Tips for Achieving High-End Interior Design Styles on a Budget

Hi! My name is Holly. I live in the Nashville area with my husband and 3 sons. I love browsing Pinterest for design ideas, especially in the Grandmillenial, Art Deco, Chinoiserie, and Hollywood Regency styles. I'm starting this blog to help people achieve these styles on a small budget - like me! For this first post, I'll give a few of my favorite tips. 

Paint!

The cheapest and easiest way to add oomph to any space is with paint. You don't need any special skills to paint - anyone can do it! I've found the people in the paint department at Lowe's and Home Depot very helpful for steering you to the correct type of paint/finish for your needs. I love fun pops of color, so for my living room/dining room space, I kept the walls a neutral shade and went crazy painting furniture. I love painting furniture because it is a small surface area you can easily re-paint anytime your mood changes.

Below are Billy Bookcases from Ikea I've had for about 2 decades. I've re-stapled the backs on about 10 times. They were white and looked incredibly cheap, with tons of wear and tear from years of abuse. But paint covers a multitude of sins, and makes them appear brand-new and custom-built. The paint is Behr Premium Cabinet and Trim in Crown Jewel with a Satin finish. 

This hutch was bought for our sons' room back in our old apartment in California. For use in our dining room, I gave it an adult makeover. All it took was some leftover green paint from my bookshelf project and gold paint for the knobs (see the section below for details). For the final touch, I found an easily installable under-cabinet wine rack on Amazon. 

Before

 

After

I bought a can of hot pink spray paint to use on some small projects, then decided this dark wood table could use a refresh! It was purchased as an end table but is currently being used as a mini-console table between 2 sets of windows. You'll also see the same green paint come into play on some cheap cardboard hat boxes. 

Add Gold Accents

Something that Grandmillenial, Art Deco, and Hollywood Regency styles all have in common is gold. However, gold frames, mirrors, and knick-knacks cost more than the same items in black or white. That's why I swear by this little bottle of Modern Master's Metallic Paint in Pharoah's Gold. It's currently only around $9, and I can use one bottle on countless projects! 

I painted the knobs on this hutch after turning it emerald green. 

I've painted so many black frames gold that I've lost count. You can purchase black frames in bulk on Amazon for pretty cheap - then I keep some black and paint others, depending on the room where they end up. 

To match the Art Deco look of a bathroom, I added some gold accents to the cabinet. 

I also purchased this cute 3D-printed light cover on Esty and painted it gold. 

This little guy was in the dollar section at Target and required no painting!

Prioritize Spaces

We moved into our home 2 years ago, having previously lived in a tiny apartment in Burbank, California. We moved in with very little furniture, so our first priority was to buy beds, couches, and other necessary items. After spending money on necessities, I decided to decorate the living/dining area first, since it is the first (and sometimes only) space guests see when they enter our home. Most of us don't have enough disposable income to completely re-do an entire house at once, so prioritizing is key. 

Even after 2 years, there are sections of the house that still need to be updated, but budget and time restraints have made me wait. For instance, the kitchen is not my style, but all the cabinets, surfaces, and appliances are in good condition, so I'm choosing to hold off for now. 

Buy Used

Estate sales, garage sales, and even Goodwill are key to finding vintage looks at a low price. I  love finding colored glass objects, ugly knickknacks I can give new life with gold paint, vintage books, and old-fashioned artwork I can alter.  

All of these colored glass items were purchased at garage sales.

 

Blue and white china and Ginger Jars are a big part of the Chinoiserie style, and I am always on the lookout for these items at sales. Buying these new is pretty expensive, and I've built up my collection very slowly over time. It helps that my mom and sister are also avid consignment shoppers, and keep a keen eye out as well. 

My mom found this garden stool for me at a consignment shop. It's exactly what I'd been looking for!

 

Splurge on a few statement pieces

It's easy to elevate inexpensive pieces with a few high-quality items. It's like wearing a gorgeous statement necklace over a plain Gap tee. If you are on a tight budget like I am, the term "splurge" does not mean buying something you can't afford. It simply means spending a little more on a few small items that will help elevate the room. 

I sprung for more expensive fabrics on some small throw pillows and dining room chairs. The little pop of high-quality fabric makes the inexpensive furniture seem high-end. 

This fabric is Honshu by Thibault. I bought the pillowcases already assembled on Etsy because I don't sew. Fortunately, this couch has a low back, so I could get away with purchasing the smallest ones available for the lowest cost. 

This is Ippsie Regal by Magnolia Fabric, my absolute favorite! I only needed a few yards to cover 4 dining room chairs, but it was still a splurge. I didn't want to waste any fabric, so I saved the scraps and framed some as artwork. 

The real statement pieces in this space are the light fixtures. They were the first things I replaced when I moved in, and the most expensive items in the room. The previous fixtures were very old-fashioned. With the tall ceiling, I needed a statement piece to draw the eye up. I love the Sputnik-style chandelier, and caged chandelier in the dining room. There are plenty of these available on sites like Wayfair and Amazon, so I kept searching until I found the best prices.