5 Money Saving Tips For Home Decorators

I hear people saying way too often that they don’t have the money to make their home nice. I’ve been even saying it myself, even though I know better! Low budget is a great excuse not to decorate your home to reflect your personality, but it really isn’t a valid reason. I want to inspire you to create your home as a place you truly enjoy, even if you don’t have a large budget.

Here are my five tips on where and how to save money while finding resources for interior design and home renovating.

1. You already know that IKEA is my best friend for low budget design, but what you might not know is that they offer an  “As-Is” and a “handyman’s corner” in every store where you can  find for super cheap deals. Damaged or dirty furniture, odds and ends, lonely closet or kitchen cabinet doors, you name it. That is a gold mine if you have any basic “handywoman” skills, and a little bit of imagination.

2. Most hardware stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot have something similar. What I especially recommend is checking out the paint department. They often have ready mixed paint in small quantities. Be adventurous and mix even 2-3 paints together to get your own color (remember – you get what you get and you won’t get more of it!). Or use the small amounts of paint for furniture or other small projects. 

3. Bathroom design areas and hardware store tile departments also sell left over and broken tile for cheap. Great for small mosaic projects like tabletops, or even for larger projects, if you are skilled to do mosaic tiling. When you are mixing different styles of tile make sure they are the same thickness or you won’t get the nice smooth look, which can even be dangerous for your feet if tiling the floor. I love the mosaic tile backsplash in the picture by Josh and Melanie Rosenthal it’s creative and stylish but low cost!

4. Use construction material for design. Three triangle pieces of  plywood and a few wall brackets make a great inbuilt corner shelf. Large PVC pipe turns nicely into a newspaper rack and a water pipe makes a retro looking curtain rod.

5. When looking for fabrics for decorating, skip the design and fabric stores. Fabrics by the yard are expensive, and you can get ready made products for much cheaper. Look for designer tablecloths, sheets, even thin blankets and curtains on sale as a source for fabric that you can turn into something else. My favorite places to find fabrics for decorating projects are flea markets, TJ Maxx and outlet stores.