Somewhere between leaving school and getting married, I began dreaming of how I could decorate my house. I didn’t really know what I wanted, I just wanted it to look good! Now after almost two years of marriage and having our own home, I think I’m just figuring out this whole home decor thing. It’s taken a while for me to sort out my style, but I feel like its finally coming together. I only started my full time job in August last year so the first chunk of our marriage we had only one income, leaving not much room in the budget for decor. I’ve learnt a few tricks over the past few years about how to make the most of your money and decorate your home cheaply. Let me share! P.S. Im on Youtube now. Find me here.
Tip 1. Shop the clearance section.
Honestly, there are so many great treasures in there! The candle holder in the photo above came in a pack of 4. I found them in the Christmas clearance section for $5. Sometimes items can be slightly damaged, but the damage doesn’t matter, or its easily repairable. I’ve got quite a few ‘slightly damaged’ items in my home but no one ever knows until I tell them. Also look for items that can be modified too. A little paint can make it fit just right into your home.
Tip 2. Upcycle.
Ok, now this tip can save you tonnes of money. Furniture can be pretty pricey. A lot of hand me down or second hand furniture is structurally great but can have cosmetic damage or look dated. I’m continuously amazed at how a piece of sandpaper and a lick of paint can make such a drastic difference. My coffee table, one of my very favourite pieces in our house was pretty ugly when it first made an appearance in our house. A 60 minute makeover was all it needed to make it beautiful. Check out how I did it here.
Tip 3. Create and DIY.
What creative skills do you have? Sometimes it can be really easy to make something if you know how. My favourite example of this is my DIY knotty cushion. To buy one of these would cost almost $50 at some places. I made mine for about $5. I also made 3 giant prints for my lounge for under $30. Saaaaweeeeet!
Tip 4. Stick to a colour scheme.
I highly recommend sticking to a consistent colour scheme throughout your home. This makes it easy to swap pieces around to create new looks. In my home I tend to stick with white (and lots of it), black, grey, and a little blush pink and powder blue. These colours complement each other beautifully and make switching up decor no problem.
Tip 5. Save for quality pieces that you’ll have for years.
Besides not having a tonne of spare money to spend on decorating our home, decor trends change so fast so I don’t want to pay lots for things that I won’t love in a year’s time. I would rather spend a little amount and then be able to switch it up when my style changes. One thing I do recommend though is saving up for the big things such as a lounge suite! A couch is something that is not easily un cycled (and definitely not for cheap) but makes a huge difference to the look and feel of your home. When we got married we had three mismatched couches. I absolutely hated them but they served their purpose until we were able to get something we loved. We saved up for a year and a half and bought our first lounge suite last year. We could have bought something sooner if we had opted with a cheap option but we decided to invest in quality pieces and waited until they were half price. We are so stoked with the lounge suite and will have it for a long time to come.
Tip 6. Think Outside of the Box.
One of my favourite things to do here on the farm is to look around the old sheds for bits and pieces that I could use in my home. Some treasures I’ve found before include number plates, wooden crates and even a vintage (and extremely rusty) bicycle. With a bit of love, these were given new spots in our house and garden. Another thing I love to do is create art from things I’ve already paid for or have got for free. For example, if I see a cool picture in a magazine, calendar or advertising material I’ll keep it. A lot of these things look awesome in a frame and barely cost you a dime! The print above was a freebie from a magazine was obviously pretty affordable.
Our house is starting to look good don’t you think? What are your favourite tips for decorating your home?
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