7 Affordable Decorating Ideas to Revive Your Home

Being stuck at home makes us hyper-aware of just how important our spaces really are. Having a clean, inspiring space can help us feel more organised, putting us in a more positive mental space, especially when there is so much uncertainty in the air. These affordable decorating ideas will get you motivated to refresh tired rooms on a budget!

Re-decorating doesn’t have to be expensive; you’d be surprised at what you can achieve with a splash of paint here and a pop of colour there. Read on for our top ideas on affordable decorating. We’ll have you feeling calmer and organised in no time.

1. Rearrange furniture

You’d be surprised how easy it is to breathe new life into a room just by changing the furniture around. Often, furniture blocking spaces or obstructing your vision of windows can make a room feel enclosed and stuffy.

You can try to open up your spaces by moving furniture closer to the walls, leaving a clear space in rooms or in front of windows. Conversely, you can use furniture to create “zones” in a large, open room. This creates dedicated living areas which feel cosier for time with family or friends.

2. Create your own art

If you really want to get creative, a great affordable decorating idea is to buy blank canvases and paints and start painting! To be safe, try a run test runs on paper first, finalise your piece and then try your painting on canvas.

If you’re not necessarily the artistic type another affordable decorating option is buying canvases. You can create a canvas print using your own photos, or choose from one of our wall art designs; we have millions to choose from. Click here to start browsing.

Or, try one of these affordable decorating ideas:

• A split canvas display; simply choose one image and split it across multiple pieces of art. Landscapes and natural scenes work well for this purpose
• A single metal print is a more modern affordable decorating option. Our metal prints are very high quality and will last years without fading
• Photo blocks are an extremely affordable decorating option, especially if you already have plenty of space on desks, floating shelves or bookshelves to display your photo blocks

3. Hang plates or hats

To create a wall display with materials you already own, simply purchase some hooks and hang plates or your hats on the hooks. Lay your display out on the floor or bed before you start adding hooks on your walls, so you know exactly how your display will look when it’s ready to hang.

Our tip: If hanging plates, be sure to choose reliable hooks which can withstand the weight of your plates.

4. Create a gallery wall

When you’re low on things to do, it’s the perfect time to create a gallery wall! A gallery wall can be a fabulously affordable decorating idea, particularly if you already have lots of existing pieces of wall art to hang. Here’s how to do it:

• Choose a spot for your gallery wall. Depending on how many photo frames or canvases you have, it may have to be a large space
• Gather together all your pictures. They don’t have to all have the same frame! Some may be gallery-wrapped canvases, while others may be framed, or even metal prints
• Ensure you have enough hooks for all your pictures. Keep in mind you may need a mixture of smaller and larger hooks, depending on how large your pictures are
• Lay out how you’d like to style your pictures on the floor or on your bed first, so you have your favourite configuration. Take a photo and analyse how you like it. It’s best to start with your larger image in the centre, then build outwards with smaller pieces towards the outside of your display
• You can even use pieces of tape to map out how you’d like your gallery wall to look on your wall
• Start adding your hooks and hanging your pictures!

5. Affordable decorating using natural materials

Natural materials are a fabulous affordable decorating idea, especially if your current interiors scheme is full of whites and natural fabrics already, such as cotton and linen. Here are some great affordable decorating pieces you can add to your home, directly from nature:

• Shells or driftwood; these items look great in a Hamptons, coastal or organic-style home
• Palm fronds; simply leave these out in the sun to fully dry out and then add them to white-painted pots for a natural decorative look
• Recycle old jars or pick up some vintage jars at garage sales. Add locally-picked wildflowers for a cute table centrepiece

6. Revive and repurpose old furniture

Upcycling furniture is far kinder to the environment than buying all new pieces. Far too often, old furniture that we throw out ends up in landfill. But this doesn’t need to be so! Reviving old furniture is a fantastically affordable decorating idea; often, all your old furniture needs is some TLC and a lick of paint. Try these ideas to repurpose old furniture:

• Paint old mirror frames. Bored with your drab mirror? Be sure to carefully tape the sides and cover your mirror before painting, then paint it with a couple of coats of white paint, ensuring you follow directions and leave time in between coats. Remove the tape and voila; you have a new mirror!
• Upcycle old furniture by sanding it back, painting it and giving it new life.
• Remove old handles on your drawers or the knobs on your cabinets, paint them and add fresh handles or knobs to help them look like new again!
• Add a bright coat of paint to old desks or chairs; this looks especially fun for kid’s rooms or even to create a bright study

7.  Add a fresh coat of paint

It’s truly amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do in reviving old furniture or walls. Here are our top tips for choosing paint colours:

• Pick fresh, bright colours, especially if you’re painting a small space. Your room will feel bigger and more open
• Check out our interior colour schemes blog to help you choose a beautiful, on-trend colour
• Preparation is key before you start painting. Make sure you have all your equipment ready before you start, including enough brushes, rollers, paint trays, paint, drop sheets, tape and whatever else you might need. Your preparation time alone will take a little while. Wait for dry weather before you start!

We hope this blog has given you some great affordable decorating ideas to beat the boredom and refresh your interior spaces. Which idea will you try first?

For more inspiration, head to our blog, or start shopping at Canvas Factory.