Tips for home decorating on a shoestring [infographic]
Do you ever flick through home décor magazines and or browse Pinterest only to end up feeling disheartened by the fact that you simply can’t afford to recreate most of the beautiful interiors featured? Gorgeous furniture, fancy fittings and trendy home accessories can work out to be incredibly expensive, making home decorating a pricey exercise.
Incorporating a little ingenuity and a few DIY tricks into your home decorating plans helps to stretch a tight budget.
Big home changes on a small budget is a handy infographic created by Homes.com and ForRent.com. The infographic lays out some useful tips and tricks for getting the most bang from your buck.
Check out thrift stores and flea markets.
One of the best money-saving home decorating tips is to buy second-hand or used furnishings instead of brand new items. This means avoiding the popular furniture shops that line the high street and venturing out to flea markets, second-hand shops and thrift stores. This is a brilliant way to find beautiful, unique items and even highly valuable antique pieces.
When shopping for used furniture, it’s important to check each item for serious damage and to assess the cost of repairing, cleaning or repainting each piece. More often than not, however, restoring second-hand furniture works out to be vastly cheaper than buying a brand new set.
Invest in furniture and cabinetry that will last.
The infographic recommends looking for dovetailing when buying used drawers, cupboards and cabinets. Dovetailing indicates good craftsmanship, something that’s incredibly important when it comes to cabinetry. You won’t save money in the long run if your bargain drawers end up breaking a few months down the line.
Similarly, avoid fabrics and upholstery that will tear or stain if you have children or pets at home. Go for darker colours and hardy materials if possible.
While we’re on the subject of buying furnishings, always remember to ‘measure, measure and then measure again’. This is one of the cardinal rules of home decorating, as there are few things more frustrating than buying a piece of furniture only to discover that it doesn’t fit in your home. Even if you can return the item and get your money back (which is unlikely to be the case at second-hand stores and flea markets), it’s still a waste of time and could mean extra delivery fees.
Shop at clearance sales and get to stores as soon as the doors open.
If your home decorating project isn’t time sensitive, it’s worth waiting for your favourite home décor shop’s next sale. Find out sale dates in advance and earmark items you like beforehand. On the day, make sure that you’re the first person through the door, before all the good stuff is gone.
Remember that small changes can have a big impact.
If one of your home decorating aims is a new colour scheme, remember that you don’t necessarily have to change everything. The infographic suggests choosing colours according to the 60/30/10 rule. According to this rule, a room gets 60% of its colour from the walls, 30% from the furniture upholstery and 10% from accent pieces.
This means that just giving the walls a new coat of paint can have a massive impact on a room’s look without you having to shell out for new furniture. Similarly, introducing small, inexpensive accent pieces – like bright red scatter cushions – can give a room new life.
Here’s our top money-saving home decorating tip: pick high quality window coverings that won’t break the bank.
Curtains are notoriously expensive and it can be difficult to find the right colour, fabric and length to suit your windows. Frosted window vinyl is a versatile, attractive and affordable alternative to traditional curtains and blinds. Get an instant vinyl frosting cost estimate here. Because frosted vinyl decals can incorporate creative designs and motifs, they can also feature as prominent décor pieces, giving your home a uniquely creative look.
