Ideas for Designing on a Budget

Think your design ideas are bigger than your budget? Think again, these are a few ways to achieve the look you want for less.

Paint: Painting is the cheapest investment you can make, it’s also can give your room the most dramatic result.  If your not sure what color to use, many paint stores offer sample paints for about $2.00.  Don't be afraid to put some color on your walls for a fresh and inexpensive look. 

Shop Secondhand Stores: Thrift stores, consignment shops, flea markets, and even salvage yards offer a bounty of discount decorating items. Look for furniture that you can easily reupholster and paint yourself.  That will surely bring the old furniture back to life and give you a unique approach to your design scheme.

Wait for Sales and Discounts: Wait to find what you really want at a price that won't hurt your pocket. Look around in different stores, if you find something you really like, ask if the item will be discounted any time soon. Store and department managers are usually the best sources for that information.

Mix, Don’t Match: Not only is a "matchy-matchy" look boring, but buying entire suites of furniture tends to cost more than putting together a creative look. A great way to mix it up is by purchasing items that are upholstered in complementary fabrics, or adding unmatched nightstands beside your bed and decorating with other unique items not defined by color, form, or material. Or try pairing a wood table with shiny aluminum or brightly colored plastic chairs. Mix and Match different materials and textures, it is sure to make anyroom stand out.

Add Unexpected Accessories: Almost anything can be used as an accessory, found objects and household items that cost almost nothing.  A bowl filled with green apples lends a bright pop of color to just about any surface, and a stack of vintage hardbacks adds height, dimension and character to an occasional table.  I'm pretty sure if you look around, your house is full of nicknacks just waiting to be used.

Reuse Items You Already Have: You don't have to buy new pieces to turn a space from boring to "WOW". Instead, again look around at what you already have and think about how it can be reupholstered, repurposed or reimagined.  Reinvent a dresser as a dramatic dining-room sideboard with a few coats of glossy black paint and new hardware.  use a slipcover and various accent pillows to make an old couch look fabulous again.  Turn plain pillows into amazing accents by stenciling simple designs on them.  After all, your imagination is the best budget stretcher ever.


Check out this great buy I found for my mother this weekend at a local flea market.  I got these chairs for $5 bucks!!  It was so simple and inexpensive to fix them up, an easy reupholster and paint job.