IN THIS POST
– Improve Lighting
– Create an Accent Wall
– Make a Fake Headboard
– Hang Mirrors on the Walls
– Repaint Old Furniture
Does your home décor look outdated and boring? Have you been wondering how much does it cost to hire an interior designer or what is a good budget for interior design? The truth is, one shouldn’t have to spend an arm and a leg to make their home look functional and aesthetically pleasing. Regardless of whether you have a passion for DIY crafts or are simply a beginner with zero experience in this arena, we are bringing you a few low-cost interior design ideas that can be perfect for any type of home and don’t require any superior skills.
Let’s take a look at them.
Low-Cost Interior Design Ideas for Your Home
These are some of the most budget-friendly interior design ideas that can freshen up your home décor and subsequently have a positive effect on your mood.
Improve Lighting
Lighting can have a huge impact on the ambience and overall appearance of your home. A well-decorated yet poorly-lit room can look rather tacky and underwhelming whereas a small well-lit room can look less cramped and bigger than it actually is.
When it comes to the best type of lighting for each room in your home, a lot of people are unaware of the different types of lights and how to layer them to create the desired effect. In case you are unsure, there are three main types of lighting that homeowners must know about: general or ambient lighting, task lighting and accent lighting.
In case you don’t want to spend extra money on buying new light fixtures for your home, consider upgrading your light bulbs. The four main types of light bulbs available in the market are incandescent light bulbs, halogen light bulbs, LED bulbs and fluorescent light bulbs. You should also determine whether you want to choose warm vs white bulbs for your home.
As the home lighting trends for 2021, natural materials, structural lamps, artful chandeliers and brass fixtures are going to be all the rage this year, so make sure to invest wisely.
Create an Accent Wall
This is probably one of the most popular and affordable interior design ideas that all home décor enthusiasts must have thought about at least once.
Contrary to popular belief, creating an accent wall in your living room or bedroom is rather inexpensive. All you need is some sanding paper to get rid of the existing paint, some painting tools such as roller brushes and tapes, and of course, paint.
If you are a beginner, follow these steps to paint the interior of your home to create an accent wall.
Step 1: Use a paint calculator to determine how much paint you would require
Step 2: Clean the area that needs to be painted and move all the furniture away from the wall
Step 3: Cover the electric fixtures with painter’s tape. Also, don’t forget to cover the flooring with plastic sheets
Step 4: Use joint compound and scraper to fill any holes, cracks and dents on the surface of the wall.
Step 5: Sand away any visual flaws using a fine-grit sandpaper
Step 6: Paint the wall and let it dry completely before going for the second coat.
As far as colours are concerned, do not be afraid of going bold. If the rest of your colour palette is muted or neutral, painting an accent wall in a bolder shade will make it the focal point of your room.
Meanwhile, if you are a fan of wallpapers, here is a comprehensive guide on how to wallpaper your room like a pro that will definitely help you out.
Design a DIY Headboard
The empty space above your bed can make your entire bedroom décor look extremely boring – especially if your bed is lacking a headboard.
A headboard can make a ton of difference to the aesthetics of your room. However, since beds with headboards can be rather expensive, you can always build one yourself to make your room look luxurious and chic.
Some of the most unique DIY headboard ideas for your bedroom include plywood headboard, pallet headboard with lights, tufted headboard, cardboard and fabric headboard and tapestry headboard. You can find out the complete steps to building these headboards in our in-depth guide on the topic.
Also, since we are talking about low-cost interior design ideas, you can simply paint the design on a headboard on the wall behind your bed to give an artistic touch to your overall décor while creating a focal point for your room.
On a side note, you may also want to take a look at the best colour schemes for bedrooms according to colour psychology.
Hang Mirrors on the Walls
It’s no secret that mirrors can brighten up any room by reflecting light and create the optical illusion of a bigger space. Therefore, hanging mirrors is considered one of the most effective yet cheap interior design ideas for small homes.
However, before you think about using mirrors to make your room look spacious, you should make sure which type of mirror would work best for your home. There are four factors you must take into consideration while buying mirrors for decorative purposes: size, shape, style and colour.
Depending on the size and layout of your room, you can use a large mirror to fake a window or tuck it behind large furniture to clear the visual clutter. You can also invest in floor-length mirrors to brighten up your bedroom, living room and dining room. Moreover, you can mix and match mirrors in different shapes and sizes to create a gallery-like effect.
Furthermore, you must also avoid making common mirror decorating mistakes such as placing a mirror opposite your bed, having too many mirrors in one room, choosing incompatible mirror styles, and setting a mirror too high on the wall.
Repaint Old Furniture
Scratched and discoloured furniture can ruin the entire visual appeal of your home. So, if you are looking for low-cost interior design tips, you should consider repainting your old furniture.
If you have wooden furniture, you can start by cleaning its surface with a microfiber cloth before using sandpaper to get rid of the old paint. This step will also open up the upper layer of the wood, making it easier for the new layer of stain to penetrate the surface. Next, evenly apply your chosen stain or colour on the wooden furniture in the direction of the grain using a paintbrush. Wait for the colour to penetrate the surface before applying the second layer. Make sure to wipe the excess colour with a clean cloth and seal it with varnish.
Wooden furniture usually takes about a day to be completely dry after being stained or polished.
Moreover, you can use chalk paint to make your furniture look brand new.
Some other ways to give a new life to your old furniture include, rubbing out scratches, styling it with paper, replacing the hardware, changing the legs and even changing its upholstery.
So, which of these low-cost interior design ideas will you try out next? Let us know your thoughts and comments by dropping a message at blog@zameen.com.
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*COVER IMAGE CREDITS: SHUTTERSTOCK
