Teeny Tiny Budget Redecorating Tips

August 18, 2014

You’ve done some late summer cleaning, and you look around your home and suddenly, it looks a bit tired. If you’re longing for a re-do, but the budget is thin, what can you do on a shoestring?

Sara Mendez, a décor consultant at a California thrift store, offers four ideas to spruce up your home and change the look with a minimum outlay of cash:

Organize – start by stashing stuff that’s lying around. A cheap bookcase will hold books and magazines in the living room – or toys or shoes in the bedroom. Look for pre-owned furniture that can double as storage – a coffee table with drawers, for example, or an ottoman that opens up to hold toys, linens, or paperwork.

Rearrange – Changing the location of the couch or the bed is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to make a room feel different. Rearranging your space can also open your eyes to the nooks and crannies where a single decorative plant or a few colorful pillows can make all the difference in the world.

Repurpose – Re-using things you already have can make a difference, too. Re-cover a couch or a chair in a new fabric – or add a few colorful pillows. Paint a room, or one wall of the room, for a completely new look – or refinish or paint an old dresser or end table to make it look new and smart. If the budget allows, buy a small, pre-owned table or other accent piece or two and paint them in a jazzy accent color to add interest to a room.

Personalize – Picture frames are cheap at a thrift store, especially if you are willing to change out the pictures inside them for posters or colorful prints that reflects your own taste. Or use the frames to create a family photo montage on one wall, or even samples of your children’s best art work.