How to Pull Off the Budget-Friendly Renovation

We all have that friend (or friend of a friend) who posts a pic of the most beautiful vintage dresser with a caption like:

“Discovered this gorgeous thing at a garage sale. Picked it up for a mere 10 bucks. A couple weekends of sanding, painting, and scuffing in just the right spots, some new hardware, and it’s better than new.”

You hate them, right? It’s OK to say so. That so-called friend makes her life sound like an HGTV show. Meanwhile, any time you’ve tested the garage-sale waters, all you’ve come home with is the scent of mothballs stuck in your nose for the next week.

But you can have the last laugh (even if it’s only to yourself) because you too can create a design blog-worthy look at home without draining your savings. How, you ask? By paying close attention to the details. Attention to detail is synonymous with luxury because it suggests that lots of time and resources went into creating a cohesive design. But you’re the only one who needs to know how much money went into it.

In that vein, here are a couple easy upgrades that can be done on a tiny budget.

The kitchen of your dreams

We’re conditioned from an early age to appreciate the full-on decadence that is marble. Even if you know next to nothing about interior design, you probably had a reaction to its mention, and it probably included at least a hint on envy. While marble’s price point seems to only add to its mystique, it also puts it out of reach for most.

Enter marble-look tile. Manufacturing innovations are such these days that maybe an industry expert or an interior designer could spot the difference, but no one else will. And marble-look isn’t just budget-friendlier than the real thing, it’s also available in a much wider array of styles. It’s also stain-resistant and easy to maintain.

So, rather than trying to impress your friends with a single marble serving tray, dive in and do the kitchen floor, backsplash, and countertops in marble-look. Then watch them try to discreetly ask where the inheritance came from.

The entry you never considered

It’s also time to reconsider your home’s entry—if you ever really thought about it in the first place. You were probably thinking we’d venture to the master bathroom next. After all, the kitchen and bathrooms deliver the greatest return on your investment, so say people who should know.

But we’re not looking to improve your home’s position in the housing market here. No, we want to upgrade its look for pennies on the dollar. And the centerpiece of that plan is—repeat after us—paying attention to the details. Well, it doesn’t get any more detail-oriented than an entryway renovation.

Another reason to focus our attention here is that, because it’s a small space, it won’t take a lot to make a big difference. In fact, we can narrow it down to the walls and the floor. We suggest beginning with the latter because there are virtually unlimited options with ceramic tile. And yes, you want to go with ceramic tile. One, because of all those options. Two and three, because it’s more durable than almost any other flooring material and it’s the easiest to maintain, both of which are critical for a high-traffic spot.

Once you have a tile design picked out—try to go for something a little bolder than you normally would, first impressions and all that—just find a complementary paint color for the walls and a statement piece of art. Job done. Step back and be amazed at how such a tiny space could have such a big impact.