How to Change Up the Look of your Home with Budget Friendly Updates for Less!

A year ago I updated a model home that I had staged two and a half years prior. Styles change and when you are marketing a community, you want the model home to reflect the current trends as much as possible. Since we only had about another twelve months for the model home to be in the community, we wanted to be mindful of the budget and make the most of the updated look. Back when we originally staged it in 2016, we anticipated a bit more of the trend to be Pottery Barn with a bit of West Elm modern influence. However, as Fixer Upper Farmhouse style continued to gain popularity, that was more of the look that potential buyers were looking for.

Here are the Before pictures from the Family Room. Notice the modern prints, mirrors, geometric artwork, and more square furniture selections. The accessories were also more geometric in nature.

Here is a look at the After of the Family Room. While I kept the rug, sofas, and most of the tables, the chair was replaced with a neutral one, all the pillows were replaced with neutral one or the classic farmhouse stripe. The overall color palette for the room was a softer blue (also notice the fireplace wall was painted Sherwin Williams Backdrop by the builder). The art was more abstract but fit well into the color scheme. The accessories of trays, white pottery, white candles, more greenery, and baskets all gave a nod to the farmhouse style. The mirrors were changed to architectural pieces that reminded me of windows with wreaths I added. This still gave the back wall added dimension like the appearance of windows to echo the arched openings upstairs. The wooden art pieces on the far wall were replaced with mirrors, since the starbursts were removed, also reminiscent of windows but the weathered wood had the farmhouse look as well. The bigger ticket items in this room were the chair, replacement table and art pieces that were purchased specifically for this refresh. Some of the pillows and accessories I had from other projects (if you are doing this at home always shop your house first and see what you might be tired of in one room that you could use for another room) and then I picked up a few more inexpensive pieces as I shopped for the rest of the house. The total for this room came in at about $875.

The changes made in the Dining Room were only swapping for a neutral rug, neutral napkins, and the centerpiece. We took away the wine glasses to streamline the look and put in a low wood tray with greenery balls. The furniture already leant itself really well to either style. This room amazed me at what a difference these small changes made to change the style of the room completely. The total for the dining room changes was just under $400.

The girls bedroom was another where textiles and accessories were swapped out to make the biggest difference. Again, from the original mood boards I had selected lots of color and pattern, bold prints, and geometric and modern accessories.

Here are the After photos of the Girl Bedroom. None of the furniture was replaced but a simple swap of the navy bedding for white, a gray quilt, and farmhouse inspired black and white stripe on a throw and pillow, and buffalo check pillows made all the difference. It’s amazing that the lamp and mirrors could go with either style and actually reflect either one very well. The changes cost approximately $300.

One of the biggest changes we needed to make and invest the majority of our budget was in the master bedroom. While some of the other furniture leant itself well to transition to a farmhouse style, the master furniture did not. However, if time had permitted or if your budget is limited, it would be very feasible to chalk paint this furniture and replace the hardware to make it fit the farmhouse style. All that would be needed then would be new art and accessories and a new bench (or simply chalk paint the legs of this one). The round mirror could have also been painted with chalk paint or in a distressed way to fit the farmhouse vibe and used somewhere in the home.

The new furniture purchases consisted of a new headboard, new dresser with mirror, new chest, new bench, and new side chairs with table to also add a seating area to the room. The gray comforter was replaced with a white ruffled one and new shams and throw pillows were added. The builder replaced the fan with a chandelier light fixture better suiting the new style. The lamps were also replaced. The wood pieces over the bed was actually moved from the family room. They also could have been painted white but I liked the way the wood picked up the same wood tone as the light fixture and the wood in the new table and chairs. They were more of an accent as they were and would have blended more with the walls had they been painted. I used trays, white pottery, greenery, and candid framed photos for accessories. For this room we spent the bulk of the budget coming in around $4300.

If you are ever in need of a refresh and are short on funds, the bathroom in the place to do it. Paint, new art, a new shower curtain, and new accessories and you can call it Done! The bathroom was painted Sherwin Williams Krypton by the builder. I staged it with a white pleated shower curtain from Target (they have the best), some gorgeous botanical canvas prints I picked up at HomeGoods, and greenery in chunky neutral planter. For less than $100 you can do an easy bathroom refresh.

In the kitchen, the light fixtures over the island were swapped out by the builder for ones that reflected the farm house aesthetic as well. Again, I swapped a napkin with more color for a neutral gray one and then added a few different kitchen accessories. Most of the items I already had but I would estimate less than $150 spent on the kitchen (not including the swapping the fixtures). Also the cabinet color in both the kitchen and the bathroom were not changed although they appear different in the before and after pictures due to lighting. The color is actually somewhere between the two tones pictured in the before and after pictures (see the 3rd picture below)

Finally, here is the before and after of the Guest Bedroom. I didn’t change much in here but swapped the mirror over the bed for a metal piece, swapped the lamps, and swapped the colorful pillows for more neutral ones. This cost approximately $225 if I had purchased the items new but some I had from other stagings.

So, if you are in need of a refresh, here’s what I’d recommend:

1. Shop your house first. Where can you use a rug, artwork, pillows, and furniture to give new life to that space and change up the style?
2. Change the bedding.
3. Swap out accessories and greenery. This is a great trick for the seasons. We do it for the holidays so why not every season. Another tip is to cut greenery from your yard…It’s FREE!
4. Change the artwork.
5. Change the pillows.
6. Add color or go neutral depending on which direction you want to go.
7. Swap items with a friend, shop thrift stores, and donate what you no longer want to use.
8. Have fun and keep swapping it up!

Most of the Photos used in this post are Courtesy of SR Homes and used with Permission.

What’s your favorite room I updated? Which one of these can you incorporate into your home right now? Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear from you! Want some more guides and tips? Head to Get My Guides to get your guide to Finally Finishing Your Rooms, Getting Your Home Ready in 20 Minutes or Less, and my latest guide to My TOP 5 Places I Shop and What I Buy at Each One! Enjoy!

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