6 Pocket-Friendly Ways to Renovate Home on Budget

When we set out to buy an apartment or a flat, we dream of transforming the house into a home for us, our families, and our loved ones. This evolution of a residential apartment into a safe haven that provides love, security, and joy to the family comes with making it a warm, liveable place. This is precisely what we look for in home interiors – a beautiful yet lived-in feel.

The one thing that we must keep in mind when setting out to get the interiors done is that you don’t want to be stuck with one look forever. As your aesthetic sensibilities evolve, children grow up, and as you develop new passions and hobbies and make new memories, you will want to renovate and remodel your home. And preferably without breaking the bank.

So, let’s look at some pocket-friendly ways to renovate your home on a budget.

1. Lighting is king – If there is one single element that can transform the way your home looks without costing a bomb, lighting has to be it. Look for glass lanterns, votives, table lamps, LED fixtures, and even string lights that can completely give your living room or bedroom a new look. One good way of doing this is to explore the local bazaars and flea markets. You can find excellent products at a fraction of the cost you would spend in an upscale showroom.

2. Beauty with a personal touch – Expensive décor items, art, and crystal ware can be major money guzzlers. One of the major mistakes many homeowners make is believing that beautiful interiors must be trendy. Your home is a reflection of your personality, and trends are often fleeting. Adding a bookshelf of your favourite reads, placing large green plants in the corners, and doing up the accent wall with cherished family pictures is not just acceptable, it is preferable. The highlight of your children’s room could be a shelf of their certificates and trophies. This is what makes your home your own space, and what’s more, it doesn’t cost much.

3. Recycling and upscaling – What do you do with the old floorboards you want to replace with tiles? That large steel trunk you have been meaning to get rid of? Those large planters that no longer seem to match the room? The best way to repurpose existing décor items and materials you want to replace is by recycling and upscaling them. Turn the floorboards into hanging shelves or a balcony garden, paint and remodel the trunk into a coffee table, and turn the planters into bookends. Apart from looking great, repurposed decor gives your home a vintage, lived-in look. You can find repurposing inspiration on Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube.

4. Local-friendly décor – Budget-friendly décor need not be tardy. You can create an expensive but all-season look using local products and materials in your remodelling project. For example, opt for cotton duress and handloom blankets instead of Persian carpets and throw rugs. These are sturdy, add the right pop of colour and design, and are much better suited to Indian weather conditions. Terracotta and traditional bronze decorative pieces can give your home a lovely, ethnic look and save you a pretty penny at the same time. Eco-friendly items are also much easier to maintain or replace if need be. Apart from the joy of supporting local businesses, you can also handpick items you love.

5. Paint job – Homeowners often underestimate the power of a fresh paint job. Cabinets, doors, walls, crown moulding, window frames -nearly everything in your home can look absolutely new and different with a fresh coat of paint, typically in a different colour. If you are working on a strict budget, replacing anything is not a good idea unless it is broken or damaged. Remodelling can involve creative DIY projects like painting, stressing, block printing, or even trying out creative crafts like decoupaging.

6. DIY glory – DIY projects are much more than hobbies. They are a great way to make your home a reflection of your passions and showcase your creativity. Putting up a handwoven tapestry or a painting by you can be more appealing than splurging on art from a local studio. If you knit, embroider, or crochet, you can look at making a wonderful set of cushion covers, table runners, and placemats to match the theme of the living and dining area, all for a fraction of what you would spend at an upscale store. This also gives you the opportunity to personalise your home decor and upholstery. 

Renovating your residential apartment or redoing the interiors of a pre-owned flat to make it your own may require considerable research and effort. Enlisting the help of a professional space planner may add to your renovation budget but will help make the most of available space and find the right storage solutions as well.