Decorating a home can be very expensive. You’ll have at least four rooms that need furnishing, and while rooms like the kitchen and bathroom have most of their appliances already in place, your living room and bedroom tend to come completely empty.
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Do you know what that adds up to? According to research done by Olivia’s, people tend to spend nearly £15,000 on decorating a three bedroom house in the UK, with each room costing an average of £1,831 no matter how many bedrooms there are!
That’s a lot of money, especially during a cost of living crisis. But how else are you supposed to decorate your home up to a standard you like? By employing some affordability tips like the ones below.
Make Your Own Artwork
You can make your own artwork very easily, even if you have little to no artistic skills. Start with a tool that’ll allow you to make your own personalised posters, which can then be printed and framed for your living room or hallway. It can be easier to get to grips with digital art before trying your hand at manual artwork – there’s a little less margin for ‘error’.
You can then flex your artistic muscles a little more and buy yourself a canvas from a crafts shop, grab some paint whilst you’re there, and then do whatever you want with the two. Once you’re done, hang them up as well! You’ll soon be able to coat your entire home in artwork that’s both personal and designer; no one else will have such a piece in their homes, and that’s always a lovely thing to remember.
Check Online for Free Furniture
Free furniture can be found all over the place; you just need to be on the right websites, such as Freecycle or Gumtree. Facebook marketplace is also a great website for finding old furniture you don’t need to pay for. Send a message to the ‘seller’ to see if the item is still available and then go and get it – easy!
Once it’s in your home you can cut bits off, sand it down, reupholster if necessary, and then paint the piece in all kinds of different colours. That little personal touch will make you forget you ever got your new bookshelf or dining table second hand! The total cost consists of just the price of the decorating materials and the petrol you used to pick the furniture up.
Ask Friends and Family for Stuff They Don’t Want
Asking around like this might make you a bit anxious, but you don’t have to go up to your loved ones and beg for pieces they don’t want anymore. Instead, keep an ear out for when they’re renovating or decluttering.
If your friend has said they’re getting rid of the armchair in their living room because it takes up too much space, ask if you can have it. If your parents don’t want to hang that giant mirror in the hallway anymore, ask if you can take it off their hands.
Don’t Throw Things Away – See if They Can Be Repurposed
Old jars and bottles, for example, can be turned into vases or candle holders. All you need to do is wash them out, let them dry, paint them in a style you like, and then set them up on your sideboard or bookshelf.
Whether you’ve got some flowers or a bit of wax and a wick, these will make empty sides of the room look much fuller. Even better, save a few different sized bottles and jars and line them up altogether for a dynamic display.
You can also repurpose items like shelves by knocking a few together and turning them into a coffee table, and then paste left over wallpaper on the top for a more snazzy look. Even leftover bits of wood from other projects can be cobbled together for an interesting decor piece!
All in all, save everything you have, make sure it really does need to be thrown away, and only then chuck it out.
If you want to decorate your home in a way you really like, but you’re on a bit of a strict budget as well, make sure you use tips like these liberally throughout your space. It’s actually quite easy to find cheap (and even free) furniture if you know where to look. And a bit of paint goes a long way, so don’t just use it on the walls!