Image credit: DABITO via: real simple

There are many living room decor solutions that cost nothing at all. And some will cost you completely free.

Sometimes the living room is just the only room in the apartment that serves every purpose. So it, like no other, deserves a beautiful and cozy interior – even one made with your own hands.

Can you freshen up your living room design without going broke? Sure! After all, the interior renovation has little to do with the interior repair – it is much more important to place bright accents. Moreover, you probably already have many of the necessary things for this. We offer 10 ideas that are easy to repeat – and, moreover, without harming your wallet.

Advice:

If you have already found beautiful frames, but you are still choosing illustrations, remember – the frames are quite capable of decorating the interior by themselves.

1. Add some mirrors

Hang them on one wall in a group – mirrors can easily replace any other wall decor and serve as an uncommon alternative to paintings, posters, and photographs. In addition, they add light to the interior, which is especially useful in small rooms.

An interesting selection can be made from the mirrors already available at home (just bring them to one room and hang them nearby). Or deliberately look for inexpensive old copies at a flea market.

On a note:

In the same way, you can group other objects on one wall. For example, plates and saucers that are left over from various sets, ceramic tiles, straw hats, and much more.

2. Repaint your furniture

Refresh old furniture – paint it with a new color. One or two small items should be sufficient. It can be a coffee table, a stool, a bookshelf … You will have to spend only on a can of paint. Black objects will add depth and graphicality to the familiar interior in neutral tones, and bright neon colors will add irony.

Advice:

A table, chest of drawers, and other paintable furniture can be purchased at some home improvement stores. Furniture from untreated pine is much cheaper than counterparts with a finished finish. Also, you can buy it online at the New York Furniture Outlets that provides a wide assortment of furniture pieces. 

Advice:

Do not put all the figurines on the shelves at once: change the exposition according to the season. Get flowers in the spring, and Christmas trees for the New Year. You will have at least four reasons to update the contents of the shelves, and there will be more free space on them.

3. Personalize your interior

Let your room be decorated with the best and happiest moments of your life, photos of friends and relatives. At the same time, there will finally be a reason to print the best photographs, and not be content with only albums on the computer.

If you already have photo frames, great. No, it doesn’t matter either. A simple rope and a dozen clothespins will successfully replace them. You can find cute clothespins at office supply and art stores. Or you can decorate what you have: repaint them in different colors, glue buttons or other decors.

Advice:

Use regular glass jars as photo frames. Just crop the photo to the height of the can, place it upside down inside and turn the can upside down.

4. Hang the frame on the rack

A bright accent and unconventional solution for spaces where every square centimeter counts – a frame right above the ends of the shelves. Why not? You will save space on the walls of the room and on the shelves themselves. If the frame is small, it will not block access to books and trinkets stored on the rack. And its content, be it a photo or a favorite poster, will be in the foreground.

9. Don’t be afraid to experiment

After all, this is your interior! So you can express yourself here in any way. For example, to nail on the walls everything that is bad. Wooden figurines, scattered letters, rag dolls … Desperate experimenters compose compositions even from a dozen Barbie dolls. A wall selection can show guests your life credo or just your hobbies today. Plus, it’s a low-cost way to showcase your collection for just about anything.

5. Arrange the greens

Live plants will add life to your interior. In addition, they are not only pleasing to the eye but also purify the air and create a healthier microclimate. If you are afraid to ruin your green plantings, pay attention to unpretentious specimens that are not afraid even of life in the office, where you remember about them once every two weeks. It doesn’t matter if the air is too dry or if you missed a couple of waterings. These are, for example, sansevieria, geranium, “money tree” and many others. Well, do not forget about cacti and other small indoor succulents – excellent compositions can be made from them.

Advice:

If the traditional “flower in a pot” option doesn’t inspire you, place your green pets under glass jars, in old birdcages, or in special small greenhouses (you can find them in stores).

6. “Change” the walls

Is a wallpaper change or wall paint job, not budgeting? Use the school music sheets or books you were going to get rid of. The result looks slightly blasphemous but impressive and cozy.

You can experiment with both the color scheme and the gluing method. For example, place pages edge to edge, overlap, or leave corners not glued so that they wobble slightly from drafts. By the way, in this way you can disguise the traces of children’s arts and cat claws.

7. Use finds from the street

Old boxes and pallets from vegetables and fruits are an inexhaustible source of creativity and … home furniture. It is enough to put several pallets one on top of the other – and the book rack is ready. For a more industrial look, leave the structure unfinished. But you can also paint it: in one color or in several different ones, completely or only from the inside. One such box, placed on its side on the table, will serve as a stand or limiter for books, as well as a showcase for all sorts of little things.

8. Use the tray not for food.

A beautiful idea from interior designers – a decorative tray with different little things. Put a small vase of flowers, a figurine from a trip, put a couple of your favorite books in a pile, add sea pebbles or scented candles. The good thing about this method is that this exposure can be changed as often as you like, it can be easily rearranged to a new place or removed altogether. And if the tray is roomy enough, then you can leave space on it for a couple of cups of coffee – and any pouf will turn into a stylish designer table.

9. Decorate with textiles

The new textile design can radically change the look of the room. But if the change of curtains, carpet, and bedspreads has not yet been planned you can do with small forces. Use your favorite blanket; it is not necessary to completely cover the seat and back of upholstered furniture with it. Try to fold it evenly and lay it with a path, skipping it under decorative pillows or throw it deliberately casually. Instead of a blanket, you can even use a stole or a wide scarf – the choice is yours!

10. Group by color

Do you collect snow-white milk jugs? Do not place them all over the sideboard, it is better to collect everything together and place them in an effective group. The same applies to any other items of the same color. If individually they can be visually lost or too dazzling, then collected in a solid color spot attract attention both to the composition as a whole and to each component separately.