If you’re interested in home décor trends, chances are you’ve noticed that keeping up with the Joneses is…well…expensive. And of course, like everything else these days, home décor styles change quickly. Design trends that look great today may be hopelessly dated in five years – or much less.
The good news is that you no longer have to invest serious cash in trendy home décor styles. Today there are 101 ways to duplicate designs with a little do-it-yourself elbow grease and a sense of adventure. Keep on reading for our top ways to bring “of the moment” home décor trends into your home – without shelling out the big bucks.
Spray Paint! Spray Paint Everything.
When it comes to DIY design trend dupes, spray paint is the tool you’ll find yourself turning to again and again. Choose gold metallic spray paint for a classic update to bronze, black, or chrome fixtures (or pick a trendier color like teal or yellow). Apply a few coats to your outdoor/indoor planters to take terra cotta or plastic to the next level. And don’t overlook your old furniture. Spray paint can breathe new life into a dingy old nightstand or scratched up coffee table. You could even spray paint a number of empty frames and then hang them up on your wall as a molding/gallery wall dupe.
Don’t forget to spray paint in a well-ventilated area, protect your eyes and ALWAYS wear gloves. Seriously, spray paint gets all over your hands and is very hard to get off. Ask me how I know.
Embrace Stencils
One of the best ways to get pricey home décor styles on the cheap is to use stencils to create patterns on your walls, floors, and furniture. After all, nothing says luxury like intricate wallpaper or beautifully patterned tiles, which can cost thousands of dollars to buy and install. If you really want to cut expenses, you can even lookup the exact steps online to make a stencil – and then use them anywhere you want to add visual texture or interest. Feeling particularly artistic? Go Banksy with stencils and add your own incredible creations to canvases or directly to your walls.
Don’t forget to research how to preserve your creation for as long as possible. Oftentimes, adding a thin layer of sealant can do wonders to protect this design trend for the long haul (but be sure to look up the specific needs of your stencil, paint, and material).
Open Up Your Kitchen Area
If there’s one designer home décor style that seems to show no sign of stopping, it’s the exposed kitchen cabinet and shelving look.
Luckily, this is one of the easiest designer looks to dupe on the cheap. All you need are some wooden planks and iron or wooden brackets and you too can show off all of your cool kitchenware. While it might not be advisable to remove all the cabinet doors without serious consideration, this is a look that you can easily pull off in a corner of the kitchen. We spend a lot of money on these kitchen doo-dads and tools: why not put them on display as the design pieces they so often are?
If all of that seems like a bit too much commitment, check out this awesome DIY magnetic knife holder from HomeEdit. If you’re in a rental, that may be the quickest and easiest way to get the look of exposed kitchenware without the obligation.
Show Off Your Brick
Another design trend that shows no sign of stopping is exposed brick. It’s been around for decades and still looks fresh. But don’t bust out the chisel just yet (especially if you live in a rental). There are a variety of ways to get the look without heavy construction, including brick wallpaper, brick veneer, or even brick wall panels. Shelterness has a great article about all the real and ‘faux’ exposed brick options you should investigate to determine which is the best fit for you – and your living situation.
Now if you really want to impress us and use many of the home décor style tips we cover in this blog post at once, spray paint a brick stencil behind your new exposed shelves in the kitchen. It’s definitely doable – and would up the trendiness factor very quickly. (Please let us know on social media @cubesmart if you do this! We would love to see it.)
Plants & Planters
When spending a small fortune on the ever-popular home décor trend of matching planters filled with beautiful plants is out of the question, you can easily dupe the designer look for your indoors and outdoors planters with a little patience and, of course, a little perseverance.
First, gather your mismatched planters together and decide on a unified design or complementary colors. (This article from Balcony Garden Web has an amazing amount of ideas if you’re looking for inspiration.) Then cull through your plants. Divide them and re-pot them for a fresh look. If you’re a succulent fan, you can even look into propagating from leaves or stem cuttings. It takes a little while, but the thrill of growing a new plant from a discarded leaf is hard to beat.
Tiles on a Budget
As far as design trends go, decorative tiles are having a major moment. But if hand-painted ceramic or cement beauties aren’t in the budget, don’t fret. There are a number of ‘peel and stick’ tiles on the market that dupe the designer look – at just about any price point. You can choose floor tiles, bath tiles, backsplash or kitchen tiles, and even smaller tiles for all sorts of trims and decorations around the house. And if you’re in a rental (or just like to switch things up a lot), you can easily pull them up when it’s time for a change and no one will be the wiser.
Of course, if you’re handier, you can also put down real tile and dupe the design look by stenciling on top of it or adding a decorative finish. Mosaic always looks good, and can really be cool (and sustainable!) if you use found materials.
There are so many inventive ways to incorporate top home décor styles into your living space on the cheap. All you need is some inventiveness and a ‘can do’ spirit. We can’t wait to see what you come up with. Please tag us @cubesmart or leave a comment below letting us know your tips for budget décor hacks.
