9 Easy and Budget-Friendly Ways to Spruce Up Your Home Decor

You don’t have to spend a fortune to change up your home decor.

In fact, sometimes all it takes to make any room in your home to feel brand new again is to plan a few quick and easy projects or purchases to upgrade your interior.

Regardless of the size of your space or the scope of your budget, small, smart changes can make a whole room feel new again.

If you’re feeling like your home is ready for a refresh, there are plenty of improvements you can make that will have a major impact on your decor, without a huge hit to your bank account.

Refinish or Repaint Instead of Replacing

When updating your home decor, the most costly expense will likely come from replacing big-ticket items like your furniture.

If replacing everything is out of your budget, opt to refinish items instead.

Refinishing items around your home, from the living room to the kitchen to the bathroom, can breathe new life into tired furniture or cabinetry and will be much easier on your budget.

Reupholster an old chair to give it an entirely new feel. Sand and restain a wooden table or dresser.

If your home decor update plans include your kitchen, this can be a huge cost and time commitment.

Instead of replacing your cabinets, which can cost well into the thousands, sand and refinish them, or even consider repainting them for a much more budget-friendly option that will have the same effect.

You can give your kitchen an entirely new feel by painting dark cabinets a bright white, or by transforming your lighter cabinets into a darker, more moody hue.

Repainting Is Not Just For the Kitchen

This also holds true for your bathroom vanity - instead of replacing it, consider a fresh coat of paint to transform the space in a more budget-conscious way.

What many people don’t realize is that when it comes to countertops, whether in your kitchen or your bathroom, these can be easily updated, too.

Look for a countertop refinishing kit for an easy and affordable DIY project that will add years to the life of your counters and make an old space feel fresh.

If hands-on projects aren’t your thing, you can also replace your countertops while staying on a budget if you know where to look and choose the right materials.

Consider alternate materials for your countertop surfaces, like butcher block or wood, for an interesting and functional look at a fraction of the price of stone or marble.

You can also typically save a great deal on granite or other stone countertops by purchasing leftover slabs from other renovation jobs.

If you don’t have your heart set on a certain color or pattern, this can be a great way to snag a great countertop at a more affordable price point.

Swap Out Your Bedding and Throw Pillows

Bedroom furniture can be pricey to replace. Luckily, there are plenty of other ways to spruce up your space without the need for a furniture overhaul.

Replacing your bedding can change up the entire feel of your room, and requires a much smaller level of commitment than purchasing an entirely new bed.

Choose bedding with a new color palette or pattern to give your room an exciting new feel. Play around with textured fabrics to add some interest.

Adding other decorative accents in your new color palette, like throw pillows or a throw blanket, can add a nice touch or a fun pop of color while sticking to your budget as well.

Consider mixing patterns and fabrics to make the space feel unique.

Change Up Your Accent Colors

Updating the color palette of a space isn’t just limited to your bedroom, though.

One of the easiest ways to make any room feel fresh is to give it a new accent color.

In the living room, change up your throw pillows and blankets, opting for something entirely different than your existing ones.

Similar to our tip on new bedding, consider using multiple fabrics, textures, patterns, and sizes to keep the space from feeling too matchy.

After all, your home should feel unique to you.

Give your rooms some character, instead of copying a store’s display or a furniture showroom.

Add a bouquet of flowers (fresh or faux) in your new accent color to brighten up the space and tie things together.

In your bathroom or powder room, swap out hand towels and bath mats for a new color or pattern that still works with the space while giving it an updated feel.

Updating the room’s artwork to incorporate your new color palette can help to make the space feel more cohesive, too.

Purchase Furniture From a Resale Marketplace

One of the best ways to score great furniture, decor pieces, and artwork at budget-friendly price points is to scour resale sites.

From social media marketplaces to resale apps and websites, there are always people in your neighborhood selling great pieces at a fraction of the retail price.

If you’re willing to take the time to sift through what’s available, you can often find amazing deals on high-end brands, pieces in pristine condition, or cool vintage finds.

The home decor resale market also offers the opportunity to pick up pre-loved items that need a little bit of TLC for a super low price - sometimes even free.

And, if you’re willing to put in the legwork, you can transform an old piece of furniture into a fresh, unique piece.

Plus, there’s something special about incorporating a piece into your home with a story behind it.

Refresh Your Photos

One of the easiest ways to make your decor feel new that’s often overlooked is swapping out existing framed photos for new ones.

We often keep the same photos on display for years and years, and don’t realize the impact an update to these can have on a space.

If your new decor has a neutral color palette, try a gallery wall of black and white photos to keep the decor feeling cohesive.

For a room with a bright color palette, consider choosing some photos with similar colors if possible.

Sometimes the photos on display are cherished memories that shouldn’t be replaced, and that’s ok, too.

If the photos you have framed are sentimental and you’re set on keeping them, instead, opt for some new picture frames that may be more aligned with your updated decor.

Your New Updates Don’t Have to Be Permanent

One of the best ways to add excitement to a room is to add a bright accent wall or a patterned wallpaper.

But for many, wallpaper can be a big commitment and it’s not so easy to change later on.

If your residence is a rental, or you’re not ready to commit to a major design change, there are some amazing temporary wallpaper options that can revamp an entire room without the cost or commitment of a more serious update.

Instead, opt for a peel-and-stick wallpaper, which will allow you to completely update a wall or even an entire room without any long-lasting changes.

Plus, installation is a breeze and you can quickly fix any mistakes during the process without mess or worry.

Don’t limit yourself to just walls, either.

Temporary wallpaper is a great way to add pops of color to other places in your home, like your staircase or the back of a bookshelf.

If your home decor overhaul includes your kitchen, consider temporary tiling as well.

There are a ton of great options on the market for peel-and-stick backsplashes and tiles, so this can be an easy and affordable route to take if installing a new tile backsplash isn’t in your budget.

Upgrade Your Light Fixtures

Lighting can be easily overlooked, but it’s one of the factors that has the biggest impact on every single room in your home.

You can completely change the ambiance of a space by swapping out your light fixtures, and this can be an easy and cost-effective way to spruce up your decor quickly.

Replace old lamps and ceiling mounts with new ones to refresh a space easily.

You can also add some interest to a room by installing lighting where it didn’t exist before, like adding wall sconces in your bathroom, or under-cabinet lighting in your kitchen.

Consider adding a dimming feature so that you can easily change up the ambiance in a room at the click of a button.

Rearrange Your Furniture or Room Layout

One of the easiest and most affordable ways to spruce up your home decor on a budget is to simply work with what you already have.

Rearranging your furniture can give any room an entirely new personality, and all it requires is a little bit of vision and some elbow grease.

Moving your furniture will obviously have the greatest impact, but if your layout doesn’t give you many options, there are still ways to make the room feel refreshed.

Consider swapping things like throw pillows or blankets, framed photos, and other small decor pieces from one room to another.

You can also utilize items found around your home in new and interesting ways.

Use old baskets as newfound storage, or try using an old ladder to display throw blankets.

With a little bit of creativity and some inspiration, you can make any room in your home feel new and exciting without blowing your budget or undergoing any major renovation.

Let Plants Do the Talking

Adding some greenery can make a huge impact on the look and feel of your home.

Unless you are allergic to plants, nothing could be more simple than just adding a few potted plants to a table, a bookshelf, the floor, or even hanging from a window to liven up a room.

If you don't have a green thumb, not to worry. There are plenty of low-maintenance indoor plants. The possibilities are endless.

You can get as fancy as keeping a lemon tree indoors.

Succulents offer a variety of patterns, colors, and textures and require very little watering.

Air plants may be a better choice for someone who absolutely doesn't want to deal with repotting, watering, or doesn't have direct sunlight coming into their home.

Sprucing Up Your Existing Plants

If you already own some plants but they're looking like they need a makeover, you can put them in new pots, or even figure out a different arrangement or placement for them.

Remember that maintaining good plant health is the best way to have a plant keep on showing its best.

It's important to prune dead branches and leaves.

Clean up dead leaves and debris from the pot and sometimes dusting can going a long way.

If Plants Are Not For You

You can still benefit from the beauty of nature even if you have no desire to maintain a plant.

Purchasing freshly cut flowers for your home can immediately add spark to a room albeit it may not last long.

Once your flowers aren't looking as fresh anymore, you might be able to dry them upside down and use them for other decorative purposes.

Buying dried botanicals or fake plants is another way of utilizing nature's window dressing.

Keep in mind that dried botanicals can be delicate and realistic fake plants can be hard to find.

Dried branches can add an undeniable elegance to a room.