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Revamp your furniture on a budget

Lucy Miller 7th Jun 2020 2 Comments

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Want to revamp your furniture on a budget? Feel like it’s time to jazz up your living space without spending a fortune? We get it – we’ve got the lockdown DIY bug too.

Don’t worry if you haven’t got hundreds of pounds lying around to spend on swanky new interiors, though. There are lots of ways that you can make your home a little bit more Instagram-friendly without spending loads of money. Read on for just a few of them…

Making the most of what you’ve got
Think about small touches
Rearrange your art
Get rid of unwanted furniture
Bring the outdoors indoors
Layer your fabrics
Refresh your bed with a padded mattress topper

Making the most of what you’ve got

Instead of thinking you need to invest in new stuff, why not spruce up (or “upcycle”) what you’ve already got?

A lick of paint on an old chair or a plain cabinet can change the feel of the entire room. Google furniture painting tutorials if you need some pointers, and think carefully about the kind of colour (or colours) that you might want. Make sure they match your surroundings, and that you won’t get sick of your colour scheme in a couple of months! Look for sample-size paint tins to avoid spending money on (and then wasting) a full tin.

Revamping furniture on a budget: Think about small touches

The beauty of interiors is often in the detail, so think about the small changes that you can make to bring out the quirky character of a room. Why not consider the following small touches? They’ll all make a big difference…

Change your cabinet handles

A quick update that transform any items, changing cabinet or dresser handles takes just a few minutes, too! Maybe look online for interesting cabinet handles, and incorporate them when you’re giving your cabinets a new lick of paint (see above). You’ll look like you’ve got whole new item of furniture on a budget of next to nothing!

Add vinyl wall stickers

Put your personal stamp on your walls with vinyl stickers. Ideal for children’s bedrooms, kitchens, or hallways, they come in all shapes and designs. They’re easy to apply AND they won’t damage the wall – so if you’re in rented accommodation, it’s a great way to personalise your space on a budget. Think block colours, strong shapes, or even quotes. Birds are a great motif, and flowers or trees add a whimsical feel to any space, too.

Make a feature out of your stuff

Small spaces are easy to redesign! Ensure that books, mugs, spirit bottles, magazines and other items are on display with a thoughtful arrangement. There’s little more classy than an artfully-displayed coffee table book, after all.

Move your mirrors

Create the illusion of space without spending any cash! If you want to make a room look bigger, place a mirror on the opposite wall to the door. Anyone entering will subconsciously think the room is bigger than it is… yes, really! Mirrors opposite windows also help spread light in the room and make any space feel brighter and more airy.

Rearrange your art

If you’ve got a lot of art in your house (or even if it’s, um, “still waiting” to be hung), think about rearranging it so that it’s more of a bold feature. Feature walls that include frames of different sizes are all the rage these days. Don’t worry about them lining up or looking perfect – the more haphazard the arrangement, the more it’ll add to your new eclectic aesthetic. This tip works really well in a living room, and even in a bedroom too.

If you don’t have any art, don’t panic! Posters are really cheap (as are frames) and you can make a feature of a large film-size poster, too. Or, get creative! Visit your local pound shop or The Works, pick up a couple of cheap canvases and painting materials, and go to town on it. If you can’t draw, don’t panic – go abstract! Bright and bold colours will spruce up your space in no time.

Get rid of unwanted furniture

Yes, sometimes less really is more. Do you really need those old lampshades, that broken chair, or those old cushions that should probably have been thrown out years ago? The answer is: probably not. Think about what you need, then think about what you want. If items in your home are serving no purpose, and you can’t revamp or upcycle them so that they do, it’s time to throw them out.

If you’ve got furniture that’s still got some life in it, look at your local charity furniture shops. Many will collect your furniture for free, as long as it still has the fire certification label on it if it’s a soft furnishing. You’ll get rid of your stuff, help someone buy a cheap sofa or chair, AND support your local charity without spending any money. Win-win-win!

Bring the outdoors indoors

A great way to quickly brighten up a room is by bringing the outdoors indoors. Plants are the best way to do this. They’ll purify your air, add vibrancy to your living space, and can really benefit your mental health too. Choose ones that are easy to look after if you’re new to being a plant parent! Remember, garden centres are now open so you can check out your plants properly – you don’t need to order them online. Cacti and succulents are ideal space-savers that add a pop of green to your space without needing a lot of care.

Another way to bring life into your living space (specifically into your kitchen) is by growing your own herbs, vegetables or even flowers. You can do this by repurposing old containers or jam jars, but make sure you choose pretty ones – the old tub of Flora isn’t going to offer the aesthetic that you want! Growing your own herbs and vegetables will save you money in the long-run, too. Look for good quality soil, and think about which seeds will be the most useful in your cooking.

Layer your fabrics

Think bright cushions from markets (which are now starting to reopen) and throws made from lengths of fabric. You don’t need to spend much at all to make these kinds of flourishes work in any living space – we bet you’ve already got more cushion covers and throws hidden away in cupboards than you realise. And remember: when it comes to layering up your soft furnishings, less is definitely not more. Pile them high for the ultimate in cosy!

If your existing cushion covers and throws need a revamp, why not get the kids involved in cross stitching or decorating them in another way? Sounds like a great lockdown activity to us!

Refresh your bed with a padded mattress topper

Make your bed feel brand new by adding a new mattress topper – try a memory foam one for the ultimate in comfort. You’ll feel like you’ve got a whole new piece of furniture, and you’ll have spent a fraction of what you would’ve done if you were to buy a whole new bed.

Have you had success revamping your furniture on a budget during lockdown? We’d love for you to tell us about it – head over to our forum to share your tips.

More budget-saving tips

Feeling inspired to revamp your home and even make money from it? Try these articles next!

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Raman

4 years ago

Good collection of ideas.

Tom

4 years ago

Some nice ideas for sprucing things up on a budget.

Revamp your furniture on a budget

Making the most of what you’ve got