, can give your dining room a more stylish, retro look.
6. Replace cabinet or door handles. If you are not in a position where you can completely redecorate then you can take some small steps towards making your house look like it has been completely renovated. One way to do this is to paint your walls but a smaller and easier task could be to change the handles on your kitchen cabinets. You can find new handles at any hardware store and they are often incredibly easy to fit yourself, the job can be done in one day!
7. Plants, plants and more plants. They don’t have to be real plants – you can get some pretty convincing fake plants these days, but a bit of greenery can add a lot to a space. Plants bring a bit of colour and life to your house without having to spend much money on expensive decorations. Plus, real plants purify the air.
