Brian Patrick Flynn
I’ll admit, after day 15 of quarantine, things started getting a little rocky and anxious. Now we are on day 23. Woop woop! If I’m feeling the quarantine blues, chances are that you are too. So, let’s help each other out! I’ve got 22 home updates under $100 that you can do to refresh your space. Like I said in my last post, if you cant change your circumstance, changing your environment is just as good.
I know a lot of you could be feeling the waves of anxiety crashing in between waves of peace. Totally normal; totally human. Wanna know another thing that’s totally human? Trying to make a bad situation better!
I have a theory that interior design was the very first design category to ever exist. Even in the primitive world, they would have known that this rock goes better over there, that they need natural light, their home needs to work with the surroundings, and other decisions for survival but also for comfort.
We don’t like change, but we also don’t like monotony. If you’re finding yourself in an endless groundhog day (because, SAME), then maybe it’s time to flex that creativity muscle! It’s time to revisit things you may have loved when you were younger–and before life got in the way of exploring pleasure just because.
I love updating my space–I do it seasonally! For babies, you have to change their toys up to encourage learning right? It’s sort of the same thing with your home. To keep a steady flow of inspiration, good energy, and creativity, it’s nice to add new things. And by new, I don’t mean brand new, they can be just new to you!
I’ve rounded up 22 home updates under $100. Let’s start with updates under $25, shall we?
Home Updates Under $25
1. Change up the furniture hardware
The Makerista
One of my recent clients were using a hand me down dresser for the nursery and I suggested changing the hardware to make it more personal and special for baby girl. We chose these beautiful mother of pearl knobs and it transformed the whole look.
Hardware is CHEAP, ya’ll! And it doesn’t even have to require you to drill any extra holes in furniture; just use the holes currently there! Knobs will be fine, but if you are using pulls/handles, you’ll just want to measure from hole to hole so you can get something with the same dimensions.
2. Paint a piece of furniture
Jana Bek Design
I am the queen of painting furniture in my own home. I’ve painted my armoire, console, IKEA kitchen carts, thrifted vintage table, and will do big things with a can of spray paint. I currently have no less than 8 paint colors in my closet leftover from projects.
I love a good paint job! It is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to update furniture and you get the immediate gratification you’re after. Ideas of things to paint:
- nightstand
- end table
- coffee table
- outdoor furniture
- console
- tv stand
- bench
- planters
3. Wallpaper it
Brian Patrick Flynn
Jewel Marlowe
When I first moved to NYC, we bought a large console from IKEA to serve as a desk for 2. When we moved, it became a sofa table, then another art desk for me. It has served many purposes and gone through many paint colors.
The latest iteration is was covering it in this beautiful pale blue ombre peel and stick wallpaper from Wayfair. I covered the entire console for less than $20 with lots of wallpaper to spare. Do you know how much a grasscloth or wallpapered console costs? Over $1,000. I did it for under $100 for the table and under $25 for the wallpaper.
My friend Crissy bought also vintage grasscloth wallpaper at a thrift store and is playing around with adding it to the back of the family room built ins. There are SO SO many home updates under $100 out there that you can do easily and quickly. Look around your house and see if there is anything that could use a creative second life.
4. Add some greenery
Emily Henderson
I was skeptical of buying plants online, but I did it and I’ll never look back! I asked my followers on my instastories if they had any recommendations of where to buy and Costa Farms was the highest rated!
I ended up purchasing the ‘Clean Air’ pack of 4 in January, and the plants arrived strong, healthy, and in perfect condition. They have a lot of other great (and easy to care for!) plants under $25 like:
- Aloe
- Fiddle Leaf Fig (these can get HUGE–just check The Makerista’s! She sometimes shows hers in her instastories and it is TWO STORIES TALL.)
- Pothos
- Bromeliad
5. Reupholster an old chair
Nick Olsen
Remember last November when I bought vintage bamboo chairs from Facebook Marketplace for $40? I reupholstered 4 chairs in under 2 hours, with no prior experience reupholstering a chair. So, it can totally be done!
If you are an avid thrifter, or even if you’re just a person with a basement, chances are you have some unused furniture you collected that needs sprucing. Well, friend, this is your chance!
I wanted something fun and bright so I narrowed down some colorful fabric options for mine to a beautiful orange dot by Genevieve Gorder. I LOVE using outdoor fabric indoors because of the durability and versatility.
Home Updates Under $50
6. Make or buy new pillow covers
Katie Davis Design
I’ve made like 6 pillows having no prior pillow making experience. And I will say, it’s not difficult! Although, I do not recommend using a faux crocadile or faux rabbit for your first try (those are insane to sew!), but you can definitely do it with the help of some good old Youtube tutorials. No sewing machine? No problem. Just look up no sew options.
If you’re like me, you have a few different options for curtains as well as leftover fabric in your closet right now. Turn them into pillow covers and give your pillows a new life for free! Or you can order fabric from fabric.com (my favorite place to get it).
7. Make or buy affordable art
Jenny Komenda
Jenny Komenda runs Juniper Print Shop, an online source for great and affordable decor! She works with artists and sells small and large scale prints that easily fit into IKEA frames.
8. Update a built in or bookcase
Before
After
Jewel Marlowe
My friend Crissy is currently giving her master bath a little makeover on a budget. She has no time limit (which is a great thing for stress management, and kind of what I’m doing with my kitchen update), and is just along for the ride whenever inspiration hits. On my recommendation, she bought a $15 bottle of Citristrip (my favorite paint stripper of all time that can be safely used indoors with very little fumes) and started stripping her vanity.
Crissy is NOT a DIY-er, but she showed up and was willing to try. That’s really all you need! I think now she has settled on painting the vanity instead of stripping the finish, which is equally lovely. Point being, it’s SO easy to update a bookcase or built in with leftover paint you have in the garage or you can try one of the online paint ordering services!
Home Updates Under $100
9. Add a pop of color to the kitchen
One Coast Design | Emily Followill Photography
I’ve already told you (probably too many times?) that adding paint is one of my favorite home updates under $100. You can paint ANYTHING. Literally. Any surface, even fabric!
The kitchen is probably the most used space in the home, right? So why not give it a little something fun? I love this blue cabinet! It’s the perfect pop of color for a white kitchen.
10. Add a rug
Monika Home Design
A giant 9×12 rug certainly won’t be one of the home updates under $100, but many other sizes will! You can get a runner, bath rug, entry rug, and some 4×6 or 5×7 varieties that are discounted. I get all my rugs from Rugs USA, by the way. They have the best sales and all the rugs I’ve had from them are years old and still going!
11. SAFELY shop secondhand
Eleven Houses
My girl Jenn from Eleven Houses safely bought a vintage white wicker console desk for her kids new homeschooling space! She purchased it from Facebook Marketplace, standing 6 feet away when the exchange was done.
I get a lot of really affordable vintage furniture from Facebook Marketplace and I think if you are going to shop there, you just need to have a conversation with the buyer so everyone is on the same page in terms of safety. Stand at a safe distance, preferably wearing masks, and sanitize the furniture before you put it in your car.
12. Install a peel and stick backsplash
Brian Patrick Flynn
I love me some Brian Patrick Flynn, and while the above example is not peel and stick, I’ve seen some patterns very similar to this one that are! A peel and stick backplash is a really great way (especially in a rental!) to transform your kitchen without all the tiling and grouting mess (and cost).
Try Wayfair, Overstock, All Modern, and Home Depot for their peel and stick offerings. Smart Tile is a big and popular brand to check out at Home Depot.
13. Make or buy curtains
Jenny Komenda
Jewel Marlowe
Jenny Komenda loves IKEA curtains and uses them as a base while she paints a pattern on them! The curtains in the first image are actually IKEA with a grid pattern she painted. You can easily take some discounted white curtains and turn them into something lovely.
And Jewel Marlowe, she needs no introduction. If it’s a DIY she’s done it. She not only makes her curtains but also gives them a nice tassle or ribbon trim. So many posibilities!
14. Update kitchen hardware
Before
After
Jewel Marlowe
Adding new drawer and cabinet pulls is one of the best home updates under $100. You get such a bang for your buck and hardware can literally transform the look of your entire kitchen! Gather some inspiration from instagram and pinterest, and see what kind of update stands out to you. Here are some inspirational instagram accounts with recent kitchen updates to get you started:
15. Add lighting (non-hardwired)
Jenn Feldman Designs
You can easily get a plug in wall sconce for under $100! I recently got a mid century 2 arm sconce that was slightly over $100, but that’s because it’s huge. There are so many awesome wall sconces under $100 you can add to your bedroom, workspace, bathroom even kitchen!
16. Paint the ceiling
Home Ec Interiors
If you need some happiness and color in your day, I highly recommend following Natalie of Home Ec Interiors. Her new home is filled with brightly colored ceilings and gorgeous accents. Again, paint makes an appearance on the home updates under $100 list because it is seriously the best way to transform something.
17. Design a gallery wall
Jenny Komenda
I don’t know about you, but I have a million picture frames just sitting there. I’m always changing up my art and frames so I have a stash of both. You can either build on what you have or get some new affordable prints from places like:
18. Create a pattern with painters tape
Sarah Sherman Samuel
Designer to the stars Sarah Sherman Samuel recently completed her mid century renovation in Michigan and gave her son this beautiful ceiling mural!
19. Stencil faux tile
House on a Sugar Hill
Jodi of House on a Sugar Hill is always up to something! From her, I learned I didn’t have to buy pricey pampas grass and could literally forage for some outside. She’s brilliant and crafty and fun–and she stencils floors!
20. Set up a nook
Sunny Circle Studio
Sunny Circle Studio
I love nooks. My guess is that when people with larger houses create tiny little spaces, it makes me feel seen lol. You know, living in New York and all, my entire apartment could qualify as a nook:-)
Designing a nook in an unused corner of your home is a really great way to create a “new” space for you to have. I mean, you’re cooped up anyway, so why not explore your own home? You could create a reading nook, dining nook, office nook, even a nook for a pet!
21. Paint your front door
Better Homes & Gardens
Brian Patrick Flynn
I’m currently (very casually) learning Feng Shui. I’m learning about the significance of a front door, and while I’ll do a post later on what I’ve learned as a whole, let’s just say, it would behoove you to make one of your home updates under $100 be a freshly painted door.
22. Make or buy a colorful duvet cover
Jewel Marlowe
Before you freak out, a duvet is easier to make than a pillow! It’s literally a giant square. Shop the clearance section of online fabric stores and you can get a really awesome new (and CUSTOM) duvet cover which will transform your entire space.
MORE Home Updates:
Home updates are my jam; I’ve written so so many of them. Here’s a small roundup of my library you can peruse:
- Best Budget Home Updates
- Affordably Update Kitchen Cabinets
- How to Fix Outdated Granite Countertops
- Update Your Home Without Buying Anything
- Update a Farmhouse Dining Room
- How to Update Your Design Style
I hope this roundup of home updates under $100 was inspiring, or at the very least, helped you forget about this pandemic. Life must go on and we cannot just sit and wallow or cower in fear. Let’s get creative and make something beautiful out of this mess. Stay strong, stay creative, stay at peace:-)
-Kristen
