Decorating a home is so personal and exciting, but it can quickly get expensive. Even something as small as a desk lamp or wall art can cost over $100.
Wall tiles are also pricey but can make your home look luxurious and expensive. It’s good that you don’t have to pay a fortune for your home to look beautiful and elegant if you know where and how to shop.
As a frugal person, I’m always looking for a good deal. I also grew up helping and still help my father, who works as a carpenter and interior designer. So, I’ve picked up a few tricks and tips here and there on how to make something look expensive at a low cost. Are you ready to transform your home? Keep reading for 18 ideas and ways to make your home look expensive while on a budget.
1. Accent Walls
Instead of painting every wall in every room, consider just sticking to accent walls. This budget-friendly hack can make your home seem more expensive and luxurious.
You don’t have to stick with paint either. My dad is a carpenter and painter. He loves using peel-and-stick wallpaper with geometric designs in modern homes. It’s a simple touch that really brings the room together.
2. DIY Decor
I call myself a DIY queen. If I had the time, patience, and funds, nearly everything in my apartment would be handmade. If this sounds like you, consider making your own budget-friendly decorations.
One of my best friends is really into modern aesthetics. She loves playing with lines and paints all her decorations. All of her ideas come from TikTok and Pinterest.
3. Declutter
If you pick up anything from my tips, let it be this: declutter. The best way to make a home look more expensive and luxurious is to keep it simple. Too many items can make a room look messy and out of order.
Instead of loading your dinner table with decorations, just stick to one centerpiece. The same goes for your kitchen. It’s so easy for a kitchen to look messy with dozens of decorations on the counter.
4. Organize
Decluttering and organizing go hand in hand. But organizing, in my opinion, deserves its own mention. Do you have a lot of knick-knacks? What about kitchen gadgets and devices? If yes, buy bins and reuse boxes to organize and put them away.
Bins and organizers don’t have to be expensive. You just need to know where to shop. Check out places like Dollar Tree, Big Lots, Five Below, and Amazon for cheap organizing decor.
5. Eye-Catching Light Fixtures
Sticking to a budget doesn’t mean you need to be cheap. This is especially true when you’re upgrading light fixtures and kitchen appliances.
For a more elegant and modern home, buy a high-quality, large light fixture for your dining or living room. It’s costly at first, but worth it. This eye-catching light can make a great statement in a room.
6. Mimic Marble
For some reason, when someone mentions expensive, smooth marble pops up in my head. I love marble. The shapes and colors are beautiful, but true marble is way too costly.
Instead of shelling out hundreds or thousands for real marble, get faux marble or mimic it yourself. When I worked at a preschool, we covered the counters with a marble-designed peel-and-stick wallpaper.
7. Kitchen Tile Wallpaper
You’re probably tired of hearing about wallpaper, but I stand by my words. Wallpaper can be a lifesaver when renovating or decorating a home on a tight budget, especially when it comes to tile.
Tiles are expensive, and they’re also a lot harder to apply. My dad does it for a living, and it takes him hours, sometimes weeks, to finish a project. Instead of purchasing real stone tiles, stick and peel kitchen ’tile’ wallpaper. No one will know the difference.
8. Neutral Colors
Neutral, earthy colors are a lot easier to work with than, say, bright red. And this is coming from someone who loves bold colors. If you want to stick to a budget and like modern aesthetics, paint your walls neutral colors.
I recommend avoiding all-white walls. They can easily make your home look dirty, cheap, or generic.
9. Flowers
Everyone is different, but I’m a sucker for flowers. I think minimal decorations and knick-knacks work so well if you can also incorporate plants. While I prefer real flowers, faux flowers are cheaper and last.
My stepmom decorates her home with fake flowers; honestly, you can’t tell the difference. The amount of times I’ve tried to smell her fake roses or orchids is embarrassing.
10. Thrift
Technically, thrifting isn’t a decoration but a great place to find decorations on a budget. Whenever I move and need to redecorate my home, I take cash out and hit two to three local thrift shops.
Some advice from someone who is always budgeting – don’t buy the first thing you see. You’ll find everything cute at first. Instead, take three days to buy everything. One day is to explore the thrift shops, another day is to think and plan, and the last is to finally purchase what you want.
11. Curtains
Another great and low-key way to make your home look expensive on a budget is by incorporating curtains. Do you have big windows? Highlight them with dramatic and large curtains.
This is something I do while living in an apartment. As much as I’d love to use paint or peel-and-stick wallpapers, I’m too afraid I won’t get my security deposit back. So, my windows always have curtains. The eye-popping color contrasts the white walls nicely and for a small price.
12. Natural Lighting
I’ve noticed that many expensive homes have natural lighting. It helps create an atmosphere of luxury while also expanding a room’s space. Dark rooms with minimal natural lighting feel dreary and stuffy.
If you have natural lighting, play with it. Add suncatchers near windows for the light to reflect colors on your wall. Keep your blinds open during the day to bring the light in. I definitely prefer natural lighting to lamps and light fixtures.
13. Statement Rugs
You don’t need a lot to transform your space. Honestly, most of the time, less is more. Invest in one large and showy piece instead of using four or five small rugs and mats throughout your home.
Statement rugs are eye-catching, like light fixtures. You can get creative with the colors, designs, and shapes. My best friend loves the bohemian style, and in the center of her living room is a massive rope-style rug stained in multiple colors. It’s my favorite piece in her home.
14. Mix Textures
Mixing textures in decorations and homes is one of my favorite things. There is something just so satisfying about seeing a brick wall in one corner and a smooth, colorful wall in the next. Even if you don’t have different wall textures, you can still mix textures in decorations.
I do this a lot in my bedroom. I love seeing knitted blankets folded neatly on a large, fluffy cotton comforter. Pillows of different textures also look nice on beds and couches.
15. Minimize Posters/Art on the Walls
If you want your home to feel luxurious and expensive, tone it down. I’ve already said this, but it rings true – less is more. As someone who used to put up a lot of posters and art on the wall, trust me: there is such a thing as too much.
Minimizing what you put on your walls is a cheap and effective way to make your home feel more elegant. One to two large statement pieces should do the trick.
16. Decorative Pillow Covers
I have way too many pillows on my couch. It’s the one ‘maximalist’ design that I allow my living room to have. Instead of buying countless pillows for each season and occasion, I get pillow covers.
Pillow covers are affordable and cute. They are also easy to clean, store, and swap out. Do you have a sewing talent? You can make your own!
17. Wall Molding and Trim
If you have the money, confidence, and time, you can also add wall molding and trim to your home. This can transform your space and dress it up. It adds a layer of texture and color that is perfect and, better yet, cheap.
Some of the best places to buy the right wall molding and trim materials are Home Depot, Lowes, and Aamon. You can get creative with colors and designs.
18. Mirrors
Last but not least is to use mirrors. I feel like so many people forget the power a mirror has in a room. Mirrors can enhance natural lighting and make your space look bigger.
It’s also a simple decoration that can be found anywhere. I bought a small mirror for my home’s entrance at Five Below for under $5. A larger mirror, which I bought at a yard sale, is in the dining room.
The cost of living in the United States has skyrocketed in the last four years. So, what happens when the cost of living goes up? We stop buying certain things. I can think of many items and luxuries I’ve let go of because they’ve gotten so expensive.
Honestly, with the increasing prices, it’s not worth it. Maybe you’re experiencing the same dilemma. It’s hard to decide how to buy the things we need without breaking the bank. To help with those tough decisions, we curated these things based on luxuries and wants instead of needs.
Some may be more difficult than others to let go. However, in the end, we think it makes sense. What about you?
41 Shocking Ways You’re Throwing Money Down the Drain
There are many ways to increase the money in your bank account. Many people start by looking at ways to make more money. And, of course, that is a great solution. But it isn’t always the easiest. A better, easier way may be to examine your spending habits. By tracking your spending and seeing where every dollar goes, you’ll likely find several instances of spending money you don’t have to. It could be little things that add up or recurring monthly expenses that are an utter waste of money.
Once you eliminate your bad spending habits, that money can go toward your emergency fund, paying off debt, or other essential things. Here are the 41 biggest wastes of money to look out for:
Source: 18 Ways to Make Your House Look Expensive on a Budget
