Don’t you love watching the flip-it and home makeover shows? Don’t they make you want to redo your own home?
Well, we’ve already talked about a lot of inexpensive ways to update your home in Decorating on a Budget – Paint, Decorating on a Budget – Accessories, and Decorating on a Budget – Exterior. But, here is another list of economical updating ideas.
Interior:
- Change the hardware on your cabinets. You can do this in the kitchen or bathroom or anywhere you have knobs that are dull, outdated, or you just don’t like. A great place to find them is at the Habitat for Humanity Restores, yardsales and flea markets.
- Change out your lampshades. Check out Target or start noticing lampsades you like at yardsales, even if you don’t like the lamp they’re on!
- Paint interior brick. We painted the fireplace in our last house a dark forest green, almost black. When renovating homes we purchase, we usually paint the fireplace brick (interior) an off-white to match the trim in the room. If your brick is blotched or discolored, this really gives a clean, new look to the room.
- Paint pieces of furniture you don’t like rather than replacing them. Also change out the hardware to give them the new look you want.
- Screw in hooks on cabinet bottoms over kitchen counter tops. Use them to hold mugs, measuring cups or hand towels. Gives easy access and frees up interior cabinet space.
- Add a shelf above a doorway. Paint it the color of the trim and use it to display knick-knacks.
- Add chair railing to dining room, bedroom, living room, any room for extra detail. You can paint the wall below 2 shades darker than the wall above for added drama at very little cost.
- Change out window treatments. It doesn’t have to be in every room, but natural blinds are easy to install or buy a pair of panels to hang from a bar you mount above the window. Pick them up inexpensively at Target or a home decor store.
- Rehang pictures in different rooms. Hang groupings of different sizes and styles. Add a shelf, mirror or piece of dimensional art to add interest to the grouping.
- Change out doorknobs, especially any that are tarnished or worn looking. How about glass knobs for bathrooms?
- Replace switchplate covers. I found some great ones at a salvage store. Shop for unique covers at flea markets and yard sales.
- Paint a portion of the kitchen wall with chalkboard paint for messages and lists. Nail a picture frame around it so it looks like the message board is hung on the wall.
- Put up new house numbers. Always be sure your address is clearly marked on your home so, if needed, emergency vehicles can find your house.
- Buy a new mailbox or paint the one you have. Make sure the post is new or freshly painted as well.
- Put out a new door mat.
- Clean out gutters, rake the yard, sweep down cobwebs. Sometimes we forget to clean up the outside but the whole house feels better when the outside looks well kept.
- Paint the front door & shutters.
- Add some new plants or plant bulbs for new flowers in the spring.
Exterior
What can you add to the list?
