These low cost home design ideas will help turn your house into a home! 10 easy ideas perfect for beginners and pros alike.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have the budget to remodel your kitchen, update your closet, and buy new furniture for the living room?
Sure, it would be nice, but for a lot of us, it’s not practical now, if ever, to make those kind of updates.
So, how do you update your home in ways that you love, without forfeiting your grocery money or phone bill?
There are lots of way to make big changes with small purchases, or even better, no purchases at all! We’ve got 10 low cost home design ideas that will have you loving your space while still keeping control of your bank account.
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10 Low Cost Home Design Ideas
1. Paint
“Well, yeah.”, you’re thinking. Everyone knows painting can make the biggest (and cheapest) impact.
But do they though? I see a lot of homes with beige walls and little personality because the homeowner is afraid to paint.
Here’s the deal, if your paint project goes terribly, you can paint over it!
Use these painting tips to get started on your walls, or grab some chalk paint and a piece of furniture you’d like to update.
You can even pull off some cool design with zero experience, I promise! (I’ve done it!)
2. Stickers
OK, not the kind of stickers we collected as kids, I’m talking stick-on items to change everything about your home!
A few things to consider:
- Wallpaper– wallpaper has made a huge comeback in recent years and there are a lot of great options to try that are meant to be easy to apply and remove (great if your a renter).
- Back splash– I’ve actually used a vinyl back splash in my kitchen but they have tile-like options too!
- Flooring– I’ve been needing to update the flooring in one of our bathrooms for a while now and purchased some adhesive tiles to try, I’ll let you know how it goes! (They’ve only been sitting unopened for about five years now…)
Another thing I’m considering? Covering our beige hand-me-down fridge with a stainless steel-looking sticker. Worth a try!
3. Re-purpose decor
Take a look through your closets and cabinets, what things can you update or just repurpose?
When my oldest turned one, I threw him a “Happy Bee-Day” party, complete with hexagon shelves that created a cupcake display. (The second child did not get such an elaborate setup, sorry kid.)
Original use:
New use:
Those shelves sat in boxes for about three years before I had an idea of how to use them. Now I’ve got a fun display on my wall and didn’t spend any additional money.
4. Print Photos
We are the generation with 2 million photos on our phones and none in our homes. Or at least I was.
I finally printed some photos of my boys and love the display I created using a set of frames I found on Amazon.
Not big on family photos? To each their own. You can print your favorite travel photos or, purchase someone else’s.
Find the things you want to spend time looking at and hang them up!
Where to print:
5. Slipcovers
Maybe a new couch isn’t in your budget, or, maybe you don’t want to update the furniture until your kids are older. Either way, slipcovers are the answer!
Slipcovers have changed a lot over the years and what once were basically sacks for your sofa, now make it look like you got a new one!
I purchased a blue velvet slipcover last year and absolutely love it. It’s pretty, easy to put on, and most importantly, it’s machine washable!
6. Throw pillows
Just changing out your pillows can really update your look.
Find affordable covers and cover your existing cushions. When you need a change, swap them out again.
I’ve had good luck buying pillow covers on Amazon but most home goods stores will have them.
7. Hire a virtual designer
This is not as expensive as you might think!
I used Havenly to get ideas to update my living room and was very pleased with the process (which I covered completely for you). I was shocked at what I paid and what I received in return.
Just getting some ideas on where to start is so helpful, I highly recommend. There are a lot of options these days:
(Also, I’ve heard that a new iPhone update will allow you to create floor plans of your room that you can then decorate, we shall see!)
8. Recover what you have
When I first moved into my home, I wanted to recover my dining room chairs. A visit to an upholsterer wasn’t really in the budget, so I took on the project myself.
I removed one of the existing covers to use as a pattern, traced and cut on my fabric of choice (which was a tablecloth I found on clearance at Target) and voilà. 10 plus years later, they still look great and I love them!
Another quick project I took on was to recover this storage cube/ottoman with fabric I already had. So easy!
9. Look for the free (and cheap) things
If you haven’t joined a “free things” Facebook page, I’d check it out. Most communities have them and they’re a great way to find things to update your home.
I’ve seen people give away everything from furniture and home decor, to paint and tools. It’s worth checking out!
Places like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace will also give you access to lots of affordable items people just want out of their homes.
10. DIY it
Use washi tape on your lamp shade or spray paint your light fixtures or furniture (actually, once I spray painted a refrigerator!). There’s not much in your home you can’t update with a little creativity.
If you need ideas on projects to try, here are a few to check out:
Now you tell me, what cheap or free ways have you found to makeover your home?