When house prices are skyrocketing, forking out the rest of your meagre savings for an interior makeover is often a bridge too far.
Styling your home on a tight budget is not an easy task – but using the right tips and tricks can turn low-cost into luxury.
Christine Gough, design leader for IKEA Australia, shared her expertise with My Domaine on how decorate your home for less this summer.
Styling your home on a tight budget is not an easy task – but the right tips and tricks can turn low-cost into luxury
Christine Gough, design leader for IKEA Australia, shared her expertise with My Domaine on how decorate your home for less this summer (Left is IKEA plants from $15.99 and $5 Kmart plant pots right)
Being mindful of a room’s function and utilising every inch of space will steer you towards simplicity, Christine advised.
By creating a list of necessities before styling a room will help you to avoid spending cash on useless, expensive items and to stay on-budget.
Christine also recommends re-working your existing furnishings or adding a new personality to old items if money is especially tight.
Something as simple as a $15 MYRHEDEN frame which can be used to add character to a wall with photos, lights or little trinkets is a cheap but stylish addition to a room.
Once a budget has been determined, Christine suggests identifying priority pieces before using the left over cash for extra furnishings and decorations.
By creating a list of necessities before styling a room will help you to avoid spending cash on useless, expensive items and to stay on-budget (Pictured left is one-seat Karlstad sofa – two seater is $365, and right is $599 from Lounge Lovers)
Christine also recommends re-working your existing furnishings or adding a new personality to old items if money is especially tight
Once a budget has been determined, Christine suggests identifying priority pieces before using the left over cash for extra furnishings and decorations
The bed pictured left is available in IKEA for $249, and pictured right is a $1069 bed frame from furniture company Snooze in Australia
A surefire way to stay frugal while picking out items is to stick to a three-tone colour palette for each room.
According to the IKEA expert, limiting the colours to three will create a cohesive look and makes the room look far less cluttered.
And popping in a splash of texture to the space – such as a soft pattern or material like rattan – will add warmth and character too.
Christine says blue is the most on-trend hue for the perfect summer look.
‘Shades of blue such as indigo and denim can act as a baseline for other colour accents and is often a natural palette contrast for light and shadow,’ she told the publication.
A surefire way to stay frugal while picking out items is to stick to a three-tone colour palette for each room
Popping in a splash of texture to the space – such as a soft pattern or material like rattan – will add warmth and character too
The sofa bed pictured left is $749 from IKEA, and pictured right is a $2399 white leather sofa bed from Freedom
When a room’s main colouring has been decided Christine also suggests purchasing a few textured statement pieces which are both timeless and can work to liven up a space
When a room’s main colouring has been decided Christine also suggests purchasing a few textured statement pieces which are both timeless and can work to liven up a space.
‘Natural materials like juke or rattan create raw, lightweight, and crisp textures within your space, and help unite your colour palette and patterns. By using neutral colours as a base, your space will feel more open,’ she said.
Other budget pieces found in IKEA loved by the experts includes a $5 fleece throw for a sofa, a $30 blue velvet cushion and a $59 banana fibre stool.