Sep 27, 20225 min read

15 Budget-Friendly Interior Design Secrets for September

Updated: Jan 30, 2023

Limited decor budget got you down? We have all been there. Don't let tight financials stunt your creativity!

Having an unlimited design budget like Danny Wang's clients on Instagram, definitely sets one's creativity and options free.

But having a very limited budget also unleashes a strand of creativity and dare I say it is equally as strong! Resourcefulness is a great skill to develop! This is where the wonderful journey of hand-made items and thrifting/swapping begins! This is also how you learn to make the most of what you got! This is when creative solutions are birthed to help you overcome your budget limitations.

I may not have glue or tape, but I have chewing gum ==== this is probably how tack was invented and then it was marketed as an actual product! Who would have thought?

I may not have a dress but I have a beautiful sarong and a belt and some safety pins. Viola!! My first custom-designed no-sew dress was made!

Fall is about using everything we've got and mixing it all together; colors, textures, finishes, metals. It's nature's most magnificent Hodge-podge. Interior designs turn out best when the designer copies or take notes from the beautiful exterior plans of God's creation, which is undeniably the greatest designed space of all times.

Onto our tips....

I will warn you, they may sound extremely simple. That's because they are! They are all so obvious, be careful to not disregard them and miss out on the magical mix of simplicity plus authenticity.

Life only gets complicated when we stray away from the basics. Meditation, for example, may seem super extra to those who don't practice it. But much of it is about just remembering to breathe; a fundamental life principle and practice. (I've been working on this one). When things start to ravel out of control (whether it be in our marriage, family, business, etc.), we need to reel it in and inspect our foundation for cracks and then start patching them up. This is priority over continuing to try to afford addition after addition, meanwhile the basement is crumbling out from beneath us. Foundation work is a big deal, and it is never as much fun or as glamorous as a first or second floor addition. But, neglect it, keep adding more and more stuff on top of it, and the whole house can fall apart.

In this society, it is easy to get trapped into a desperate mindset where we think we don't have enough... time, money, resources, etc. We may not have as much as we desire, but we have all that we need for right now. Learning how to utilize it optimally is the greatest challenge. We don't typically need MORE. We need to learn how to better manage what we currently have. Only then, God will give us more.

Friendly reminder!!!

You have everything you need inside of you. Deep in your core. I know it sounds cheesy but it is the truth. You have the solutions, the resources, the connections, and the motivation to acquire and achieve everything you desire. It may just be buried underneath a million excuses.

My September Interior Design Secrets are as follows:

Take inventory of everything that you have!!!!!!
Open up your cabinets, closets and craft bins. There are so many things that you forgot you had. There is so much junk that is going un-used. It is simply out of place so you cannot visualize its purpose anymore.
Clear the Clutter Mari Kondo-style!!!!

***I've said this before, and I will say this again:

The MANDATORY PREREQUISITE to Interior Design is a clean, well-organized and clutter-free space. When your counters and floors are covered in junk, it really doesn't matter if you have Quartz or Carpet under there. We can barely see it anyway!

As you are clearing the clutter, I want you to keep the following Secrets in mind so that you can appropriately decide which items to keep in order to create your unique design from the items you already own.

MY FAVORITE DECOR ACCENTS OF ALL TIMES ARE NOT DECOR ITEMS AT ALL!

Okay that's partially true... You can decide:

Books, Magazines. The more the merrier! Cookbooks for the kitchen, gardening books for the sunroom, financial books for the Study. Stack them neatly on benches, coffee tables, shelves, etc. Turn them backwards so the bindings face the wall and the pages are all facing outward for a homogenous off-white color aesthetic IF a million different colored bindings competing with one another is overstimulating to you. You can also remove all of the covers from the hard books to reveal different colors underneath.
Live House Plants. Propagate for free from your friend's plants and you can end up with as many as you like---Shout out to Sandy, my plant mom mentor and donor who helped me curate a small jungle nearly for free.
Candles. Hand-make in recycled jam jars-- Another Sandy craft therapy project I have learned.
Soaps. Pretty hand soap bottles or bars of soap at every sink are a functional necessity but also a great design hack to give off clean and homey vibes.
Blankets. Use what you got if you can't afford to go on a luxe throw blanket shopping spree, Grandma's afghans will work fine. Place one on every couch or armchair for cozy vibes.
Hand Towels (are a MUST near each sink for function and homey vibes. It doesn't matter if they are cute patterns with embroidering or solid colors. Use what you got or thrift this. The only design rule here is ABSOLUTELY NO STAINED, HOLEY hand towels. It will give your entire house dirty, trashy vibes. Paper towel or napkins are a better option if this is an obstacle right now.
Tablecloths. A great trick to hide damaged table-tops and old furniture that you can't afford to replace right now. Find free or discounted scraps at stores or garage sales if family won't give you any old table clothes.
MAKE YOUR BED ALWAYS (Okay this should have been number one on the list! It does not matter if you cannot afford a fancy comforter set with 10 throw pillows. Make it crisp and neat with whatever you have. It will change the entire room. That is a guarantee.
GLASS JARS AND FRESH FLOWERS. Collect and clean glass jam and pasta sauce jars and use as vases for freshly cut tree and bush branches, cut wildflowers, even weeds can look pretty in a vase on a side table! Dried flowers are a vibe, so don't feel rushed to dispose after a week.
FRESH FRUITS AND VEGGIES (continued in #11)
STAGE AFTER YOU CLEAN! Arrange your fruits and vegetables on cutting boards, trays, serving dishes and in any bowls you can find, see below....
Place a matching pair of mugs on a coffee table, side table, or near the Kureg.
Use any extra trays left over from the kitchen on the coffee tables in other rooms to hold a book, vase and candle or plant/ clock. Follow the rule of 3 items in most cases!
Hang Maps, frame newspaper articles, hang fabric pieces or small blankets as tapestries.
Create a fort or canopy over your bed with fabric you already have. White Christmas lights will do, if you can't afford new string lights or fairy lights at the moment.