Small Budget, Big Impact: 50 Easy Home Updates Under $50

We’ll kick things off with some simple swaps because sometimes all it takes is replacing a single thing to give a space a completely different look…

Simple Swaps That Make a Difference

• Swap out builder-grade cabinet hardware for knobs and pulls with more style. {These knobs} I used on our kitchen cabinets and {these pulls} on our living room cabinets are two fabulous budget-friendly options:

• Swap out your pillow inserts for oversized options to give your throw pillows a plusher, more high-end look. Specifically, I recommend inserts that are 2″ bigger than your pillow covers (for example, 24″ inserts for 22″ pillow covers). {These feather/down pillow inserts} are my favorites.
• Swap your basic utensil crock for a decorative vase to add a designer touch to your kitchen.
• Swap your plastic soap bottles for pretty refillable pumps such as {these glass pumps} I keep on {this wood pedestal board} by our kitchen sink:

• Swap out the finial on an older lamp with a more decorative one to add a stylish finishing touch and make it feel more custom. My sister, who has a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, just bought {one of these dog finials} that’s so super cute!

• Swap out your shower curtain with an extra-long one and raise your shower curtain rod up to create the illusion of taller ceilings and give your bathroom a more polished, designer look.
• Swap traditional planters for woven baskets like {this one} by simply dropping an existing pot inside for a softer, more textured look.

• Swap out a basic hamper for a lidded woven basket to add texture and style while keeping dirty laundry out of sight. My favorite basket-turned-hamper is {this gorgeous Serena & Lily basket} (medium size), but there are plenty of more budget-friendly options too, such as {this woven hamper}.

• Swap out a plain tissue box for one with a decorative cover like {this one} or {this one} to add a polished, designer touch to your bathroom, bedroom, or living room.

• Swap cool-toned bulbs for warm white lightbulbs to create a softer glow and make every room feel more welcoming. Lightbulbs that are 2700-3000K (Kelvin) are in the sweet spot!

And now for some of my favorite upgrades on the list.. the ones that don’t cost a thing!

Working With What You’ve Already Got

• Turn glass bottles into vases. By simply soaking off the labels, I repurposed these single-serving Martinelli’s apple juices into bud vases for our Easter table one year:

Hard alcohol bottles that come in pretty shapes are perfect for creating larger vases. See my (super old – 2015!) post on how to remove print from glass bottles for more details.

• Restyle your shelves by grouping items instead of lining everything up in a row for a more curated, designer-inspired look. My post on how to decorate a bookshelf has ten simple formulas that work!

• Pull furniture a few inches away from the walls. Pushing every piece against the perimeter can make a room feel stiff and disconnected, while a little breathing room creates a more inviting, well-designed feel.
• Clip flowers and greenery from your yard as an easy way to add life and color indoors. Hydrangeas, magnolia branches, or whatever’s blooming can make beautiful (and totally free!) arrangements. This simple but beautiful arrangement was made with wildflowers growing in the woods behind our home:

• Shop your own house! Move accessories, lamps, or pillows between rooms for an instant refresh. A vase or lamp that’s gone stale in the living room might feel brand new in the bedroom.
• Fold your duvet back to reveal a pretty sheet or quilt, or layer a folded quilt at the foot of the bed for that put-together, hotel-like look. My post on guest room bedding ideas has several photo examples and lots of bed-making tips.

Sources: Wallpaper | Upholstered bed | Nightstands | Blue duvet cover (color: blue frost) | Duvet insert | White quilt | Blue Euro shams (color: blue frost) | 22″ Patterned pillow covers | Blue and white textured pillow cover

• Display your cutting boards, platters, or trays upright against the backsplash instead of hiding them away. It adds instant warmth and makes your kitchen feel more styled.

Sources: Wood cutting board (similar) | Wood & marble serving board |  Glass jar filled with flour

• Dress up your extra TP roll in your powder room by folding the end of your toilet paper into a triangle and pressing the folded point against a damp faucet head (turn the faucet on and then off to dampen it). It will leave a pretty circular “embossed” seal, just like a hotel:

• Stack books as risers under lamps, plants, or decor objects to add instant height and visual interest. This tip works great for a living room coffee table but can also be used in your bedroom:

Sources: Brushstroke lamp | Marble chain (similar) | Mirror

or in your kitchen with cookbooks:

Sources: Linen recipe box | Brass swan planter (similar) | Faux succulents in planter | Pasta bowls | Wood cutting board | Marble salt cellar | Pepper mill | Wood & marble utensil holder

• Drape a favorite throw blanket over the back of your sofa or lounge chair to add color, texture, and pattern. It’s especially great for neutral pieces that could use a little personality!

• Lower the height of artwork that’s hung too high (a very common decorating mistake!) A good rule of thumb is to hang art so it’s centered at eye level, about 57-60 inches from the floor. See my post on how high to hang pictures for tips on hanging art over furniture and in groupings.
• Display collections together rather than scattering them throughout your home or hiding them away. For example, I created this plate wall in the dining room of our previous home to display pieces from two favorite tableware sets. They’re hung with {these stretchy plate hangers} so it was easy to take plates and platters down for use when entertaining:

See my post on how to hang plates on the wall for other plate hanging tips.

Next up… a few easy DIY home upgrades. And I really do mean easy – most of these projects are very doable even for those who don’t consider themselves DIYers.

Beginner-Friendly DIY Upgrades

• Add grosgrain ribbon trim to a basic lampshade. Simply use a thin bead of fabric glue or hot glue to attach the ribbon around the top and bottom edges of the shade. It takes about 10 minutes and gives an inexpensive lamp a custom, high-end look.
• Give a plain bookcase a whole new look by painting or wallpapering the back of it. I used a roll of {this wallpaper} to cover the back of the bookcases in the family room of our current home, and it made SUCH a difference:

Not ready to take on a traditional wallpaper job? Do a quick and easy paint job or find a beautiful, inexpensive peel-and-stick wallpaper that’s perfect for beginners {here}.

• Use Rub ‘n Buff to change the finish on a decor piece like a frame or candlestick for a quick and easy makeover. Simply apply a small amount of Rub ‘n Buff with a soft cloth and buff it into the surface to transform the finish. I used it to change the finish on {this mirror} in our bedroom from bronze to gold, and it was only a 10-15 minute project from start to finish!

See my post on Rub ‘n Buff colors for a visual of the different Rub ‘n Buff color options and more tips for using it.

• Wrap thin jute or sisal rope around accessories like vases, planters, lamp bases, or furniture legs, securing the ends with hot glue. It adds warmth and texture for an easy coastal-inspired update.
• Upgrade a basic trash can by wrapping it with a wallpaper remnant like I did with {this under $10 trash can} in our powder room:

Simply wrap the piece of dry wallpaper around the trash can, trace it along the top and bottom, cut along the traced lines, and adhere it to the trash can with wallpaper paste, Mod Podge, or a spray adhesive like 3M Super 77.

• Make a fabric book cover for a coffee table book with a decorative fabric remnant to add color, pattern, and a custom designer touch to your coffee table, shelves, or tabletop. See my no-sew fabric book cover tutorial for more details.

• Download and print a pretty art print from Etsy, then pop it into a beautiful frame. Some of my favorite Etsy shops for downloadable prints for under $10 include Sunday Letter, Serola Art Studio, The Bloom Mind, and Natalie Marie White: Examples in my own home include {this spring art print} I framed and placed on our open kitchen shelves:

and {this beach art print} I framed and placed on our guest room dresser:

• Use vinyl wall decals to create the look of wallpaper for a fraction of the time and price! I used {these tangerine wall decals} in the laundry room of our previous home and loved how much personality they added to the space:

• Cover ugly countertops with marble contact paper for a stunning transformation! I covered the ugly laminate countertops in our kitchen with {this contact paper} that’s under $20/roll and it held up shockingly well for the two years I had it before we remodeled:

Doing your entire kitchen admittedly isn’t a quick project, but doing something smaller like a built-in desk is! I actually first tried this DIY out on our kitchen desk as a test to see if it could work for the rest of our countertops, and it took under an hour to do:

See my post on marble contact paper for countertops for step-by-step details of how to get the job done (and to see the crazy “before” and “after” pics of our kitchen).

Now on to small organizing tweaks that take just minutes but make a big difference in how your space looks and functions…

Quick Organizing Wins

• Place a rolling cart between your washer and dryer to maximize storage space for your laundry supplies, such as {this cart} in ours:

You might think you don’t have enough room, but there are narrow rolling carts such as {this cart} and {this cart} that are only five inches wide!

• Tame a messy catch-all drawer with bamboo organizers. I especially love {this expandable bamboo organizer} that has movable dividers so it’s easy to customize for your needs:

• Corral your bathroom essentials on a beautiful tray and take your vanity top from look cluttered to curated:

Sources: Wallpaper | Similar scalloped tray | Similar soap pump

• Switch to slim velvet hangers such as {these favorites} to instantly create more closet space.
• Create a drop zone in your bedroom with a valet tray, such as {this one} for keys, jewelry, or whatever’s in your pockets when you walk in. It’s a simple way to keep clutter contained and your furniture surfaces tidy.

• Organize your sheet sets with labeled elastic bands such as {these}. No more mismatched sheets or digging through a messy linen closet because everything stays together and is easy to find.

• Add spray bottle hangers like {these} to the back of a kitchen cabinet door. It’s such an easy way to keep your countertops clutter-free while keeping essentials within easy reach.

An adhesive towel bar holder like {this one} is another smart back-of-the-door option.

• Use under-shelf hanging baskets such as {these} to create extra storage space in your cabinets.
• Revamp how you store food containers by storing the containers and lids separately, using a lid organizer such as {this one}. It frees up so much space and makes everything easier to find. This works for both drawers:

and cabinets:

• Roll your kitchen towels instead of folding them to maximize drawer space and prevent them from bunching up (and keeping your drawer from closing)! {This towel organizer} makes it easy to keep everything in place:

• Corral your remote controls on your coffee table in a pretty decorative box, such as {one of these}. It keeps them out of sight but still easy to grab when you need them!

See my post on coffee table decor ideas for more styling tips.

• Add hanging refillable shower pumps such as {these} in my girls’ shower to ditch the clutter of soap, shampoo, and conditioner bottles:

It’s amazing how much impact a single, simple addition can have on a room. These are some of my favorite ways to do just that…

One Simple Addition

• Add a lamp to an unexpected place such as a kitchen counter, bathroom vanity, or bookcase. It will instantly feel warmer and more layered with that soft, ambient glow. I especially love this trick with a mini lamp such as {this one}:

• Add a rechargeable or battery-operated picture light such as {this one} above your art. It gives your artwork that high-end, gallery-like glow without any of the installation hassle!
• Get creative with your bookends and choose something nontraditional like a small sculpture, vase, or brass animal. I have and love this cute brass pig that holds books on our family room shelves (you can find a ton of unique brass animal options {here}):

• Line your walkway with solar-powered lights like {these} for the prettiest evening glow – no wiring required!
• Add new life to any room with a plant. It will instantly make your space feel more alive and put-together. If you struggle to keep plants alive like I do, snake plants like this one I keep in {this blue & white planter} in our sunroom are a great choice:

• Add a new doormat outside your front door, such as one of {these}. It’s the first impression of your home and one of the most affordable upgrades you can make. If you want to invest in a longer-lasting doormat, I LOVE {these Ruggable doormats} that can be removed from their rubber base and thrown in the wash.
• Use a set of stacked boxes to hide clutter while adding style. I have {this hard-working trio of boxes} on our family room bookcase holding coasters, phone & laptop cords, and other small stuff that would normally clutter up our coffee table:

{This set of two boxes} is similar and under $50.

I hope this list has proven that creating a home you love doesn’t require expensive renovations or a complete overhaul. It’s often these small, simple updates that make the biggest impact. Hopefully you’ll look at your own home with fresh eyes and try a few of these tips for yourself!

XO,