How to decorate on a very tight budget

I have been asked so many times by readers and friends how to decorate on a budget and where to even start in their home. And while Pinterest is flooded with pins of  tips on “How to decorate on a budget”, I still get the question all the time.

{Also read HERE about My 10 favorite Ikea decorating tips}

So because I’m being asked so often, I felt like I should maybe just give my two cents to it and write about how I decorate on a budget. You guys all know that that’s how I like to decorate because I simply have to. It is so easy for someone with a lot of money to walk into designer stores and shop their heart out. It would be so so fun for sure if I could afford it. I’d take that load of cash and shop at a variety of stores like Restoration Hardware, Jonathan Adler, 1stdibs… and just furnish my entire house with their gorgeous pieces.

But like so many of you I can’t do that. I am lucky enough to be able to splurge here and there on a few key pieces I need to build a room around.

For me my key splurge pieces are my sofas, my bed, a chandelier, our countertops and some area rugs.

(DIY room divider // DIY curtains // DIY brushstroke art)

You can see how I made the above mentioned DIY curtains in the video below or click over to the tutorial.

How to decorate on a very tight budget

While everyone that frequents the internet knows by now that craigslist, thrift shops and auctions are the places to go to start decorating your home on a budget, most people still get discouraged by their lack of finds or ability to put what they see in those smelly and scary places into their home design.

I’ve heard so many times “I never find anything good like you” which I’m sure isn’t true. You just don’t know it.

And what if you don’t have the money to splurge on those key pieces? There are so many people who can’t do that either and it is also sometimes so difficult to find a budget to buy all the supplies needed for that lovely DIY project you spotted on Pinterest which was supposed to be so cheap.

And I really really thought about this a lot. Where do you start when you struggle severely financially?

Clear out your space and clean

And here is what I would do. First of all I would start out by reevaluating everything I had in my space and I would clear it all out. This can seriously do wonders and show you that you are probably better off throwing out some of the things or that you can rework some of them.
When the space is cleared out, I’d give it a top to bottom cleaning. A really really good cleaning. I mean toothbrush to the baseboard and magic eraser cleaning. That’s what I do, I’m not even kidding. I use a toothbrush, windex (or in a really bad case Clorox toilet cleaner, no joke it’s my favorite) and scrub my molding and baseboards and wipe them down with towels. You wouldn’t believe what a difference that makes.
You are probably saying what does cleaning have to do with decorating? Let me tell you it does make a huge difference and if you are planning on painting the walls this is necessary in my opinion anyways.

Break up matching sets and take photos

Take photos of all your items. List the items with photos of what you want to sell. That can give you a little cash for decorating. And print the photos of the items you want to keep or add them to your phones favorites for easy access. That’s actually what I do.
And please break up your matching sets. That’s always the first thing I tell people. Do not keep or buy matching bedroom, living or dining room sets. It really is that awful. The collected decorated look doesn’t ever happen with a matching set.

Craigslist and facebook Marketplace

And I always start out on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. If you are redecorating you should look every day!
So I went on our local listings and I was surprised to see what a lucky shopping day it would have been for someone decorating on a very very tight budget.

Let me show you:

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Living Room – $225

That blue grey sofa (hello $20!!!! I like the maroon one too but it’s much more) with the blue lamps and side tables, although they are a tad bit too pricey but I’d try to talk them down or email them to tell them that if they don’t sell at that price and they are willing to drop it, to contact me. Love the rattan accent table too for next to the sofa and the price isn’t bad.
Ditch the lamp shades on the blue lamps and head to Target or HomeGoods for some nice new shades. Leave the rattan table as is or  paint it black or white and use the mahogany table which has little wheels and could get turned into a fabulous little side table or bar cart on the other side of the sofa.
That $25 wooden coffee table painted (black lacquer?) would look great in front of the sofa.
And that bookcase!!!
Then purchase some trendy throw pillows for a good price at a place like H&M (click HERE). They will make all the difference and are so easy to change out.

Look at the sofa now where I added two modern pillows (click HERE) to the mix.

Last night I checked listings again and the sofas were even better than what you see above.

Dining Room – $159

The $44 glass table could either stay black on the bottom or you could paint it gold. Then us the 4 $80 chairs and give them a coat of paint. Black, white or maybe even a bright cobalt blue like the 2 $35 chairs which would go at the head of the dining table. Of course you could take out two of the chairs too and use the pricey $160 bench at one end. I’d just use the chairs though.

One of those two desks and the white chair make the perfect little office….

Remember my $25 glass dining room and antique $170 settee (click HERE to read more) which were both lucky auction purchases? And you can only see a tiny part of the tulip chairs which I bought at an auction too (4 chairs and a tulip table for $75).

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Area Rugs

You guys are probably thinking “hey lady, you forgot the area rugs” and I’ll tell you that you are right. They are always hard to find aren’t they? I didn’t see any good ones on craigslist that day. But my favorite auction house tends to have pretty ones frequently. If you don’t want to go the used route but don’t have the money to drop at the standard places to shop for rugs then you should consider getting a carpet remnant bound at an outlet store.

My real Beni Ourain rug… Did you guys originally think “how on earth can she afford one of those”? Come on admit it, you probably did. And guess what I can’t afford one BUT I inherited two different orientals who didn’t match my interior at all and you know what I did? I traded them.
I found a shop that would do that. Of course it was at somewhat of a loss to me and I had to still pay around $300 additionally but they generally cost anywhere between $1500 to $10000! So it was a good deal for me.

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my $25 thrifted coffee table which I love so much

$25 vintage Curtis Jeré burst (over mirror) which was an auction purchase. I actually left a bid and didn’t even attend. Also the black acrylic globe found for $3 at Goodwill but sold for $300 online…

Sign up for email lists

It is seriously my biggest tip! I sign up for the email lists to local auction houses (or any other thrift and consignment store) and if I really like something then I go to the auction and try to win the item/items (mostly I send my husband because I don’t have the nerve) or I go to the previews and leave a bid if I can’t be present for the auction but it’s not what I prefer to do.
Lately most of the auction houses do online bidding and you don’t have to attend at all.

Frequent Outlet Stores

I always have a bunch of outlet stores and furniture store clearance sections that I check on a regular basis when I’m searching for something.

Make a List of Things You Need

Make a list of things you need and are looking for so you don’t end up with a bunch of things that you don’t have room for and will just clutter up your space. (I still struggle with this)

DIY art, Thrif ART or Print Downloadable ART

If you really think you can’t DIY your art like I did in these super easy tutorials HERE, HERE and HERE then try to thrift it.

Etsy is a great place to shop for downloadable art that you can print at home. I love that there are now also various shops who sell vintage downloads.

In need of affordable art? (click HERE)

So this is it for today and I hope my little tips helped someone out there.

Tschüß,

(Youleeya)