Ever get tired of the way your place looks? That song lyric “I sit here staring at the same old walls” comes to mind, especially during the winter – or, lately, during lockdowns and quarantine.
While we should all be grateful to have places to live, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a little variety. My daughter worked at home long before COVID made it commonplace. Stuck in the house pretty much 24/7 due to work, chronic health issues and a now-ex who complicated her life in many ways, Abby had neither the energy nor the finances to change those same old walls.
Until one day she decided to redecorate for free.
All she did was rearrange the living-room furniture and bring in a lamp from elsewhere in the house. The effect? Pretty much a brand-new room, without spending a cent.
The shifted-around couch and chairs made it simpler to move about the room; the new grouping also made it easier to have a conversation. Since the living room is on the north side of the structure and there’s a five-foot wall separating the front door from the front yard, it tends to be dark. The “new” lamp brightened the room during the day and made it easier to read at night.
If you’re in the market for change but can’t afford a major home makeover, then try some minor tactics. As indicated above, this can be as easy as moving things around.
Or as easy as:
Opening a can of paint. A few hours’ worth of masking, rolling and brushing will yield what looks like a completely new space. Check Freecycle, OfferUp or BuyNothing groups in your area to see if anyone has any paint they want to rehome. Or maybe your friends have some leftover paint – put it out in the universe!
A few tips:
You can blend different colors to create custom hues, as long as you don’t mix flat paints or oils with semi-gloss.
Paint dries darker than what you see in front of you.
If your painting gets interrupted, put the brush or roller in a plastic bag in the freezer.
The home makeover, made simple
You could also try:
Repurposing. When I lived in Seattle, I used a patio plant stand as a bathroom towel holder. I set a very small chest of drawers in the apartment’s entryway and used it for things I needed to deal with quickly, such as mail to go out and library books to be returned. What furniture do you have that could use a new job title?
Changing the light. Change out the ceiling fixture globes from room to room. Move a bedside lamp from the guest bedroom into your bedroom. Take the standing floor lamp from the den and put it in the living room. A difference in lighting makes rooms look and feel new.
Trading pieces. Maybe your cousin is tired of that big poufy recliner and would like to try out your wingback chair. Or your bestie wishes aloud that she had a coffee table, just as you were thinking that yours takes up too much space in the living room; ask her if she’d like to swap something, or just give it away and notice the new feeling that results in your less-crowded room.
Editing your look. Start by taking everything off walls and surfaces. Move things from room to room, making sure that nothing goes back to its original place. Aim to do this a couple of times a year, to keep things interesting.
More free tactics
Or why not:
Display differently. If you’ve got groups of curios, break them up; if décor pieces are spread out, group them together. Anything that makes a real statement should be allowed to stand alone; the lack of nearby visual clutter will bring out the item’s unique qualities. And if you have too many accent pieces? Stage a décor trading party with friends.
Have fun with it. Your childhood teddy bear might look great in the corner of the couch. Take the faux flowers out of that vase and fill it with the colorful stones or seashells you’ve collected on vacations. Speaking of which: Consider a “travel table” (or bookcase shelf) to highlight other fun things you have found on trips. Think outside the shadow box!
Re-think your furnishings. A professional organizer once told me that homeowners sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that a room “needs” certain things. The result might be a crowded feel or a cluttered ambiance. That coffee table, for example: Do you ever use it, or did you buy it because you thought you had to? Did you also buy a couch and a loveseat, only to find that they make the room feel squeezed?
Consider each room’s function. If there’s anything in the space that doesn’t support its function, move it out. For example, if you find yourself paying bills and doing taxes at the kitchen table, do you need that big desk in your office? Or move things into a room in order to improve its function. Ever notice how often people hang out in the kitchen? You could put some extra seating in there (maybe that loveseat no one uses anyway), making it a cozy place for family and friends to interact.
Thanks to lockdowns and layoffs, we’ve spent a lot more time at home in the past couple of years than some of us would like. Not everyone can afford to redecorate. But almost anyone can move a few things around.
Readers: Have you changed the look of a room (or more than one room) with low- or no-cost tactics? If so, please share your experiences.
Related reading:
I did this just recently by sewing new throw pillow covers and making a throw for the sofa in our living room, which is more of a nook than a room but tends to a be a bit dark. The fabric came from my stash of bought on clearance upholstery fabrics and fabric from thrift shops and yard sales.
A trick I use a lot for making throw pillow covers is to make the backs of a neutral fabric and use a coordinating colorful fabric on the fronts. It stretches the small amount of fancy fabric I find through second hand souces.
This same trick came in handy for making the sofa throw, which was backed with a thrift shop white flannel sheet with a red and blue tattersall plaid pattern, but the top was a royal blue, black and white cotton bought at a yard sale. Only the royal blue shows on display: the flannel side keeps the user cozy.
I also picked up a small lamp at half-price day at a neighborhood estate sale for the living room ($4, which the sales lady agreed to because the shade was dirty — it cleaned up fine) and used a sample can of paint to freshen up an old trunk we use as an under-window table. For three pillows, the lamp, the throw and the paint, the cost was less than $10 and a few hours of my time to brighten up our little living nook.
That sounds lovely — and so cozy.
A timely post!
I Had been wanting to remove the wallpaper in my kitchen to give it a new look. After much thought, (and a few inquiries as to “how”) I decided to tackle the job myself rather than pay someone, I found it very soothing work – not hard at all – perhaps because said wallpaper had been up 20 years!
I received some FREE leftover paint from my Stepmom (we had just painted a room in her house as a Christmas gift so she wouldn’t have to hire someone), because I was not particular about color, just knew I wanted some version of white. I am now watching you tube videos on installing peel & stick backsplash, as I intend to finish this job without hiring anyone!
Sounds like an entry into the no/low-spend February column.
I’ve been doing a few things along these lines during days this winter when the temp hasn’t gotten out of single digits and I’ve been staying inside (Alaskans, please don’t laugh). For instance, I’ve been rearranging the remaining books after selling/otherwise disposing of a good many, and moving some of DH’s curios up from the basement into a couple of the vacant bookcases. (And if nothing else, I’ve been getting some furniture dusted this way for the first time in years!)
I don’t like to paint (I think because I’m a perfectionist) but will do it when I have to. I do like to change up paintings, wall hangings, meaningful knickknacks (mostly gifts from family), bedspreads, throws (love the afghan my grandmother made circa 1970?), tablecloths, table runners and curtains from room to room to give everything a fresh look. These are all things I own. I can’t remember the last time I bought something new from the above mentioned list. Heck, I still use my great grandmother’s tablecloth and she died in 1968. I love to use things that belonged to family. I also like to know they are being used and new products are not being made to replace them.
I apply this to most aspects of frugality: using what I have, re-using certain items (plastic bags et al.), giving non-recyclable things one last shot at usefulness before they hit the landfill, turning veg scraps into broth instead of buying cans of the stuff, etc. etc.
And using things family members used does give me that feeling of connection. My grandmother’s cake tin is sitting on the butcher block worktable, covering one of those sour cream chocolate cakes. And instead of sour cream, I used yogurt starter that had become infected with wild yeast, as in this article:
https://donnafreedman.com/eat-cake/
I love your grandmother’s cake cover. I remember my mother having a similar one. Thanks for the cake recipe also…looks delicious! We’ve also fallen in love with Rustic Bread. Whoever knew homemade bread would be so easy to make?
The bread is a game-changer. DF makes it two or three times a week. Pro tip: An electric knife is also a game-changer.
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
My houseguest is an artist! She brought several pieces of pottery and sculpture which we have distributed around the house. I put my decorative pieces in plastic tubs to display when she leaves. A new look for my house for zero cents.
I do not sew except for mending, so I don’t recover throw pillows. Instead, I have two sets–cold weather and warm weather. Switching them out works for me. I only own 5 of them, the fifth for my bed which I do not switch. I like it.
I won a beautiful small quilt at a church raffle, and I knit a wool throw with yarn on sale. So those get switched seasonally also.
Abby is spot on. Rearrange lamps, rugs, pictures, etc. for fun and see what you get.
I eschew loud paint colors in favor of neutrals. Then I use color around the room wherever I can. I have a gorgeous home, a small cottage, but I get whatever I like. I do not follow trends.
Clutter is at a minimum and clean rules the roost. I use the in and out rule. If I buy something (which is almost never), something has to go. As I love my home, I hardly ever need to replace anything. I bought quality pieces that have served me well.
Again I give Abby credit, because lighting is crucial. Good for her.
Trends, schmends. Do what you like.
DF’s mom has the one-in, two-out rule. The woman is ruthless.
I was deemed an essential worker at the start of all this and still get stir crazy even though I don’t want to do much when I’m off so I stay home. I’ve rearrange my room now for the third time and think I’ve finally settled on how l would like to keep it for a while. It definitely give you a new perspective to see the things you already have and love in a new spot.
Absolutely! When certain things fade into the background, putting them elsewhere makes them more noticeable.
It sure does! I’m glad I did it because now I love the set up and it feels fresh.
Since the world went sideways, I started joining zoom events where an artist walks everyone through completing a painting. For over a year, I would set up my easel and paints on my kitchen table, and then when finished, have to put everything away.
Last year, I decided to turn my kitchen table 90 degrees so that it sticks out *lengthwise* from the wall – I’d never contemplated doing such a thing – and made myself a little “art” nook in the corner using the “back” half of the table – complete with big 27 inch monitor and laptop set up for zoom calls – but leaving myself the end for kitchen prep and other more “normal” kitchen table things.
It’s been wonderful to have a dedicated space for my painting – and not have to hide everything away all the time. It’s not a traditional use of a kitchen table – but I live on my own and I get to decide how to use my space!
I expect it’s also fun to see the progress on your artworks every time you walk into the kitchen.
And you’re right: It’s your space. Live in it the way you choose.
Free decorating is my forte. Two examples: When I moved from a (leased) townhouse to a “regular” house (that I bought), I took the bathroom spacesaver — wooden cabinet that has 2 long sides (legs) that straddle the back of the toilet — and made it into a built-in cabinet for the third (half-)bathroom. By this time, the thrice-used spacesaver had started to get warped legs and it was a wonder that it stood up as long as it did. Meanwhile, I had bought an entertainment center off of craigslist and the thing was missing some knobs. But it had some darling hardware that went in back of the knobs. I bought new knobs for the entertainment center from Habitat Re-Store — heavy brass knobs priced at a dime apiece. The hardware backing was not needed, so it was transferred to the doors of the spacesaver cabinet, in back of the spacesaver’s original knobs. I just needed some slightly longer screws to hold it on, and I used the plastic dealies that hold down Walmart Mainstay wall clocks in their cardboard packages as the backing for the screws. Both pieces of furniture look a lot more expensive than they originally were. Later, when my BFF from second grade moved into my house, we needed more kitchen storage — and the entertainment center was moved to the eat-in kitchen area. We just snagged some square wicker baskets (trash picked –left at the curb) to put on the entertainment center’s shelves and we store canned goods in those. Roomie had a waist-high mini-fridge and it fits great on the center part designed for a TV; even better, we don’t have to crouch down to the floor to get a soda pop out of the mini-fridge. From curtains to light fixtures, my whole house contains dozens of examples of “free decorating.” You just have to use your imagination and figure out what works!