How to Quickly Update Your Home Interior Without Spending a Lot of Money: Expert Tips

Interior designer Tancred Vilucchi from Los Angeles believes that renovating an apartment without buying anything new should follow the principle “less is more”: you should first do a general cleaning, then remove the excess decoration, accessories and furniture. “The way to transform a house is to make it as close to a blank canvas as possible,” says Tancred.

The founder of London-based architecture and design studio Ozge Ozturk advises assessing the importance of everything in the process of putting things in order. “Think about what certain items mean to you and why you need them. Prioritize, analyze what brings back pleasant memories and what is necessary due to its functionality,” he says.

Rearranging your furniture is the second step after cleaning. “Play with different options, try placing the sofa at a corner or placing the chairs in different corners of the room. Experiments like this can help give your home a new look without buying new furniture, says interior designer and owner of Honolulu architecture and design studio Shaolin Low.

Lowe also advises moving furniture from one room to another: an armchair from the living room will look completely different in the bedroom, and an old chest of drawers can be transformed into an excellent TV stand – this will add charm to the interior . For restyling, explains Shaolin, it is not necessary to purchase and use decorative elements – it is enough to rearrange existing carpets, rearrange vases and lamps, and swap paints.

Repaint the walls, change the carpets or floor covering, upgrade the lighting, change the pillows and bedspreads… Taking such measures is not so simple: it will take time and money. However, there’s a much easier way to refresh the look of any room and add accent colors: simply change the pillowcases on your decorative pillows and invest in a cover sofa that will transform a familiar piece of furniture into a new one. You can use different colors and textures, and also create your own collection of pillowcases – for example, buy red and green ones for the New Year season.

Using mirrors is one of Cynthia Lawrence’s favorite techniques, who runs a popular interior design blog and writes articles on the same subject for trade magazines. “I love full-length mirrors: they can instantly liven up a boring space. They also reflect natural light, which is very useful for dark rooms, and visually make small spaces larger,” explains Cynthia. Lawrence adds that you don’t have to buy new mirrors — you can sometimes find great vintage ones on message boards that sell for pennies.

You have photos in your home, but are they arranged randomly? Ozge Ozturk suggests transforming one of the walls into a gallery: update the frames for paintings and photographs, choose those made in the same style and hang them next to each other. “Don’t limit yourself to photos: add your children’s drawings, your own sketches, postcards or even pages from old books to create an eclectic and unique display of memories and stories that will instantly make your design stand out. house on the other level,” says Ozge.

Adding greenery and flowers indoors is both an effective and useful step: they will not only refresh the space, but also purify the air and relieve stress. There is no need to spend money: Shaolin advises asking your friends if they have plants that can be propagated by cuttings – this will help you create your own luxurious garden from a wide variety of flowers.

Also read: 5 indoor plants that can improve mental health

According to Tennessee-based designer Amy Mobley, you don’t have to limit yourself to houseplants: “A pretty tree branch in a large vase will be a stunning finishing touch, or a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers will add a special charm to your interior. the room,” she said.

Sometimes you just need to rearrange items to make them look completely different. Are there a lot of books in your house? Interior designer Courtney Turk advises reconsidering your approach to shelf placement. “Try arranging them in a non-traditional way, such as stacking them and adding a few of your favorite photos or vases, to give the shelf a unique look, depth and character,” says Courtney.

You can literally replace doorknobs in an hour, but this simple action can work wonders, because hardware works the same way as eye-catching accessories: a stylish necklace or well-chosen belt can make even the most fashionable outfit come across. simple at the next level. .

“Before throwing away a “tired” chest of drawers that has been in the apartment for many years and has acquired a shabby look, think about what you can do with it,” advises Cynthia. To paint furniture, she says, all you need is paint, primer and brushes, and the Internet is full of beginner tutorials that will help you transform old items into new ones with minimal effort.

Also read: How to make your bedroom chic without spending a lot of money

Do you want to make the room visually larger and more expensive? Interior designer Keisha Gillian recommends replacing curtains or draperies with floor-length options and raising curtain rods almost to the ceiling: this window covering can completely change the look of a piece.

Even more interesting materials can be found in our Telegram channel.