Your home is your sanctuary, and how you decorate it can make a big difference to how you feel. Colour can have a big impact, setting the mood to relax and unwind or give you energy. The good news is achieving a beautiful space needn’t cost a lot, it’s possible to create a bright and colourful home whatever your budget. By adding a few creative pops of colour, you can refresh your space without the need for a full makeover.
Art, accessories, textiles and lighting are a great place to start, as well as adding some plants to breathe fresh air into your space. If you still feel like your home needs a little something, then putting on your coveralls and getting out your paintbrush could be the change you need.
Let’s take a look at how a few simple and budget-friendly changes can totally transform your home!
Create colour accents with art and accessories
Art and accessories are an easy and affordable way to express your personality and add colour into any living space. Take the time to find some unique pieces that truly express who you are and what you love, exploring places like local markets and thrift stores. Digital prints from online platforms can also be framed to make your space your own—you can even thrift your frames to get more of an eclectic look. By choosing quality pieces that you not only love, but will last, you’ll save money having to redecorate again down the track.
How you style your pieces can also make a big difference, especially when making new pieces work with what you already have. Consider mixing up the sizes, working with both big and small pieces of art or accessories, even creating an art wall to incorporate all your favourite pieces.
You can also find art in unexpected places. Make your kitchen pop by displaying your crockery, choosing colourful appliances, and storing things like reusable bottles and stylish food containers out on the counter.
Style with plants for living colour
Plants literally breathe life into our living spaces. Aside from improving air quality, house plants can add splashes of colour to bring the outdoors in. And depending where you go, they can be affordable too. As many plants can be grown from cuttings, scout out the neighbours or your friends for plants they’d like to share. You can also grow plants from seed, giving you endless options if you have the patience!
Even if you don’t call yourself a green thumb, there are some great low-maintenance plants that anyone can keep alive and will work in any space. Spider plants, snake plants, prayer plants and bromeliads are all very easy to maintain and don’t need much natural light either. In particular, the bromeliad has beautiful foliage to take that pop of colour to the next level. It also grows side shoots that you can dig up and replant, ensuring your colour lasts for years to come. Remember, you can also use colourful pots and planters to further add to your colour scheme, or incorporate hanging pots for some interesting visual elements. Add in some fresh flowers from the garden for a last pop of colour and you’re good to go!
Add colour with creative lighting
Lighting is an important element in any home and can completely change the feel of a space. Switching out your lighting to create ambiance and add colour to a space can also be incredibly affordable, whether it’s simply swapping out your lampshades for new colours or trying out some DIY lanterns. Fairy lights can also add a cosy feel to a room, making the low-level lighting perfect for curling up with a tea or coffee in your favourite reusable cup.
Where you place your lighting can make a big impact too. Overhead lighting can often be harsh and overstimulating, especially when you’re winding down for the evening. So placing some lamps around the room will give you more control over where you want and need light.
The magic of textiles: A low-cost colour pop
Another great way to create colourful spaces on a budget is through strategic placement of textiles, like cushions, rugs and throws. These not only help you add colour, but also texture, drawing attention to certain areas (and away from others) easily by making them a focal point. Plus, they’re easy to store and pack away, so you can swap them out to suit the season or your mood. You can even have a few holiday-themed looks at the ready for when the season rolls around!
When choosing textiles for your home, consider what will complement your existing decor. Whether you choose contrasting colours or stick to a theme is up to you. You can also use different elements to tie everything together, such as pops of blues in a rug to highlight the blues in your favourite piece of art.
Embrace the power of paint
Painting is an easy and affordable way to make a big impact on the way your living space looks and feels. When choosing paint, consider the size of the space and the way you’d like it to look, whether that’s bigger, cosier, or adding a feature wall as a focal point. If you have a smaller space you want to feel bigger, white will always do the trick, but so can a nice soft black, cool grey, or blush pink.
A good way to save on painting projects is to think about what other painting jobs you have around the house. If you feel like your bathroom, kitchen, bedroom or other living spaces could use a makeover, consider what colours may work best to save you wasting any paint.
There’s nothing quite like giving your living space a makeover to make your home feel brand new. With these tips for creating colourful spaces on a budget, you can inject personality and uniqueness into your home, making it your dream home with just a few simple changes.
