Feeling bored with the same old décor? These easy updates won't break the bank, but they just might help you fall back in love with your home. From painting your stairs to quick tile projects, stylish storage solutions and simple DIY projects, these affordable decorating ideas will elevate your space to a whole new level.
For big impact in one hit, try hanging some statement wallpaper. From oversize florals to retro geometrics, wallpaper is having a moment, and you'll have plenty of options to choose from. The costs can quickly add up though, so to stay on budget use just a few rolls to paper a corner of your home. We love this reading nook, but you could also paper behind alcove shelving or jazz up your downstairs loo. Pick up a roll of paper for around £10 in the discount bins in homeware stores or wait for the sales if you've got your eye on something special.
Removing and replacing old tiling is expensive, messy work. But if you’re bored of your current tile situation, we’ve got the answer: paint! Blogger Gemma updated her fireplace hearth using a tile stencil and some garden paint, and we can’t get enough of the delicate design. You can pick up small samples of paint for around £3 a pot, which would be perfect for a small update like this one. You’ll also need some stencils, which start at around £5.
A great way to liven up a dull room, wall panelling adds lashings of character but the real thing can cost a fortune. You can buy systems like this one from Homebase (£11.95 per pack), but a confident DIY-er could recreate the look themselves or create the edges with budget-friendly beading.
Uninspiring tiles dragging down the decor? Transform your kitchen, bathroom or hallway with some vinyl floor tiles. These mid-century modern-inspired ones are £18 per square metre, but more budget-friendly options exist. They couldn't be easier to fit: simply cut to size with a knife, peel and stick. No glue, no dust, no mess. Now that's our kind of DIY project!
If that all sounds too much like hard work, buy yourself a sticker splashback instead. Forget the labour-intensive work of tiling – simply peel and apply to a clear, flat surface. They are water-resistant, too, making them perfect for a bigger bathroom or kitchen upgrade. This gorgeous Moroccan-inspired design costs £22.38 for a pack of 16 tiles.
Harking back to days gone by, a picture rail adds a serious dose of vintage charm to any abode. But this high-impact project is surprisingly easy to do. All you need is some wood board, dowels and some basic supplies like a drill, a saw, wood glue and screws. We love how these bloggers and DIY-ers have left this practical picture rail natural for Scandi-vibes, but you could paint it.
If you'd rather not crack out the drill, nod to the aesthetics of a dado or picture rail with paint instead. Here the homeowners have painted up to the height of a dado rail without actually having to install any woodwork. You'll also save money too, as you only need half the paint! We love this vibrant grass green shade, but it could work with any colour. What about Very Peri, the laidback blue hue and Pantone’s colour of the year for 2022?
If your house doesn't scream 'welcome home', try giving your front door a mini makeover. We love this cheerful pink, and we reckon you'd struggle to suppress a smile coming home it. If your door lacks the London townhouse vibe, don't worry – UPVC doors can be brightened up with paint too. Check out the Frenchic 'doors' highlight on Instagram for more inspiration.
A fun addition to any child's space is this simple chalkboard project. Pick up a tin of special paint (you can get a 750ml tin for around £15) and tape up a section of the wall to paint. Once it's dried all you'll need is a pack of chalk to let them unleash their inner Monet.
If your outside space feels a little lacklustre, why not brighten it up with a fresh new colour? If you've got a summer house (or even a shed) that's in good condition and rot-free, giving it a colourful makeover can breathe new life into your garden and make you want to spend more time in it. We love this traditional sage hue, which costs £44 for a 2.5 litre tin, which should cover a shed.
Look don't get us wrong – we love an aged wooden floorboard. But if yours is less cottagecore and more yellowing, knotty pine, we understand if you'd like to give it a makeover. A simple wash of white paint (pick up a 2.5l tin for around £25) will instantly pep up the room, leaving you with a brighter, cleaner finish. But if you're too bold for white, the rainbow is your limit. Sunshine yellow would certainly make those colder winter mornings a little more bearable.
Hello, pantry of our dreams! This exact set-up from Regalraum might bust your £100 budget, but the basic principle remains the same. If you’ve got an unused small space or closet in your house, make it pick up the slack by giving it a function. By installing a simple shelving system, you could transform a small nook into a functional pantry or laundry space.
Chances are you’ve got some unloved furniture lying around. With a little bit of creativity and some simple tools, you could transform it into a piece that makes your heart sing. Check out our gallery on furniture flipper extraordinaire, Maggie McGaugh, for more ideas. Next time you need a new piece of furniture, see if you could upcycle something you already have or pick up a cheap second-hand piece ripe for transformation. Some of Maggie’s updates have cost her as little as £4.
Installing new lighting is expensive and time-consuming. For an instant upgrade that you don't need any qualifications to install, look for a plug-in wall light. We love this peppy orange number from habitat. The industrial design and bold Edison bulb will add a vintage feel to your boudoir and it'll take mere minutes to install. Plus, at £14, it's a total steal.
Give a nod to the past by installing some ceiling coving. You can keep the project affordable by opting for simple pine moulding, which starts at around £4.50 per metre, and then painting it yourself. Once you've measured and cut, you'll simply need to fix in place with screws, nails or adhesive (use whatever you've got on hand to keep costs down). This is a fabulous project for formal areas, like a dining room or grown-up living space.
Jazz up the entrance to your home with a modern house number sticker. These nifty designs are created to be used above a door, a fanlight or in a glazed front door. The no-nonsense approach means all you have to do is measure, order, peel and stick. And then your postman will never have to double-check again. Cost for a 100cm x 50cm pane is £24.50.
If your fence is looking a bit tired, this rainbow approach will liven it up. We loved the pastel hues here, but feel free to adopt a bolder spectrum of colours or stick to one hue and vary from pale to dark for an ombre effect. Provided you've already got your fence installed, all you'll need for this is an array of tester wood paint pots in your chosen shades, a paintbrush and a serious dose of patience.
The winter months are the perfect time to install some outdoor lighting. Not only will it make your exterior space look whimsical from 4pm onwards, but it'll be there ready for you to enjoy when the warmer nights (finally) roll around again. You could start small with a string of fairy lights: these ones are £12.99, and build up from there. We love the festoon lighting (£27.99) and the Moroccan lantern (£39.99).
Up your kerb appeal and plant some window boxes. While traditionally associated with spring (we do love a daffodil-heavy display), you can plant these cheerful boxes up year-round. Just check out this gorgeous, moody autumnal version from Kelly over at The Lilypad Cottage. How dramatic do the cabbages look? Pick foliage and flowers in shades to match your exterior, or add functionality and plant some herbs.
Most of us aren't blessed with a large entranceway, so we need to make the space we do have pack a punch. Enter: IKEA’s slim shoe storage systems. They start from just £22 and are open to endless hacks. We love the addition of the wooden shelf, as seen in blogger Julie's project. Complete with a mirror, it makes the perfect slim console space to store letters and keys. She also added custom leather pulls to the drawers, which lends the end result a luxe finish.
Low on cabinet space? Install a wall-mounted rack underneath a cupboard and use s-hooks to display your favourite mugs. We love this utility-style rack (£49) from Cult Furniture, which will transform the experience of brewing your morning coffee. You can even buy a cheaper one and upgrade it with spray paint.
Speaking of your morning brew, what about creating your very own coffee station? Becki and Chris have dedicated a whole shelf system in their front room to crafting the perfect morning cup of Joe. If you've already got the brewing equipment, all you'll need is a suitable vessel to neatly corral everything. This IKEA unit is out of budget at (£99), but a writing desk or repurposed cabinet could work. Failing that, the legendary Kallax (£25) offers the same basic structure.
Another excellent space-saving hack is this DIY pot rack. We love the placement over the stove, but bigger versions look great over a freestanding island. There are various ways to build your own pot rack, but to complete this project from Simply Summer Morgan, you'll need copper piping (£7 for 2m), wire rope clips (£1 each) and copper s-hooks (£2 each). See the blog post for a detailed tutorial.
Make your house feel more like your home with a gallery wall. It’s the perfect way to display treasured memories, photos of loved ones and your favourite artwork, and with a bit of time, it can be a relatively cheap project to complete. You’ll need to print out your favourite snaps (which costs pennies online) and buy a load of frames (buy in bulk second-hand or head to your local supermarket). One failsafe way to tackle this project is to create paper cut-outs of the frames first and arrange them on the floor before you start banging in nails.
Is your bath looking a bit sorry for itself? Patch up a cracked panel with planks of reclaimed wood. This rustic design would work brilliantly in a cottage style bathroom, (Etsy for £180), if you're handy with woodwork and have some reclaimed wood lying around, it could be an affordable DIY project. Once it's installed, just add candles and plants and you're good to go. Or, rather, relax. See more bathroom upgrades here.
Forget the shrill, peace-wrecking sound of the modern doorbell and make a good first impression with a brand-new door knocker. Most knockers come with the fittings required, you'll just need a drill to affix it in place.
Draw attention to an original fireplace by giving it a mini makeover, like blogger Emily did in her office at her Edwardian home in South East London. We love the fresh white paint and decorative styling which make it the focus of the room, but especially swoon-worthy is the pink Pradena tiles by Bert & May. At £5.50 a tile these may be too expensive for a whole room, but just sticking to a hearth-size space makes them much more affordable.
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