During the pandemic, people spent far more time at home. As a result, they began looking at their spaces in a new light, and some grew weary of what they saw.
Luckily, refreshing your home on a budget is an option. There are many low-cost and simple updates that can dramatically transform spaces, allowing you to capture a new look without breaking the bank or having to hire professional contractors.
If you want to refresh your home, here are nine ways to do it without busting your budget.
9 Ways to Refresh Your Home on a Budget
1. Get New Window Treatments
If you’re looking for easy ways to spruce up your home, changing out your window treatments is one of the simplest. You can choose new colors and patterns, using your favorite designs or emerging trends as your guide. Then, you simply remove your existing treatments and hang the new ones, allowing you to transform your space in a matter of minutes.
For added convenience, focus on window treatments that are easy to clean. Whether that’s washable fabric curtains or anti-static shades, by choosing options that make cleaning simpler, you get more than just a new look; you get a smaller workload, too.
2. Update Your Walls
There are several low-cost options for updating your walls that can have a significant impact. If you want to freshen up your home, repainting is an easy way to get dramatic results fast. Whether you redo an entire room or add an accent wall, you can completely transform the feel of a space. With a bright color, you add energy. Choose a subtler hue, and you can make a room more relaxing.
For texture, wallpaper could be an excellent option for introducing patterns into a space. Again, you can do an entire room, a single way, or even a wall niche, as well as choose as dramatic or subtle of a print as you’d like.
Plus, if you’re worried about the commitment, you can go with removable wallpaper. That allows you to add something new that you can take down with ease if the need arises. If you don’t choose a repeating pattern, putting it up can go surprisingly quickly, making it one of the easy updates for your home worth exploring.
3. Change Out Your Hardware
One of the simplest home refresh ideas that can breathe new life into a kitchen or bathroom is updating the hardware. New faucets, showerheads, cabinet handles, doorknobs, and switch places can have a surprising impact.
Plus, it’s one of the easy and cheap ways to update your home. Cabinet knobs and drawer pulls are incredibly inexpensive and very simple to change out. Even many faucets and plumbing fixtures are very reasonably priced, and they aren’t always as hard to swap out as you’d expect.
Along with traditional metals like nickel and brass, explore alternatives. Black hardware can be incredibly striking, while crystal or glass knobs and pulls add a hint of sparkle. Ceramic handles are also worth considering, as well as less conventional choices like leather.
4. Try a New Throw or Area Rug
Throw, and area rugs are great options if you’re trying to figure out how to update your home décor without breaking the bank. They can help define the space, add color and texture, and create a sense of warmth and coziness. Plus, if you’re in a multi-story home, they can act as sound buffers, reducing the amount of noise that moves through your floors.
If you want, you can even layer rugs in a room. With that approach, you can introduce coordinating colors and patterns to create a unique look during your home revamp. While rugs can be very affordable, smaller rugs aren’t usually as expensive as their larger brethren. In some cases, even a few throw rugs can cost less than one large one, so keep that in mind if you have a tight budget.
5. Switch Out Your Throw Pillows
While throw pillows can add comfortable touches to living rooms and bedrooms, they are also opportunities to introduce new colors, patterns, textures, and styling. That makes them a great choice for anyone looking for inexpensive home updates.
By choosing new throw pillows, you can update the feel of your space in mere moments, all without having to make any permanent changes. In fact, throw pillows are low-cost enough that you can get a set for every season. Just use a vacuum storage bag to shrink pillows down before putting them away. That way, they won’t overtake your closets when not in use.
6. Bring in New Blankets or Bedding
If you want to freshen up your home, changing your bedding is an easy way to give bedrooms new life. Beds visually dominate bedrooms due to their size and position. Whether you purchase new comforters or get a new duvet cover, the impact is significant.
Similarly, adding new throw blankets in the living room or bedrooms can revamp your home. It’s another way to introduce pops of color, texture, and pattern. Plus, it makes the room cozier, which is a nice bonus.
7. Install New Molding
Another one of the simple ways to update your home is installing new molding. Adding new molding to your windows and doors, installing crown molding, or updating your baseboards can have a significant impact on the look of any room. When you add molding to windows and doorways, they become striking architectural features.
Crown molding draws the eye up and makes rooms feel more refined. New baseboards give you a chance to adjust the styling or remove trim that might be a little worse for wear and replace it with something in better condition.
Usually, installing new molding is reasonably straightforward and relatively low-cost. Just be aware that some molding types may require more complicated saw cuts than others. As a result, you may want to choose versions that align with your skill level if you go the DIY route.
8. Bring in Wall Mirrors
Mirrors give you the ability to make spaces seem larger and brighter. By positioning them in spots where they can reflect light and views from windows, you won’t just brighten the room; you’ll also bring more of the indoors inside.
Just make sure that you position mirrors carefully while you’re updating your home décor. You want to make sure that the view they reflect is pleasant, allowing them to beautify a space as they brighten it.
Generally speaking, you don’t want a mirror facing an exterior door, as that can lead to some startling moments if you forget the mirror is there. Additionally, don’t set them across from clutter, as it will reflect those items, making the space seem even less organized.
9. Update Your Light Fixtures
If you’re trying to figure out how to modernize your home on a budget, consider starting with your light fixtures. Many houses have builder-grade fixtures that were put in when the home was originally designed. Not only are they often outdated, but they typically weren’t the most attractive options in the first place.
Replacing existing overhead lights and sconces with entirely new fixtures isn’t as expensive or difficult as many people would expect. Additionally, while the change might seem small on the surface, it can be incredibly powerful once in place.
If you aren’t ready for that kind of commitment, then there are other options. You can do something as simple as changing out lamp shades or fixture covers. Table and floor lamps tend to use standardized sizes. The same goes for many overheads and sconces. As a result, you might be able to create a new vibe without having to mess with electrical connections.
