- Redecorating your home can be challenging, especially when you’re on a budget.
- Insider talked to interior designer and HGTV star Leanne Ford about ways you can update your space without breaking the bank.
- Ford said simple steps like rearranging your furniture or painting an older piece can actually make a huge difference.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Redecorating your home sounds like a great idea, until you start thinking about all the expenses that go with it. But there are ways to freshen your space without spending any money.
Leanne Ford, an interior designer and HGTV star of “Restored By The Fords,” told Insider her tricks for renovating on a budget while at an event promoting the new Leesa Legend mattress. Ford is an ambassador for the mattress brand.
She recommends playing with pieces you already have, and simplifying your space so it doesn’t feel overwhelming.
HGTV star Leanne Ford’s No. 1 tip for redecorating on a budget is to rearrange your furniture.
“I think the easiest tip for redecorating is moving your furniture around,” Ford told Insider.
It gives you the opportunity to make your space look new, but you're using the same items you've had for a long time, saving you money and time.
It will feel like you transformed your space, even though it's filled with all of the same items.
It might take a few tries before you find the right place for the piece, but it will help you reimagine what the space is for you.
"Don't be afraid to play," Ford added.
In the same vein, you could try updating a specific piece you've had for a long time using paint.
"Paint is very powerful," Ford told Insider. "It fixes things. Anything can be anything" with paint, she said.
Painting a chair, bookcase, or any other focal point in your room can update the tone.
"Be open to painting things you already own and getting creative with it," Ford told Insider.
"Even if it's new, still feel free to paint it to make it fit in your space," Ford said, speaking of furniture pieces.
Your home should make you happy, and incorporating colors you like can help you take ownership over your space.
Knickknacks can overwhelm a room, especially if they're all different colors.
Getting rid of excess items that you aren't attached to can make your space feel larger and less chaotic.
"If you love all your stuff and it brings you joy, by all means keep it," Ford told Insider. "But if it doesn't get you excited, get rid of it."
Keeping items just because you aren't sure what to do with them isn't conducive to happiness.
But if you're attached to knickknacks, try filling your space with items in the same color palette.
"I love trinkets and things, but I keep it in a color story," Leanne told Insider. "It's clean to the eye."
By using similar colors for your decorative pieces, the space will feel less overwhelming.
Many people opt to put their furniture against the wall, but it can actually make your space feel smaller.
Your instinct might be to put furniture away from the center of the room to leave more room for activities. But that can actually make the room feel clunky.
"Sometimes when you bring it in, it makes it feel bigger," Leanne explained to Insider.
"If you move the sofa even six inches off the wall, you’ll feel better," Ford told Insider.
The additional space can make the room as a whole feel larger and more open.
While these tips can help you maximize your space and furniture, ultimately, Ford thinks people should just do what makes them happy when it comes to decor.
"As a designer, I leave. So you have to love the space we created," she said. "Ignore everyone and do what you love."
- Read more:
- Interior design startup Modsy uses 3D models to let you see furniture in your space before you buy it - here's how it helped me make the most of my small apartment
- HGTV outbid 'Brady Bunch' superfan Lance Bass for the TV home, and the network just let him tour it for the first time
- 19 game-changing products that will make your life easier
- Before-and-after photos show how a woman updated a tiny decaying room in her grandmother's house for under $400