Homes That Look Like a Million Bucks but Don’t Cost so Much
Certainly, if you’ve got an endless budget, you can make any property look any way you like. Most people can’t do that. For the rest of us, the way to make where we live seem stylish is through strategy. Following are five easy ways you can decorate your home so it looks like a million bucks without costing a fraction of that sum.
1. Mirrors: $7 Per Mirror at Walmart – Make Shapes on Walls
Full-Length mirrors, about four feet long by a foot wide, and silhouetted in white trim, are available at Walmart nationwide for $7 a piece. Some even come in different colors. For $28 plus tax, you can get four of them and mount them in a square around a picture on one of your walls. It will look extremely stylish and cost next to nothing.
2. Do You Paint? Make a Wall Mural in a Bathroom
If you’re someone who can draw well enough that your work looks professional, you might stencil a design in a room like the bathroom, then fill it in with colors that match your home’s décor. Such artistry is non-fungible; it can’t be replaced. If you do a good job, it may add property value to your home, and the only money you’re out is the cost of paint supplies and whatever your time is worth.
3. Flowers, Flowers Everywhere
Another easy, cost-effective, and considerably worthwhile way to make your house feel like a home is to place flower arrangements in key areas. The kitchen table, near the front door, near the back door, in the living room, and in the dining room are notable areas where this tends to be aesthetically pleasing for most households.
4. Color-Changing LED Lights
LEDs that can be controlled from your smartphone are available, and they can make a whole room feel different. True, such LED lightbulbs tend to be between $12 and $30 per bulb, depending on where you buy; but they’re worth it, and they’re pretty cost-effective even at those prices, when you consider the aesthetic benefit.
5. Couches and Throw Blankets
Our parents and grandparents would leave the couch shrink-wrapped in plastic so it never was compromised by stains or anything like that. Maybe that’s a good way to preserve furniture, but it’s a bad way to decorate the living room. You need to be able to use the couch.
A much better solution is getting a variety of super-soft throw blankets which match the décor of the room where the couch or loveseat is. Drape the couch in a handful of them. You want different sizes, because if you sit on the couch with a large throw, your weight will pull it down. With a bunch of small ones, style remains, and you can use them for warmth as necessary.
A Stylish Home You Can Afford
There are lots of ways to be stylish on a budget. We’ve explored five methods here, including throw blankets for couches, color-changing LEDs, floral arrangements, hand-painted murals, and positioning cheap mirrors in aesthetically interesting ways.
