7 ways to decorate on a budget

The awe-inspiring room reveals on TV make it all look so quick and easy, however, in the real world, we have to work with much smaller budgets and it can be difficult to achieve the wow-factor results we initially imagined.

If you’re feeling the urge to redecorate a space but face a ‘cash flow low’, don’t despair! There are tons of clever penny-saving ideas you can use to give your room a makeover without spending a truckload. With a little bit of creativity, some thrifty purchases and re-purposing the pieces you already have, you can create maximum impact with minimum spend.

Follow our favourite tips for a room overhaul that will keep your bank balance in check.

1. Vintage finds

The best way to shop cheap is to start second-hand. You’ve heard the phrase, ‘everything old is new again’ and this applies to the shapes and colours of home decorator items too! You can find some great on-trend, quality pieces of pre-loved furniture and accessories at your local St. Vinny’s or Salvos stores and you’ll only pay a fraction of what you would if you’d bought the same thing new. 

2. Shop the sales

There’s nothing that makes us happier than an honest-to-goodness bargain. If you can wait until sale time to purchase that must-have quilt cover, throw rug or multitude of other decorator items, you can save yourself a bundle and still score brand new stuff!

3. Style it up

Once you have a new quilt cover to set the colour palette for your bedroom, the next step is to style it up with complementary (and affordable) accents and soft furnishings. Select a colour from your quilt cover and buy some flowers of the same hue to sit on the bedside table. Consider introducing a range of different sized throw cushions to the bed – these are great for adding depth and texture to the room. Try stacking a few carefully selected books of the same colour family on top of each other and finish it off with an unexpected antique item.

4. Create your own art

Artwork is a great way to tie a room together, but paintings and sculptures can be extremely pricey. Resist the urge to buy a one-of-a-kind piece and make one yourself instead! An inventive way of ensuring your art ties in with your bedroom colour scheme is to frame one of the co-ordinating pillowcases (perhaps buy an extra one with this in mind if you can). Use an over-sized matting and frame for extra impact.

5. Paint it pretty

Find some cheap furniture or recycle items you already have by painting it a bold colour. You’d be surprised how much life a lick of paint can give any tired, old piece a completely fresh look and feel. 

6. Re-upholstery revival

Go one step further than the paint job and refashion old chairs or benches by introducing a new fabric print. These can be re-upholstered in a co-ordinating fabric to your bed linen to create a unified feel in the bedroom.

7. Move it

The most inexpensive way to redecorate is to use pieces you already have in different rooms. Relocating existing accessories will help breathe new life into rooms without spending a cent. Pieces that just don’t seem to work in one room could be surprisingly perfect for another!