Gorgeous Insta interiors have you envious, but can’t justify spending up to style your home? Luckily, money and style don’t go hand in hand, and you can still create a beautiful and inviting space without having to sell a vital organ!
Here are some tips on how to turn your home from dull to designer, even with tightened purse strings.
BACK TO BASICS
With your limited styling budget, choose to spend a little more on the essential basics that you’re likely to see and often use, such as your coffee table and bedsides.
Invest in quality pieces that are timeless in style and classic in design – think of them as your home’s little black dress, something that can be dressed up or down, and that goes with everything! A simple bedside table can be styled to suit a Nordic, contemporary, boho, coastal or rustic home, and also stylish enough that it’s beautiful even when left bare.
The same goes for homewares – pay a little extra for a few timeless pieces that you’ll always love. Opt for non-fad-driven trends or designs around fleeting tendencies, so make a great styling base for nearly all homes and tastes.
Once you’ve taken care of your classic basics, you can feel free to bargain shop to your heart’s content on-trend items. There are so many places to get cheap homewares from these days, including department stores (Kmart, Target, Big W), $2 stores, op shops and even supermarkets.
DARE TO DIY
Don’t worry, DIY doesn’t necessarily mean complicated craft projects that will take up your weekends and leave your fingers riddled with splinters.
There are many quick and easy ways you can give plain or dated items a refresh, such as with a lick of paint, or by changing the knobs or handles.
Not only does a bit of DIY give your items a new look, but you’ll also have one-of-a-kind pieces, and of course, bragging rights when visitors come over!
FAB FOLIAGE
Having plants and flowers in every room is a wonderful way to breathe life, warmth and colour into your home, but buying fresh flowers can be costly, and caring for plants time-consuming.
For a cheaper and more low maintenance option, go with faux (they’ve come a long way and are very realistic looking these days) or dried blooms – either way, they look amazing and last a lifetime!
VIGNETTES + SHELFIES
If you’re a styling newbie, it might all seem too overwhelming – but rather than worrying about styling an entire home, focus on creating a vignette in each room. Think of each vignette as a little ‘scene’ that you create e.g. a reading nook in the corner of your bedroom, the sideboard and mirror in your entryway, the display shelf in your living room etc.
It’s much cheaper to focus on curating these little spaces, than taking on a complete style revamp or renovation, but it can still really transform a home. It also means that re-styling in the future is easier than your seasons or tastes change.
There are no rules per se when creating vignettes, but they are typically centred around pieces such as coffee tables, shelving, consoles, and sideboards. They generally include homewares and accents in odd numbers (3 or 5 usually look best) and incorporate objects of varying heights for visual interest.