Do you sometimes find yourself looking around your space, wishing you had a few extra thousand dollars for new furniture, paint, lighting, and accessories? Hopefully someday that will happen for you (and me!) but in the meantime, what can you do? Well, plenty, actually. Just in time for the weekend, I give you…
5 Ways to Refresh and Renew Your Home’s Decor…for Free!
In just a few hours, or a weekend, if you take a few breaks for soccer games, laundry, and the other details of real life, you can refresh your space with absolutely no money. Here’s how:
1. Open the Windows
Depending on the time of year you may not want to actually open the windows, but definitely open the blinds or shades and let in as much light as possible. You’d be surprised what light will do for your mood, and for your decor.
Yes, you can probably see your surroundings just as well with the windows darkened and the lights on, but there is really no substitute for natural sunlight. Take a few moments to go around the house and open up all the curtains, and maybe even the windows themselves to let in some fresh air. Take a deep breath, and get ready for the next step.
2. De-Clutter
Alright, you knew it was going to come down to this sooner or later, right? After you’ve lived in a space for a while, things have a tendency to accumulate. As items come to us (gifts, books, papers, trinkets, letters, magazines, etc.) we usually find it much easier to find a place for them, rather than taking the time to decide if they are worth keeping, and if so, what else is ready to go away.
Now is that time. You may find it easier to do this with one small space at a time, and it may be unrealistic to do it all in one weekend, but just decide which area you are going to deal with and go for it. Even de-cluttering a bookshelf can give the whole room a new feel.
A peek at one of the more uncluttered corners of my office.
Here’s my favorite tip for de-cluttering: Organize a swap with friends. The idea is to clear out the decorative things that may no longer suit you and ask if any of your friends are ready to do the same. (Sort of like a garage sale, but without all the work.) Get together, bring all your things, and see if anyone else could use them. You may find a whole treasure trove of decor this way, all for free! Plus, it gives you incentive to let go of a few things, knowing they’ll go to a good home.
Even if you don’t swap with your friends, you can try using your own decor in different rooms for a new look, as long as it doesn’t just add to the clutter there!
3. Rearrange
When I was in college and had no money, my roommate and I spent many a happy Saturday rearranging the furniture. Well, it made me happy. I’m not so sure she’d agree, but she sure was a good sport. It beat studying anyway, and when we were done, we’d feel like we had a whole new room. Our dorm rooms were tiny, and I’m pretty sure we came up with more creative ways of rearranging two beds, two desks, and two dressers than anyone in the history of the school.
*If you don’t have a willing roommate handy, invest less than $10 in a set of furniture sliders. They really work!
You may look at your bedroom or living room, sure that there is no other way of rearranging that furniture. My first question would be, do you need all that furniture? You may find that you can let go of a piece or two that aren’t really earning their keep. If you don’t want to actually get rid of a piece, try it in a different room. Then you’ve redecorated two spaces at once!
Secondly, if you can’t imagine how else you would arrange the furniture, try just flip-flopping everything. You’d be surprised what a difference that can make, and sometimes just getting out of your rut can open your eyes to new options and possibilities.
Finally, if your furniture is against all the walls, try pulling some pieces out into the center of the room. “Floating” a seating area gives the room a whole different feel.
4. Clean (Just a Little!)
Now, y’all who know me by now know that I hate to clean. I cringe a little to have to add this to the list, but it really does make a difference. And just think, if you love to clean, you probably are already doing these steps. For those of you who are rolling your eyes at me, let me give you a short list of cleaning “cheats” that will make you feel better about your home, without getting dragged into an all-day cleaning session. (I can think of no more profound waste of a Saturday!)
- Make the beds.
- Fluff the sofa pillows and fold or tuck any throw blankets.
- Stack the magazines/books on the coffee table. Corral small items in a tray.
- Pick up (and put away) everything off the floor that is not actual furniture.
- In the kitchen, do the dishes and put everything away. Aim for as much empty counter top space as possible.
- Wipe hard surfaces with a clean damp rag, to make everything look fresh.
- Light a candle!
See how shiny and clean everything looks, and smells?
5. Raid the Garden
Regardless of the time of year, you probably have something nearby on the other side of your walls that would add a nice natural touch to your home decor. In spring, it could be lovely flowers for a fresh table arrangement. In fall, perhaps you can collect leaves to scatter artfully on the center of a coffee table or in a wide bowl. Wintertime branches can make a lovely clean arrangement to freshen up your space without even using color. Even a large mason jar of sand or rocks (yes, I live in the desert) could be part of a table centerpiece of collected items. Use your imagination and think outside the box, or house.
It’s not rocket science, I’ll admit, but with these few changes, I promise you’ll feel a bit better about your space. And think of all the money you saved by doing these projects rather than going out shopping, which can now go into your savings account for the big remodel budget!
Have any other ideas for refreshing/redecorating with no budget? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below so we can all benefit from your ideas too.
*This post contains affiliate links,
Paul Graham says
Great advice on creating a fresh look without a budget Meredith.. If you were staging a home to sell it these steps would create the best impression for a potential buyer so they
make sense to create a new look for yourself
Meredith says
Thanks Paul! You are right, these are perfect for staging a house. As a decorator, that’s my favorite job, so it makes sense it would spill over into my blog. 🙂
normaleverydaylife says
Great tips! I do all of these except raid the nonexistent garden 🙂 Lots of times I want a change and these prevent me from spending too much money!
Meredith says
Thanks! I know, a garden isn’t something everyone has access to. Oh well, maybe check your grocery store floral area for clearance bouquets. That’s what I usually do when I want to treat myself to fresh flowers…
William Rusho says
Good ideas and free. I like things that do not cost much.
Meredith says
Thanks! I’m all about free and cheap!
Susan Cooper/findingourwaynow.com says
I love this. It’s just in time for my reorganizing and now decluttering. The candle idea is a nice touch and it really goes a long way to bright and refresh a space, especially after decluttering, rearranging and cleaning.
BTW: I got the supply to fix my office board but haven’t yet created it. I’ll keep you posted.
Meredith says
Susan, you are an inspiration! Hang in there… And light a candle instead of cleaning. 🙂
jacquiegum says
Wonderful ideas! Even as neat as tend to be, I find after a period of time that some spaces appear cluttered. The sense of satisfaction I get after de-cluttering makes me feel as though I am in a new or updated space. I never thought of it as a no decorating budget, but now that you brought it to my attention…that’s exactly how it feels!
Meredith says
Thanks Jacquie! It’s like getting a brand new space…sort of. 🙂
Tim says
Clever common sense ideas. Open the doors and windows and get some fresh air is something my mum would always say. Even when it was cold out she would always have the windows and doors open. Flowers are a must in any home; bring a little life inside. I find a lot of comfort and pleasure in having a tidy house with a fresh feel. Can’t imagine why anyone would feel differently.
Meredith says
I agree Tim, even though sometimes it’s easier said than done. Thanks for your comment!
Jeri Walker-Bickett (@JeriWB) says
I’m definitely one for raiding the garden. I’m working my way through my last bunch of cut tulips just now that I cut. I also have rocks in jars and rocks on my shelves. I take a rock with me from almost anyplace I visit. Just recently, I put seashells and some sea twigs in a glass vase too. My jar of sand from the Salmon River broke though and that was messy. If I still lived close to the ocean, I’m sure I’d be working on my second jar of seashells as well.
Meredith says
I love tulips! I think there’s something special about them because they’re one of the first flowers to show up in the spring, braving the weather.
Lenie says
Meredith, you have no idea how much I love your posts and how often I leave thinking I’m going to do that or at least a variation of it. You’re so creative – I’m more practical but love stealing creative ideas for practical purposes. We’d make a great team.
Lenie
Meredith says
Thank you Lenie, that’s so encouraging! I agree we’d make a great team, we’ll have to figure out how to do a project “together” some day.
H says
Great ideas! Thank you for stopping by and commenting on my beverage tags!
Heather says
I hit enter too quickly above! Thanks again Meredith!
Meredith says
I know what that’s like, Heather! Thanks for commenting…and persevering. 🙂
William Butler says
Hi Meredith,
We like to keep life interesting. We open the windows every day to see and hear the nature around us, to draw in the fresh air, and as you’ve said to let the light in. Once in a very long while we will rearrange the furniture. I think decluttering is always a healthy thing to do as it helps keep organized and allows you to reevaluate what is important.
Nice post! Have a great week!
Meredith says
Thanks Bill, I agree it’s important to reevaluate every once in a while. Not much fun, but worth it in the end!
tuhinmech says
While reading this piece, I looked around my room and seriously found out some key areas to focus! A lot of useful space is lying occupied with unnecessary things. Will discuss with my mom and try to implement your ideas in my den! 🙂
Meredith says
I love how you put that – useful space lying occupied with unnecessary things. That’s a great way of describing clutter. I may have to borrow that phrase from you! 🙂
tuhinmech says
It will be my pleasure, Meredith, if you borrow the phrase.. 🙂
A.K.Andrew @artyyah says
Fantastic advice Meredith & all things we just assume either have to stay the same or we take for granted. I like using things from outside that are not necessarily flowers. Feels good to find beauty in simple things such as stones. An excellent post. Thankyou 🙂
Meredith says
Thanks A.K! I agree, sometimes the simplest things can be the most beautiful.
Ilaria says
I think cleaning is one of the most important parts! I will add rearranging your wardrobe and ordering your clothes by colour.. doing this I found lots of clothes I did not remember I have! 🙂
Meredith says
Yes! I think that redoing my closet should be next on my list…
Anna Khan says
Great tips to give a new look to home.
A lot of things gather at my home and sometimes I just throw them away now I will try to organize them and about keeping the windows open , I am mad about this. Right now the temperature is 41 degrees and I have kept my windows open , even though its night , I close when I sleep. I open when I get up . Sometimes when it is dust storm , I am dying to open windows. This really change the mood. AT times I turn on air conditioner and still my window of room is open..
Meredith says
Thanks! Yes, there’s just something about having fresh air and light in your home.
Tara says
Great Ideas!
Meredith says
Thanks!
Erlene says
Great tips and I agree…opening up the windows make such a huge difference. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.
Meredith says
Thanks, and thanks for stopping by!
Christina says
The furniture sliders are a life saver. I was just admiring lilacs on a walk, it’s too bad they were in someone else’s yard. Otherwise they’d be in a vase right now .
Meredith says
You just gave me a good laugh at the mental image of all my readers sneaking into their neighbors’ yards to pilfer lilacs!
jbutler1914 says
Excellent tips. I am about to do some cleaning this weekend to get my space looking better.
Meredith says
Thanks! It always feels good once it’s done. 🙂
Suzanne Fluhr (Boomeresque) says
Whenever I want to declutter and clean, I invite people over for dinner (preferably people I am trying to impress—i.e. my husband’s colleagues). The fear of being perceived as a total slob with no design sense is enough to get me to spruce up the place—-including opening some windows when the weather permits.
Meredith says
Yes! I always joke with my husband when we’re scurrying around trying to get ready for a party, that if we never had friends over we’d never have a clean house!
Natasha In Oz says
Great tips here. I’ve just pinned this and given your post a +1!
Thanks for sharing at the Say G’day Saturday linky party.
Best wishes and hope you can join in again this weekend.
Natasha in Oz
Meredith says
Thank you Natasha! I’ll be there!
Tammy says
These are wonderful suggestions. I love moving my furniture around. Looks like a new room. Thanks for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I’ve pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board
Meredith says
Thank you Tammy!