10 Easy Ways to Refresh your Home on a Budget

As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. The result of that process is a lot of indoor days. It is no surprise that the slightest things begin to irritate us. For me, I begin to pick apart my décor. Without the colorful holiday decorations, I notice how dated my wall art and furnishings look. I begin a list of items that must go and peruse online for their replacements. 

Armed with my list of new ideas, I suddenly remember that taxes are due in April and the family would probably prefer a vacation over new wall art and knickknacks. My plan of redecorating would have to wait – or would it? Perhaps there was a way to update our home without breaking the bank.

1. Frame It Up

Frames are an inexpensive way to decorate. You can find them at garage sales, the dollar store or you can update what you already have. Use chalk paint to give it a pop of color. Visit Etsy for inexpensive digital downloads of art, quotes or graphics. You can also remove the glass to frame around a thicker object that is hung on the wall.

2. Use Nature

Pinterest is full of creative artists that fill their homes with items discarded by Mother Nature. Branches can be placed in vases, used as headboards, painted and accented with lights. You can also decorate with rocks, feathers, leaves, shells and flowers. Place simple green plants or cut flowers on your countertops and tables.

3. Add Some Color

Paint is an inexpensive way to give your space a new look. Update the front door with a fun, new color. Experiment with bold colors on island cabinets for an interesting contrast. Create an accent wall with a complementary paint color or peel-and-stick wallpaper. Try an attractive backsplash in the laundry room or a new shower curtain in the bath.

4. Get Out Your Cricut!

Signs made to look like distressed or reclaimed wood can be created with hardware store supplies. Decorate with stain or white washed paints and stencil with your family name, monogram or favorite saying. Not creative? You can purchase cute SVG designs on Etsy.com or DesignBundles.net for less than $5.

5. Give It Some Light

There are dozens of ways to use light to give your home a new, softer look. Add under cabinet lighting in the kitchen, use twinkle lights to trim out a focal point like around a fireplace, add battery operated candles on a side table, use clear light bulbs or simply change your lampshades.

6. It Just Needs a Facelift

When you are trying to get a few more years out of your furniture, cabinets or flooring, sometimes all it needs is a facelift to tide you over. Replace handles on cabinets, add new pillows to your couch or bed or replace an area rug. Purchase new floor vent covers, light switch plates or electric outlet covers.

7. Look for Copycats

If you love the look of Pottery Barn or Kirkland's, but don’t have the budget to match, try making your own. You can often recreate the same look with less expensive items bought at Goodwill, in your favorite store’s clearance section or in discount stores like Home Goods. Try Googling “copycat décor” or “knockoff décor” for more ideas.

8. Dress Things Up

It’s time to accessorize the simple things in your home. Place trim around your plain bathroom mirrors and adhere it with two-sided foam tape. Bring texture to a flat surface or wall by adding molding. Outline doorways and windows with decorative casings. Add crown molding for an attractive transition from your ceiling to your walls.

9. Declutter

We often choose décor just to fill up a space. Grab a laundry basket and go around each room gathering stuff you no longer like. Put the basket in a closet for a week and see if the space looks better without those things. You can also move décor, around to other rooms or rearrange furniture to give your home a fresh look.

10. Call in the Handyman

Some projects are best left to the professionals and are less costly in the long run. Call someone to replace dated electrical lighting, fans and plumbing fixtures, renovate the mantle on the fireplace or hang new window coverings. Hire a carpenter to add a barn door or built in shelves in the closet.

By Pam Molnar