Transform unsightly areas in your residence with these 46 remedies
Transform Your Home on a Budget: Affordable Hacks for a Stylish Living Space
By Natalie Brown, BuzzFeed Staff Member
Are you tired of living with a cluttered and outdated home interior? Fear not! With these practical and affordable hacks, you can declutter and update your living space effortlessly.
Declutter and Organize
Snap-tight boxes and zipper bags are your new best friends for keeping small items tidy and protected. Use them in drawers, closets, and pantries to categorize and seal items, reducing mess and protecting them from dust or damage. They stack easily, making use of vertical space inside cabinets and shelves, maximizing storage without adding bulk.
Refresh and Update
Touch-up paint is a cost-effective way to freshen walls and furniture, covering dents, scratches, or marks to instantly improve the aesthetic without a full repaint. Keep samples matching your main wall colors handy for quick fixes, especially in high-traffic areas like hallways and living rooms.
Decorative storage solutions such as floating shelves, stackable cubes, and multipurpose furniture (ottomans, coffee tables with storage) combine style with function. These options help hide clutter while adding design elements to your interior, keeping items organized and rooms looking spacious and curated.
Add Style and Function
Use wall-mounted hooks and corner shelves to keep accessories and small items off surfaces and floors, freeing up space and creating visual interest.
Repurpose furniture you already own into storage units or display pieces instead of buying new, saving money and reducing waste.
Prioritize sorting and downsizing before organizing, donating or selling unused items to avoid clutter accumulation and generate funds for small updates like paint or storage purchases.
Upgrade and Modernize
Self-adhesive marble film can update countertops requiring careful measuring, cutting, and laying. Decorative air vent covers can replace rusty, dusty, boring standard air vent wall registers. Cabinet and drawer pull handles can be swapped out with handles of the same length and same holes, requiring only a screwdriver.
A shoe cabinet can store shoes, providing a better alternative to an ever-growing pile near the back door. Carriage-style magnets can update the appearance of a garage door. An under-cabinet organizer can empty a drawer and safely store hot tools.
A wipe-on finish restorer can rejuvenate beat-up or water-stained furniture and other wood. A privacy screen can block utility boxes, trash cans, or other items that need to be accessed regularly but are unsightly.
A compost bin can be kept on the kitchen counter to temporarily store used coffee grounds, banana peels, and apple cores. Metal-look spray paint can refresh metal fixtures, making them look completely new in just an hour or two. A water-stain erasing cloth can remove water stains from wood furniture.
Save Money and Simplify
Foaming dispensers can be used instead of hand soap pumps, using less soap per pump and saving money on soap refills. A coat of primer can be applied to brighten up a dingy brick garage over a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Old throw pillows can be recovered with soft velvet shams for a cheaper alternative to buying new cushions. A countertop basket can store small items used in the kitchen or bathroom daily, hiding them while keeping them accessible.
A tub-and-tile refinishing kit can be used to upgrade an old bathtub, shower, or sink temporarily. A macrame hanging can be used to camouflage a hideous buzzer or interior fuse box. Ceiling-mount shelves can be used for seasonal storage in the garage, freeing up floor space.
Make a Statement
A standout print rug can bring wow factor to any neglected area inside or outside the home. A ready-to-hang gallery wall frame set can help dress up a blah hallway with minimal effort. A magnetic wood frame can be used to hide a box behind a favorite tea towel.
A simple log store can organize a wood pile, making it look tidy while allowing it to breathe. A collapsible storage ottoman can serve as a place to perch tired feet after the kids have gone to bed, while also hiding toys and other clutter.
A slide-out trash can can be installed in a lower cabinet, hiding the stinkiest refuse and making the kitchen look cleaner. A power cord box can be used to shelter a tangled power strip, keeping it organized and out of sight.
Faux ivy can be hung to conceal an ugly railing or wire fence, create a little extra privacy, and block a view. Pouring off-brand liquor into a glass decanter can help hide the fact that it's not top-shelf. Wood beaded garlands with clothespins can be used to hang kiddo's art work in their playroom, creating an easy-to-swap gallery wall.
Stainless-steel-effect contact paper can modernize circa-1990s appliances for less than the cost of dinner for two. A gold leafing kit can be used to cover eyesores with real metal, transforming their aesthetic.
With these affordable hacks, you can streamline your home’s organization and update its look with minimal expense, making your living space feel more comfortable and stylish.
Decorate your home-and-garden space by adding a standout print rug to release a wow factor in any neglected area.Refreshing the home-and-garden aesthetic can be achieved with decorative storage solutions such as floating shelves, stackable cubes, and multipurpose furniture.
