Written by Catherine Seagrave

Interior Designers are a bit like magpies. We are drawn to all things pretty, shiny and aesthetically pleasing in all manner of unlikely places. We make a visual note and store it away to be used again at the right time. And it’s our homes that become the places that we like to experiment and tinker with the ideas to see how we can use and adapt them - sometimes with more or less success!

But when it does work, it’s the design magic that other people often envy. They assume the warmth and style must come from expensive items, when in reality it’s more about a few tried and tested ideas put together well. Elevating your home style can be surprisingly attainable when you know a few tricks of the trade. Here we share 10 affordable ideas for you to try that have worked for us in our homes.

1. Use lots of lighting

To get that interior design magic, you really can’t overlook lighting. It is the key to creating a warm and inviting space. One central pendant is not enough in a room - you need at least 2-4 other light sources for it to feel cosy. This could be floor lamps, table lamps or wall lights. You want to create pockets of warm light around the room to set the mood and add style to your room. Lighting can be expensive, but don’t let that put you off. There are many places that offer very affordable options - try Dunelm, B & Q and Robert Dyas for some great table lamps.

2. Replace your cushion pads

This is always a favourite tip of ours and makes such a difference to the look of your cushions! Flat and saggy looking cushions with lifeless polyester pads really do nothing for your sofa. Swap it out for a new duck feather alternative and your cushions will have a whole new lease of life. You can often buy cushions much cheaper with a polyester pad which is great, as you can pick up a feather pad for less than £10 at John Lewis or Dunelm. And ta da, you have a stylish looking cushion for a whole lot less!

Do you struggle to visualise how your room could look? Let us help you, click here.

3. Paper Lantern Shades

For a cheap and stylish update to your ceiling pendant light, we love a paper lantern shade. Once the preserve of all student houses, they are making a comeback and upping the style stakes at the same time. Still maintaining their amazingly low cost (they are paper after all!), they create a great oversized statement in the room. They work with all interior styles and types of home and the soft ambient light they give off makes a room feel cosy and welcoming. For under £40, try H&M and Dunelm for some interesting contemporary options.

Images from left to right: H&M, Dunelm and the lovely #our_rosemont_home, showing off a painted ceiling and a beautiful paper shade!

Have a chat with us and find out how we can help you. Book a discovery call with us today!

4. Something Vintage

We love a bit of vintage in our homes, and will happily while away a few hours rummaging in a charity shop or flea market for that unusual find. There’s something special about mixing a vintage gem with your other newer pieces that makes your home feel instantly unique for no more than a few pounds. Larger pieces like a mid century chair might cost a bob or two, but you’ll be surprised how even mixing in a small medicine bottle, interesting vase or a decorative plate changes the feel of your room. We love to look at Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, Vinterior and any junk shop or charity shop we come across for our next exciting discovery!!

5. Rearrange your room layout

This is a great one as it costs absolutely nothing and can feel like quite a radical makeover! It is one of my favourite things to do in my own home, and I move the living room furniture around several times a year!! Just because you have always had the furniture in a certain place doesn’t mean it has to stay there - or is even in the best arrangement. Try swapping the sofas around or moving the side tables and see how it feels. My recent reshuffle has had me moving furniture between different rooms. A sideboard that has always been in my kitchen is having a stint in my living room, and it feels completely different seeing it from a whole new angle!! Often my motivation for moving the furniture is the seasons. I move furniture away from the walls and the radiators in the winter and towards the fireplace to give a cosy feel, and come the spring I push the sofas back against the walls to give a larger, airier feel. Give it a go - you might find it quite addictive too!!

Are you overwhelmed by the amount of decisions you need to make? We can help with our affordable interior packages - click here.

6. Artwork

The key to good artwork is to make it personal. Pick something that you like and means something to you rather than something to just fill a wall. The Changing Rooms style DIY painted canvases may be a bit naff these days, but if you fancy creating some art for yourself, try framing wallpaper instead. A large piece of interesting wallpaper, framed well, can be a real statement and is less costly (and less of a commitment) than wallpapering a whole wall. 

Art always looks particularly stylish when it is large, rather than lots of smaller pieces dotted around. Either group your smaller pieces together for more impact or look to go large. A cost effective way is to look at wallpaper murals. If you don’t fancy it on the wall, try framing the mural to create a cost effective showstopper. Good places to shop for art are Desenio, Fy, Etsy and WallpaperMural.

7. Dust sheets as curtains

If your windows are looking bare, or in need of a refresh, you might want to consider this - no really! Try using very budget friendly decorators drop cloths (or dust sheets) as the fabric for curtains. The canvas cotton is lightweight and drapes well, and is a great neutral colour. The mid grey beige is such a good colour, Farrow and Ball have even named a paint after it - Drop Cloth. Using a lighter fabric can make your room feel brighter and fresher. Always go for ceiling to floor length curtains for a more designed look, and no one will ever know your stylish new curtains were once decorators dust sheets!

For more tips on curtains, take a look at our blog ‘Hanging curtains? Avoid making these mistakes’.

8. Style your coffee table

Don’t overlook the opportunity to add some pzazz to your coffee table. It’s a great way to layer up the style in a cost effective way. It can draw your attention with some well placed objects - after all it’s right in front of you when you're sitting on the sofa, so ideally you want to be looking at more than the TV remote and a stack of last weekend's newspaper supplements! Adding a tray is a good place to start and helps to group your items. Try adding a small plant, a candle, and a decorative object. A few select books, stacked together gives another way to group the items for an attractive vignette.

9. Large Rugs

Rugs can be expensive and the temptation can be to buy a smaller rug to save money. It can just sit in the middle of the room and it’ll look fine, right? Wrong! This is one area where you really don’t want to skimp. A properly sized rug is the foundation for the room, making it feel well put together. The rug needs to be large enough to go under the legs of the furniture, to stop it feeling like it’s going to float! This is not so much an affordable tip, as a ‘don’t waste your money on the wrong size’ tip. Go as large as you can afford, and if you need some well priced options check out Wayfair and Benuta.

This blog on ‘Choosing the right rug size for your room’ is also a good read before you buy.

10. Paint

Paint is a great inexpensive way to update your room. You don’t have to paint the walls to inject some personality into your home, in fact it is often interesting if you don’t and you look to paint other areas instead. How about painting the ceiling a colour other than white? Look for gentle colours that draw your eye upwards and are softer than harsh white. Or you could look to paint the woodwork, skirtings and architraves a different colour for a modern look. And of course you could paint a piece of furniture that you have fallen out of love with. Frenchic paints are very easy to use with next to no prep work and a professional finish (my kind of paint!). I recently painted an old and very battered toy box black (Loof from their Lazy Range) and have repurposed it as a TV stand. It was very nearly ready for the skip so I’m pleased to have given it a new lease of life. It’s amazing how different a tired piece of furniture looks when you paint it a different, and maybe unexpected colour.

If you are feeling inspired, take a look at how The Living House can help you with all aspects of your interior, offering easy, friendly, and personal interior design help. And as we can shop from anywhere, we can check out our favourite vintage shops along with high street shops to come up with a unique look just for you. You might be surprised at just how affordable our design packages are - starting at only £295! Check out our website www.thelivinghouse.co.uk for more information, and instagram @the_living_house for more inspiration and tips. We’d love to chat to you soon!

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