If you’re moving home, the cost to decorate a house might be off-putting, or even overwhelming. That’s certainly how I felt when my (now) husband and I relocated to the countryside. For our family, making our house a home wasn’t as simple as a big trip to the flat-pack furniture shop and buying everything we needed in one hit. Instead, it’s been a slow and lovingly planned process, guided by intentional living.
I’ve moved house often in my lifetime and made mistakes at every turn, particularly in managing the cost to decorate a house – and not in the way you might think. I’ve been hindered from spending a penny and instead, made do with things (or, rather, the lack of things) in my home that aren’t quite right. Regretfully, this has led me to make rash online interior purchases to fill the void, with the cheapest price tag at the top of my criteria. It’s safe to say that such pieces of furniture haven’t made it to our home today.
Decorating a house isn’t a simple ‘start’ and ‘finish’ activity, either. We’ve received the “it takes time” advice more times than we can count from family and friends, especially during the obligatory tour of our empty rooms, mismatched furniture and unfinished DIY projects. But, the property we live in will be our forever home, and I’ve since picked up my intentional living toolkit to create a plan for every square foot. Decorating a house intentionally is a constant effort that requires time, patience and, of course, money. So, minimising the average cost and purchasing mistakes before they happen has been necessary, while ensuring that the project stays true to my personal values.
If you’re not quite at the interior design stage of your moving journey, you might prefer to start with my moving blog post, House is sold? How to prepare for moving day.
Your reason why
Before you begin any project, it’s a loving practice to write down the goal you want to accomplish, and by when. I will share our goal, as it might be similar to yours.
Our goal, as of January, is to make our house a home, which entails having it furnished and decorated to a finished-for-now standard. ‘Finished’ is about making sure that every room on our list contains furniture and decorations, to make it feel lived in. ‘For now’ is to say that it won’t be perfect, and that things will be subject to change in the future. I made this goal because…
I want to feel relaxed at home
When I look at the skirting boards that need painting, or go into an empty room, it can hinder my ability to relax. I ruminate in my free time, which turns into physical activity when I search for solutions on Google. “Narrow bookcase” and “bay window curtain pole” are two examples that recently made it into the search bar.
Creating a checklist for furnishing my home and writing my dreams in ink has allowed me to put. my. phone. down. It has sent the signal to my brain that the job is in hand. I have included a checklist for furnishing a new home at the end of the blog post, in case it’s a useful starting point for you, too.
I’m on a budget
‘For now’, some rooms will still have mismatched furniture, simply because of furniture costs. I will touch on the methods I’m using to save money in a moment. But, as a person who is passionate about intentional living, the most important thing to me is that the project is completed sustainably. I’ve made mistakes of rushed purchases from cheap retailers in the past.
To caveat, purchasing a bulk of furniture quickly can sometimes be necessary, such as when moving away from home and into a first flat. In contrast, I’m looking to find furniture that stays and grows with us as a family, meaning that this method isn’t right for us.
Tips to minimise the total cost of decorating a house
Using my personal reflections from house moves gone by, I’ve listed my favourite ways to furnish and decorate a house more affordably and intentionally.
Shop second-hand
I have spoken about shopping second-hand in great detail in my blog post, Vintage home decor on a budget. If you’re looking for a piece of furniture, the first place to look is on second-hand online marketplaces – Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Vinted and Gumtree.
I am mindful about the brands and quality of furniture I bring into my home. Laura Ashley furniture, in particular, is a recurring choice as it suits our interior design style. But, designer costs require careful spending. We’ve secured a pair of side tables for our living room that are retailing online at £495 each. We paid £60 for the pair. I’m now searching for the matching coffee table, which leads me to my next point…
Have patience
If you’re looking for a specific item, but don’t want to pay the full retail price, it can often take a few months for the item you’re looking for to appear. The coffee table I mentioned is retailing at £775, which is significantly over my personal budget. So, check regularly on the marketplaces and, only if necessary, move on to the supplementary step.
Utilise placeholder furniture
If you’re waiting for a specific item, in some circumstances, having placeholder furniture is a way to bridge the gap between completing a project ‘for now’, and saving money. I have a placeholder coffee table that we purchased from Facebook Marketplace when we first moved in. It doesn’t necessarily match the sideboards, but it means that we don’t have to buy the coffee table we wantat its eye-watering retail price, or become tempted to buy a similar coffee table that isn’t quite right.
In our previous house, my husband’s parents donated a drop-leaf table for us to use in our kitchen. It was perfect and we never replaced it during the time we lived there, and only returned it to them when we had our new dining table delivered to our new house. If a friend or family member can spare you a piece of furniture on your list, it can be helpful to accept it, even if it’s just for the interim.
Sleep on every purchase
When decorating and furnishing a home intentionally, it’s important to think about every purchase carefully. I’m currently looking for bedside lamps for our bedroom and, while I haven’t found any I’m in love with, it’s tempting to buy the cheap ones online and say to my husband, “they’ll do”. It takes self-restraint, but I promise that it’s worth it in the long run.
I made this mistake when purchasing a new dressing table last year. I bought it brand new and, while it was kind of right, it now requires alterations to suit the room, such as reupholstering the stool and replacing the drawer handles. I could have saved myself upwards of £100 if I’d held on, so it’s an expensive lesson that I often refer back to. If you’re thinking about a piece of furniture that’s on sale, find out when the sale ends and come back to it on the final day to assess if you really like it, or if it was a cheap and quick solution to the problem.
Avoid spending on seasonal decor items
I’ve been influenced by YouTubers acting as interior designers and, truthfully, regret that I spent money on autumnal decorations when the money could have been spent elsewhere. In fact, I plan to write a separate blog post about seasonal decor, as it’s a new trend that I feel passionately about avoiding, given my own mistakes.
Know what you’re happy to spend and save on
As much as it would be nice to have designer furnishings in every room, it’s best to think realistically about the items you buy and their longevity. My beloved cat is partial to scratching the soft furnishings once in a while. So, for our family, a brand Laura Ashley sofa was out of the question. Instead, we bought our living room suite from IKEA and plan to buy a second-hand sofa for our family room. Similarly, I wouldn’t feel comfortable spending more than £80 on a rug, as it’s destined to take a battering from my cat and people’s footwear.
Buy the bigger pieces first
The most overwhelming part of establishing the cost to decorate a house is, in my opinion, knowing where to start when faced with a blank canvas. I’ve realised that, in the long run, it’s most rewarding to save up for the biggest item in the room first, and work your way down to the next item on the list. In the living room, the first item we bought was the sofa, which was followed by the coffee table, and we’ve since bought the matching footstool. In the bedroom, the first items we bought were the bed and wardrobes, and we’ve since bought the matching bedside cabinets and drawers.
To demonstrate the problem with going the other way – the first item we bought for our family room was a dresser, and for our library, it was a desk. Aside from these pieces of furniture, the rooms are still empty, and it’s hard to visualise what’s next. So, although it requires saving, waiting to buy the big ticket items first will help you to build out the room and, as you can see what space you’re left with, make fewer mistakes along the way.
Focus on no more than two rooms at a time
Breaking down the big picture of the project and focusing on a maximum of two rooms at a time has made the furnishing and decorating process feel manageable and, not to mention, intentional and cheaper. It also prevents me from spiralling when I’m looking for certain pieces of furniture or decor. Prior to creating the rule of two, I would look for everything, and it was completely overwhelming.
My only exception to the rule of two is if I’m waiting on a specific second-hand item (as referenced in ‘Shop second-hand’) and it appears on one of the online marketplaces within a specific location and at a good price. It’s also worth noting that if you have fewer rooms to furnish and decorate, focusing on one room at a time might be preferred.
My favourite part about focusing on dedicated rooms at a time is that I will soon have two rooms that are finished (‘for now’, in some cases). After a long run of furnishing and decorating our home, the sense of completion will certainly be celebrated by our family. Remember, if you try to work on everything, nothing will feel complete.
A checklist for furnishing a new home
Everyone’s approach to furnishing and decorating a home is different. So, starting to think about how you’re going to furnish and decorate a new home is, in my opinion, the perfect starting point. On a practical level, I recommend sitting down with your family and writing down a list of requirements that are specific to your lifestyle.
The following checklist is a guide, as opposed to an extensive list.
Living room
Rug
Sofa
Armchair and footstool
Bookshelf
Television stand
Television
Curtains and tie-backs
Net curtains or blinds
Coffee table
Ground-level lighting (floor or table lamp)
Mirror
Wall art
Side table
Overhead lighting (fixture or light shade)
Cushions
Blanket
Indoor plant
Magazine rack
Box for media accessories (remote controls)
Photo frame
Candle
Coasters
Dining room
Rug
Dining table
Dining chairs
Sideboard
Bar cart or drinks cabinet
Curtains and tie-backs
Net curtains or blinds
Occasion chair
Mirror
Wall art
Ground-level lighting (floor or table lamp)
Overhead lighting (fixture or light shade)
Indoor plant
Table linen
Placemats
Centrepiece
Dinner candles
Kitchen
Note: This only references furniture, appliances and decorative items on display, and doesn’t include items needed for cooking
Fridge/freezer
Oven
Washing machine
Tumbledryer
Dishwasher
Kitchen table
Kitchen chairs
Wipe-clean tablecloth
Curtains and tie-backs
Net curtains or blinds
Overhead lighting (fixture or light shade)
Bin
Microwave
Coffee machine
Kettle
Toaster
Radio
Spice rack
Utensil holder
Paper towel holder
Dish drainer
Fruit bowl
Clock
Egg holder
Tea towels
Butter dish
Soap dispenser
Cleaning brush/sponge holder
Bedroom
Note: As well as the primary bedroom, repeat the process for additional bedrooms
Bed frame
Mattress
Bedding (duvet, pillows, sheet, mattress protector, duvet cover, pillowcases)
Wardrobe
Chest of drawers
Dressing table and stool
Curtains and tie-backs
Net curtains or blinds
Mirror
Bedside table(s)
Lamp(s)
Overhead lighting (fixture or light shade)
Throw
Scatter cushions
Alarm clock
Photo frame
Jewellery box or tray
Office
Sofa bed
Desk
Desk chair
IT equipment (laptop or computer, mouse, monitor and keyboard)
Filing cabinet
Curtains and tie-backs
Net curtains or blinds
Wall art
Plant
Pinboard and pins
Wastepaper bin
Desk lamp
Overhead lighting (fixture or light shade)
Cable manager
Photo frame
Pen pot
Mouse mat
Bathroom
Cabinet
Mirror
Shower curtain
Waterproof blind
Laundry basket
Bath mat
Decorative towels
Bath tray/caddy
Shower caddy
Toilet roll storage unit
Scales
Toilet brush and holder
Towel rail
Toilet roll holder
Toothbrush holder
Liquid soap dispenser
Candle (for a candlelit bath)
Soap dish
Hallway/porch
Shoe storage
Console table
Mirror
Lamp
Coat rack
Umbrella stand
Doormat
Overhead lighting (fixture or light shade)
Mail organiser
Bowl or key holder