10 Small Living Room Decor Ideas On A Budget
Whether we admit it or not, our living room is one of the places that sees the highest footprints in our house. This space tends to be very communal. While some families relax there; others constantly entertain their guests.
Creating a beautiful, livable living room can seem like a huge project, but it doesn’t have to cost an arm and leg.
If you’re working with a tight budget, here are simple ideas to decorate your small living room and achieve the style and design you envisioned.
A few tweaks in your home accessories, color scheme, or furniture layout can make a huge difference without taking a toll on your budget.
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1. Polish Windows and Doors
Many people overlook this one, your windows and doors in your living room are focal points. Letting in natural light provides a glimpse of the outdoors, if your windows are well polished, you don’t have to go outside your house to get some juicy gossip..lol. My main point is that polishing your windows has several advantages.
To clean the windows, you need to clear out the area and move the furniture away from the windows and doors. You should also cover the floor with a clean cotton cloth to catch drips or spills when cleaning.
You need a soft dust cloth, a microfiber cloth, a cleaning solution suitable for your window/door material, wood polish (for wooden frames), and rubber gloves.
Use a microfiber cloth already dampened with your chosen cleaning solution to clean. Move-in sections, wiping or working your way horizontally across the glass and then vertically to avoid streaks.
Repeat with a dry microfiber cloth for a sparkling finish. Apply a wood polish specifically designed for the type of wood your frames are made of (e.g., mahogany, oak). Follow the instructions on the label of the cleaning agent for application.
2. Rearrange Living Room Furniture
To give your living room the elegant look it desires, work with what you already have. You don’t have to break the bank, remove the items that don’t fit in, clear the clutter, and rethink your furniture arrangements. Start by pulling the furniture away from your walls, this opens some space in your home for a more flexible layout. Try to angle the furniture to create conversation areas, this is very important.
If you often entertain guests, prioritize seating arrangements that facilitate conversations.
Let’s say you want a cozy reading nook, position a comfy chair, and a floor lamp in a quieter corner. Experiment with different settings to see what works best for the flow of your room. With this, you don’t need to buy new furniture, making use of what you already have is the best way to maintain your small living room decor ideas on a budget.
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3. Use Cheap & Durable Curtains or Blinds
Since we are talking about small living room decor ideas on a budget, we should touch on this part too.
If you need a change in the way your living room looks, you can find used curtains and blinds at thrift stores for a fraction of the retail price.
Curtains and blinds are good ways to add style, privacy, and light control.
There are so many choices in the market and finding something cheap, less tacky, and durable can be tricky.
Curtains make your living room look warm and inviting, some come in various styles, either to diffuse glows or blackout your living room. It depends on the one you want. The disadvantage one could say is that they require frequent washing, especially in dusty environments.
I know you may not have that time, and this is where blinds come in. They serve the same purpose as curtains, but they are easier to maintain than curtains and less prone to sun damage. Altogether, they both provide excellent privacy, so the choice is yours to make.
4. Mix Pillows Of Different Colors On the Couch or Sofa
Mixing different colors of pillows on your couch or sofa is a beautiful way to add personality and style to your living room.
To get the perfect style, consider the existing colors already present in your living room like the couch, rug, drapes, or wall paint. Use these colors as a guide to choose your pillow colors.
To achieve your small living room decor ideas on a budget, limit yourself to a maximum of three pillow colors. This would create a stunning look and avoid overwhelming the space.
If you are using bold colors for your wall or furniture, incorporate some neutral pillow colors for balance.
Don’t just focus on colors, including pillows with different textures like faux fur, and woven or velvet materials to add depth and dimension.
5. Use A Budget Friendly Paint
Seriously, the color of your living room could affect your mood, it doesn’t have to feel cramped and uninspiring. With a little creativity and some budget-friendly tricks, your small living room could transform to reflect your personality.
Note, that when choosing paint colors, consider the natural light in your living room. If your space gets a lot of sunshine, go for cool colors like green and blue. If your room gets less natural light, go for warm colors like yellow.
There are many places where we could get affordable paints, you just need to find them. Hardware stores and discount retailers can give you high-quality interior paints even at a reasonable price. You need to look for good deals, and you can also consider using leftover paints from other projects.
To cut costs, you can transform this project into your little DIY side project instead of hiring professional painters, which would cost more money.
6. Don’t Spend Much On Lighting
Lighting is cool, but when we are on a tight budget, you don’t need to break the bank.
Here are some ideas to create a well-lit small living room, even when you are on a budget.
Open the curtains and blinds during the day so you can take advantage of the natural light.
Consider curtains or blinds that allow natural light to filter through the room while providing some level of privacy.
Don’t block the window with your furniture. Place your furniture strategically to allow natural light to enter your room.
If you must buy lighting, look for beautiful and affordable lamps at thrift stores, discount retailers, or garage sales, with this, you will save the money you would have used to buy a new one.
Remember to focus on the functions. Choose bulbs with the appropriate lumens suited for your small living room. Just know that bright overhead lighting is good for general illumination, while the warmer-toned bulbs are better for creating cozy atmospheres.
7. Use Simple and Stylish Indoor Plants
Plants make everything perfect, they add a touch of life, and color and even purify the air we breathe.
Go for plants that are known for their resilience and are simple to care for. If you want plants that would give you less stress, snake plants, ZZ and pothos plants thrive even when neglected. I’m not telling you to neglect your plant if you are a plant person, and you are busy, you should consider these.
Learn to propagate and don’t pay. Ask your friends and family for cuttings from their healthy plants, it’s a fun and free way to expand your collection.
Recycle your pots, vintage teacups, mason jars, or woven baskets as planters, you are not only reusing unwanted items, but you are also saving our environment from junk.
Make use of hanging planters or wall shelves to display the plants, this saves our floor space and adds a touch of greenery to the eye. Make sure you choose pot colors that match our existing furniture or color scheme.
This is very important, considering the plant size and also our availability of space, a large plant would overwhelm the space we don’t have.
8. Use Natural Elements For Decor
You don’t need to spend a fortune to achieve this; all you need to do is to incorporate natural elements into your living room. We’ve already talked about using indoor plants to beautify your home.
How about using pinecones, driftwood, or all the beautiful rocks you gathered on nature walks to create an amazing design? Arrange them in decorative bowls or vases for a unique and cool centerpiece.
I have seen many people who used things they gathered from nature and epoxy to create stunning pieces of art. It’s okay if you can’t afford to create the epoxy art, arranging them in decorative bowls will do.
Do you know that strategically placing mirrors on your wall reflects natural light, amplifying its effects and creating an illusion? I suggest you try it. To buy affordable mirrors, look for vintage mirrors at thrift stores and flea markets.
9. Create DIY Living Art
Everyone is an artist, forget what people might say.
At some point in our lives we have drawn art before, whether in kindergarten or as a grownup, we are all artists. You need to wake up the artist in you and create your DIY art.
Repurpose an old wooden frame or build one, attach pockets made from landscaping fabric, and fill them with a variety of low-maintenance herbs or flowers. This creates a makeshift vertical garden that purifies the air in your home and adds a touch of scenery.
Just get creative, there are many ideas you could experiment with to create beautiful art pieces that reflect your style.
10. Layer Living Room Rugs
This is another authentic way to add visual interest, texture, and warmth to your space. Since we are talking about a small living room, size matters. The base rug should cover most of the furniture area, it should be bigger than your accent rug.
To get the perfect texture, combine different materials for added depth. Jute or sisal rugs work well as the base layer due to their neutral tones and durability, while wool or faux fur rugs add a touch of cozy softness on top.
Use a rug pad to prevent slipping, protect your floors, and ensure the combined thickness of the rug isn’t excessive to avoid creating a tripping hazard. Also, choose colors that complement each other.
FAQs on small living room decor ideas on a budget
Which furniture is worth spending money on?
When it comes to spending money on furniture for your home, it depends on your budget. Recent data has shown that people tend to buy more sofas, loveseats, or loungers. Why, you may ask?
When you receive guests, this is what they see once they step into your home.
But if you are working on a budget, you can always get your cheap home accessories from thrift stores. There are many sites where people list things they want to give away for free, you can check them out. You can also refurbish your furniture every few years as your style changes.
What living room colors go with a gray couch?
It depends on the undertone. A gray couch can go with a white, beige, sepia, black, and wood tones color scheme. Experiment with different shades and textures to get the perfect combination that suits your style for your living room.
Which paint color is best for a living room?
When choosing the perfect paint color for your living, there are several things to consider. You need to consider the size of the room, the amount of natural light that enters the room, your furniture, and finally your decor style.
Not everyone is going to visit your bedroom or kitchen, your living room is your guest sanctuary. To some extent, it tells the guest the kind of person you are. The colors you choose for your living room dictate the mood. Is it warm and cozy, or just uhh?
Black and white are always the ultimate combination. They have remained the most popular living room color schemes through the ages.
But here is the thing, if you have little toddlers, you can go for colors that are not white. Kids tend to always make walls their art canvas, if you don’t want to change the living room paint regularly, you should go for other paints that would show obvious stains.
I’m not saying that white and black are the only colors for your living room, you should learn to experiment with other colors to get the one that suits your style.
Do you buy a couch or a rug first?
Take your living room as an empty canvas. You have envisioned what it would look like in your mind, but you need to bring that idea into reality. The rug is your first brushstroke, setting the color pallet and setting the rug in the right place before the furniture allows you to establish a foundation that integrates smoothly with your design vision.
If you choose the rug first, it starts a chain of reactions to the design decision. Other accessories that come after have to be selected based on rug style.
If you are on a budget, to some extent, it’s hard to find the perfect rug within your budget, it could take weeks, maybe months. I’m not saying that it would take you time to make your decision on the couch, but you have to choose your furniture based on what the rug looks like and also based on your color scheme.
How much should you spend on the interior decoration of your small living room?
It depends on your budget, some people would love to go all out in their living room because it tells their guests who they are. People spend the most money in the living room. If you don’t know much about mixing color schemes, you can hire an interior decorator.
These professionals would provide a variety of color palettes for you to choose from. Complex designs or high-end materials may increase the cost. You need to set your budget and stick to it. Be very clear with your interior decorator about the amount you are willing to spend.
If you don’t have enough money to hire professionals, you can do it yourself. At Least it would allow you to make some changes without spending more money.
How much should the average person spend on living room furniture?
There is no straight answer about how much an average person should spend on living room furniture. It depends on your budget. The average cost can vary from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. Material either fabric or leather, brand, style, and the number of pieces you want can affect the price.
Before you spend thousands of dollars on furniture, consider how many people use it regularly. You also need durable pieces if you have kids or pets, not just fancy ones that will need repairs or replacement in a few months.
Check second-hand stores or online marketplaces for gently used furniture. For those living in the US, the basic setup is the sofa, coffee table, and TV stand. This may cost you around $1000-$3000.
Mid-range includes rugs, tables, and additional pieces. They might cost you from $3000 – $7000. If you have more money to splash in your living room, it would cost you above $7000. As I mentioned earlier, it depends on your budget and your style.
How do you make a small living room look less cluttered?
Since minimalism is the new trend, making the living room less cluttered involves the strategic use of space. Firstly, start by removing some decorations that don’t suit the style of your living room.
You need to get rid of things you don’t need and donate them to homeless shelters or NGOs. If you feel that you need these accessories, rent a storage room and move them there. This idea might cost you but at least, your living room won’t look like a jungle.
There are many videos on the internet showing how to convert a single piece of furniture to serve multiple purposes. Your chair can serve as your storage, and you can also fold them to create more space. For those living in a room apartment, their couch can also serve as their bed when you pull them out completely. But this will cost more money.
If you are a beginner, you need to minimize your decorations to avoid visual clutter. Choose a few items or art that make a statement to avoid overcrowding your space. Too much of everything is bad. Keep the decorations in your living room at bay, it deserves to be decent, not tacky.
How do I arrange my living room?
To arrange your living room, you need to consider the size and aesthetic. You need to consider the basic activities you are going to engage in most, either relaxing, watching TV, gaming, or reading.
Choose your layout, either symmetrical or asymmetrical. If you are going to opt for symmetrical, you need to place your furniture in a balanced mirrored arrangement and a focal point. This creates a formal and orderly arrangement.
If you prefer an asymmetrical arrangement, you need to create different types and sizes of furniture to give it a more casual look.
You also need to consider the number of people that you would likely invite to your house, leaving spaces in between your furniture for easy movement.
Another thing is to use bookshelves, cabinets, and coffee tables with storage to keep your living room organized and clutter-free.
Conclusion
Creating a beautiful and homely living room doesn’t have to cost much.
You need to polish your windows and doors to let in natural light, rearrange your furniture, and also use affordable curtains and blinds to give a rich vibe to the room.
Use budget-friendly paint, incorporating simple and stylish indoor plants to give your home a warm look.
You also need to take advantage of natural elements for your home decor. Very importantly, layer your rugs for added texture.
Following these budget-friendly tips, you don’t need to break the bank to transform your living room.
