The comfort and aesthetics of your home can significantly impact how you feel. And, luckily, if your living space is looking a bit tired, bland, or uninspired and you’d like to give it a revamp, you don’t need to spend a fortune.
From jazzing up your sofa with bright cushions and throws to painting your floorboards, here are 10 affordable ways to improve your living space.
1. Add some house plants
Plants are one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your living space; they add colour, vibrancy, and life to any room. Plus, they’re affordable to buy, and many are easy to look after. Perhaps the biggest benefit, however, is the effect that they can have on your well-being.
Multiple studies show that indoor plants can boost mood, productivity, focus, and creativity, as well as reduce feelings of stress and tiredness. Plants also help to create clean air by absorbing toxins and producing oxygen, so they can quickly turn a stale and stuffy room into a fresh indoor space.
You might choose to have a few larger statement houseplants or a selection of smaller, low-maintenance plants – or both, if you like the idea of a green living space. It can be effective to arrange groups of small plants at varying heights to create the illusion of a larger space.
For more inspiration, you might like to check out our articles: 8 plants to grow that are good for your health and 10 unique houseplants to upgrade your indoor space.
2. Choose the right lights
Getting the right lighting is an incredibly important – but often overlooked – aspect of improving your home. It can add warmth and ambience, is quick and easy to update, and doesn’t have to break the bank.
Even the most simple and minimalistic living areas can seem cosy with the right lighting. It’s not very relaxing to sit in a room with glaring light, so even something as simple as switching to a warmer-coloured light bulb can make a difference.
However, for a bigger transformation, you might like to consider buying a couple of feature lamps that represent your style and personality. It can also be effective to choose floor or table lamps of different heights, as this creates a pretty, layered look. Amazon* has a wide selection for a range of budgets.
Alternatively, depending on your style, you might like to hang string lights* from your ceiling or walls, which can create a nice shimmery effect and add a more ethereal touch. Or, read our article, 10 ways to bring more light into your home, for a different approach.
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3. Layer rugs
Recarpeting your living space can be expensive and time-consuming. So why not consider buying a few new rugs (or second-hand ones) and changing up your flooring this way? IKEA has a great selection of affordable rugs, or if you’re happy to spend a little more, it’s worth looking at John Lewis’ collection.
Whether you have red wine stains or grubby paw prints to hide, or just want to give your living area an edgy new look, layering some rugs is a quick and easy way to give your room texture and cosiness. Plus, it works just as well on carpets as hard floors.
Layering rugs is simply the act of placing rugs on top of each other to create a layered effect. There are dozens of rugs to choose from – Persian, jute, and faux fur, for example – and depending on your style, you can be as adventurous as you like.
If you prefer a bohemian look, you can go all out with contrasting textures, colours, and prints, or you can keep it classic and stick to simple colours.
Have a look at Country Living’s advice on layering rugs for more inspiration.
4. Consider your curtains or blinds
Curtains don’t just block out light and keep prying eyes away, they also help to frame your entire room. Raising them above your windows can make the window area appear considerably bigger, too.
Window coverings are another aspect of decoration that’s often overlooked, but can really help make or break a room. If you’re not a fan of full, flowing curtains, there are plenty of other options: choose from shutters, blinds, drapes, or more modern coverings, for example.
While curtains usually complement big windows, if you have smaller windows, or a more casually-styled room, a blind might work better – plus, they’re easier to clean.
Whether you’d like your window coverings to be purely functional or mainly decorative (or maybe a bit of both), there’s something out there for everyone. For more guidance, watch the video below, which explains how to measure and hang curtains.
5. Paint your walls
Another easy way to spruce up your living space is to put on an old shirt, get your rollers out, and paint your walls. It might seem like a big task, but painting a room yourself can be pretty therapeutic.
Or, if you don’t fancy doing it yourself and are happy to pay, you could consider getting a professional painter and decorator in. To compare qualifications, ratings and reviews of painters and decorators nearby, simply enter your postcode on Bark.
Painting your walls can instantly reinvigorate and transform your whole living space, and there are thousands of different paint colours to choose from. To explore different colour schemes for 2025, have a read of Dulux’s colour of the year guide, or head over to your local B&Q or Homebase instead.
If you’re hesitant about painting an entire room, you could always paint a single wall or alcove as a feature wall for a pretty pop of colour. You’ll save a few pennies this way, too.
If you’re doing a DIY paint job, check out the video below that’ll show you step-by-step how to paint a room.
6. Liven up your sofa
If you don’t want to splurge on a new sofa, you can easily liven up your couch by adding new cushions or throws. Cushions have got to be the most versatile of all soft furnishings. There are so many different colours, shapes, sizes, and textures, and mixing them up can create a fun, artistic effect.
You don’t even need to buy new cushions – you can just buy cushion covers. This also means it’s easy to switch them up whenever you like. You can also change the colours and patterns every season so that your sofa always looks like an inviting place to curl up. Etsy has a great range of stylish cushion covers, which you can browse here.
Bright throws are another easy way to add cosiness, colour, and texture to an old, tired sofa. Simply draping a pretty throw over an armchair or sofa can help give a brand new look to your living area. There are plenty of lovely, low-cost throws available at IKEA.
Or, if you’d like some ideas on how to style your sofa cushions, you might like to watch the video below.
Stay cosy & save with an Aira Heat Pump
Save up to £525 a year on energy bills by upgrading your boiler to an Aira Heat Pump.
From free home assessment to installation and a 15-year guarantee, everything’s included in your switch with Aira.
7. Buy a big mirror
If you don’t already have a large mirror in your living area, you might like to consider getting one. Mirrors reflect light and make the whole space appear bigger and brighter – and they look great on the wall, too.
With so many different frames around, from glittering gilt to colourful mosaics and classic wood, it’s easy to find a mirror that perfectly matches your style and personality.
Browse some IKEA mirrors here, or if you prefer more antique furnishings, you can pop along to your local second-hand shop and see what’s on offer.
Alternatively, have a watch of the video below to see the difference a feature mirror can make to a living space.
8. Paint the floor
If your living space has a wooden floor, you can transform its overall look by giving the floorboards a lick of paint to create a stylish yet rustic look. It might not be as quick as buying a rug, but it’s still budget-friendly – all you need is a tidy floor, a pot of paint, and a little patience.
If you’d like to make your living area seem brighter, you can paint your floorboards white, which is a great way of giving the illusion of light and space. Or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, black-painted floorboards are very on-trend right now.
You might need to do a bit of prep first if you’d like your newly painted floors to look lovely and smooth. Try giving them a good sand with medium-grade sandpaper* to get rid of any bumps and shine – this will also make sure the paint sticks well.
Then, give your floor a good vacuum and wash it with warm water. Once it’s dry, you can get painting. You’ll find more about how to prep your floor in this useful guide from Real Homes. Alternatively, you might like to check out the video below.
9. Hang statement wallpaper
Hanging some patterned wallpaper to create a feature wall is an easy way to make a big statement for a small price. Wallpaper is one of the easiest ways to invigorate a tired living space and inject character into a room that’s maybe a bit bland.
There are so many different patterns to choose from – tropical prints, bold geometrics, and pretty floral designs, to name just three.
If you’d like to make a statement with your wallpaper but aren’t 100% sure what style would work best, you can even buy peel-and-stick wallpaper – so if you change your mind, you can just peel it off. For inspiration, why not have a look at Walls Need Love’s list of peel-and-stick wallpaper designs?
You can choose to have your wallpaper hung by a professional or, if you can do it yourself, it’s worth watching the video below first.
10. Get creative with art
Just as a big mirror and vibrant wallpaper can help make your living space look beautiful and unique, so can artwork. For example, you could hang stylish black and white photos on one wall, prop up oversized wall art against another, or choose a large, eye-catching painting to hang as your room’s main feature.
While original paintings can be expensive, you can always choose a print instead. Once these are framed, they can look similarly stylish.
Have a look at some of Desenio’s gorgeous examples of wall art to get inspired. Alternatively, if you have an artistic streak yourself, why not consider making your own art to hang on your walls? Check out our guides to painting and drawing if you’d like to create your own pieces to hang with pride.
Final thoughts…
When thinking about making home improvements, many of us assume it involves a lot of time and effort, but this isn’t always the case. There are many small ways you can freshen up or entirely transform your living space – and one of the best things is how quick and easy it can be.
Many of us like to keep a close eye on our budgets, so it’s great to see what a difference you can make with a few well-placed plants or a mirror in the right spot. Plus, as the place we relax, entertain, and call home, there’s nowhere better to get creative.
For more ideas and inspiration, why not visit our home and garden section?
Have you recently improved your living space or done some DIY? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
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Stay cosy & save with an Aira Heat Pump
Save up to £525 a year on energy bills by upgrading your boiler to an Aira Heat Pump.
From free home assessment to installation and a 15-year guarantee, everything’s included in your switch with Aira.