Saving a Dime and Looking Good: Interior Design on a Budget

Designing your home on a budget can be tough. Planning, shopping for furniture, and decorating all take time and money that you may not have. However, with the right tips and tricks from interior designers who know what they’re doing – it’s possible to get the look of an expensive designer without spending a fortune. Interior design is one of those things that can set the tone for your entire home – so don’t settle for less than perfect when there are ways to save!

In this blog post we’ll share 10 tips on how to design on a budget – check them out below!

The first step in saving money through interior design should be planning ahead. It takes research, time, and energy to do things like searching for furniture or scouring stores for ideas. The more time you spend up front on planning out your budget, the less money you’ll feel pressured to spend later when it comes down to specific purchases- saving both time and money!

Defining your ideal palette and style inspiration for your entire home will help to create a cohesive look from room-to-room. This will also help to save money because you won’t have any design disasters where the rug in your living room clashes with everything else!

Just like in fashion, you want to invest in the foundational items in your wardrobe and save on the trendy items. Spend most of your budget on larger items such as a sofa or dining table, and then style the space with affordable decor pieces that you can easily interchange.

A bit of artwork can be a great way to personalize your space and add some special touches, but you don’t always need to buy expensive pieces if you want them to look good. We recommend browsing thrift stores, online shops like Etsy or local exhibitions to find unique and space art. IKEA and Amazon are great places for affordable framing that will give your pieces a polished look.

The hue of your lighting can completely transform your space. If you’re on a budget, simply swapping out your light bulbs to warmer tones can make an immediate impact. You’ll also want to use task lighting in areas where people spend more time such as the living room or bedroom for working or reading late at night.

Accessories allow your space to feel like a home, not just an empty living space. Mix and match different trinkets from around the house to create a personal touch on your nightstand, dining table or family room. You can also find really great pieces in stores like CB2, West Elm, Pottery Barn and Anthropologie for relatively cheap prices.

The key to a successful, professionally designed room is the right focal point. Whether it’s your couch, fireplace or TV stand, make sure there is one central element in every space that will draw attention and balance out what you’re trying to emphasize.

With a limited budget, we recommend focusing your efforts on one room at a time. Redesigning your entire home at once can be an exhausting and costly process that we do not recommend, approach it on a piecemeal basis.

This one may seem obvious, but these days furniture and decor can get expensive (and don’t get us started on the wait times!). There are a lot of great DIY projects out there for the most part, so give some thought to what items you can recreate yourself and which ones to splurge on.

If you’re not the type to DIY it, don’t be afraid to use unconventional, multi-purpose items in your design. For example, if you have a really old door that’s too big for its space, why not turn it into an entryway table or coffee table?

Looking for some design inspiration? Take a look at these rooms we’ve transformed or start your own room design.