Designing For Your First Home... And Budget? It's Easier Than You Think!
Decorating Your First Home on a Budget
There’s nothing more exciting than moving into your first home of your own, regardless of whether you choose to buy it or rent it. Having your own space is a wonderful feeling, and that first big empty apartment is like a blank canvas onto which you can inject your own style and personality. Unfortunately the optimism and excitement that comes with that big blank canvas is often accompanied by a distinct lack of dollars in your checking account! So if you’ve got more dash than cash but you’d still like to decorate your first home with style and have it look like a million dollars then here are a few hints and tips for decorating your first home on a budget:
Prioritize and Plan Ahead
When you move into your first home there are some essential things that you can’t avoid having to buy: removal truck hire to get your possessions into your new property, contents insurance to ensure all your belongings are safe and protected, cleaning materials to ensure the new place is scrubbed from top to bottom before you start unpacking those boxes. Once you’ve paid for these essential items it’s time to look at your remaining budget realistically and decide what you can and can’t afford to do. Prioritize the decoration in the rooms that are most important to you and where you will spend most of your time. Most people spend a third of their time at home in their bedroom, so that could be a good place to start. Inject color and personality with bright and bold detailing and buy inexpensive but big impact items such as new bedding, scatter cushions and a soft cozy rug.
It’s Still New to You
No matter whether your budget is tight or not, it makes sense to buy your bigger pieces of furniture second hand. Not only will this save you money when you don’t have much of it, it will also stop you from feeling guilty if you change your mind about a room’s style or color scheme and want to replace all of the furniture. It’s likely that as you’re finding your feet with decorating your own home for the first time, your style will go through several transitional incarnations. Until you settle on the one style you like best and that is likely to stay with you for a significant period of time, therefore, look to cheaper or second hand furniture that you would be happy to pass on when it’s no longer needed. Remember that second hand isn’t second best, and you could end up sourcing a one of a kind piece that you’ll treasure forever.
Make Space For Memories
One of the simplest and most inexpensive ways to make a home feel like your own is to personalize it with your family photos, souvenirs from a cherished vacation and other charms and trinkets that have significance to you. You can use those treasured pictures to great visual effect by creating a picture wall using frames in a range of different sizes and styles: this would make a fantastic focal point for your living room. If you’re crafty (or have any crafty friends of relatives) then you can also give your home the personal touch by undertaking a couple of simple projects: add your initials to your pillowcases or cushion covers using either embroidery or, for those with limited sewing ability, iron on transfers. Personalized touches will immediately inject your home with meaning and love, and although they will take a little time to get right, they won’t cost a lot of money.
Ask For Professional Help
Finally, remember that it’s not as expensive as you might think to hire an interior designer, and a short consultation could help you to refine and focus your style, whilst updating the pieces you already have and giving your home a more polished finish. A designer will be able to look at that old college futon and your stack of books and help you to give them a new lease of life, so don’t overlook the possibility of bringing a professional in to help with your project. Why not get in touch to see what we could do for you today?
Written by Jenni Galbraith
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