7 Ways to Decorate Without Spending Money
#1 Use What You Already Own & Restyle It
Collect all your decor pieces and collect them on your dining table to start restyling. I find it best to clear of your surfaces and then add back in. Try to collect a variety of items – books, frames, candles, sculptural pieces, boxes plants and other organic objects. Then start with on are at a time like a dresser to layer in pieces in a new, fresh way.
A few quick tips for restyling odd numbers work best with a varying heights and shapes. Pair a tall plant with a picture frame and a candle. Or stack two large books on top of each other and place a sculptural piece on top. For a really easy, quick refresh just rotate around your decorative pillows and throw blanket!
#2 Propagate Your Plants
I love plants! They give a space life – literally. Propagating them is easy (depending on the plant of course) and free. If you have a pothos plant, they are super easy to propagate. Simply cute them just below the node and pop it in some water and wait for the roots to grow. For a more detailed guide on propagate plants check out Apartment Therapy’s guide. Then get creative with what you plant them in like an old mug, mason jar, old camping pot, etc.
#3 Rearrange Your Furniture
Costs you nothing, but a little labor. Go easy with swapping around some end tables or lamps through your home or go big with a full layout change in your living room. If all the furniture is pushed against your walls in your living room try floating the sofa and a chair or two around a rug for a cozy conversational area.
#4 Upcycle a Piece You Own, But Might Be Tired Of
I recently did this what a table lamp. The shape was good, but I was over the faux brass finish and painted it to look like a ceramic piece. Turned out so well. Simply mix together paint you have on hand with baking powder (see the full recipe and my inspiration here) and paint away. Warning: this is addicting and you’ll soon want to paint all your vases, lamps, decor with this magical ceramic look-a-like hack.
Or maybe it’s time to give your nightstands a new coat of paint (I wouldn’t suggest the ceramic paint for that kind of project). If you’re a bit more handy and have some of the supplies, you could reupholster a chair or ottoman. You could use remnant fabric you have laying around or repurpose a bed sheet that’s seen better days or old curtains. Another upcycle option for old linens is to make a new pillow cover. Or use an old shirt or skirt you no longer love into a pillow cover.
#5 If You Have Kids – Frame Their Artwork
I love displaying my daughter’s art around the house. She loves seeing her pieces hung up too. My favorites to frame are watercolors. Don’t have kids? Try your hand at some abstract artwork with watercolors or any painting medium you have around the house.
#6 Shop Your Home
Take a look inside your kitchen cabinets for some dishes or bowls you might normally store away that could used around your home. Have a beautiful wood bowl? Style it on your coffee table to hold your remotes. Have a pretty plate or two you rarely use? Hang them up on the walls or add them to a shelf.
Look in your other closets for things like hats that might normally be stored away on shelf and hang them on the walls in your bedroom. Have instruments laying around? Hang them on the wall as functional art.
#7 Play With Different Light Options
Instead of always using your overhead lighting, turn on that table lamp or light some candles for a relaxing vibe. The mood in your home is just special as the decor. Play around with different lighting options to give a room a whole new vibe in the evenings.
