There are many people who are looking for budget solutions, hacks and want to DIY to save money. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. For example, a client I’m working with at the moment in Southbank said he wanted new red curtains for his bedroom. But after we painted the walls, he changed his mind, saving nearly $3,000 in window treatments. So what are the best budget ideas, hacks and DIY options for your project.
Having a design strategy – best hack
I think the best hack is having a design strategy. What is a design strategy? For me that’s knowing the client’s preferred interior style goal and their colour scheme from the outset of the project.
In the example above the style goal consisted of words such as masculine chic, eclectic gentleman’s club and the colour scheme was blue, red, and green.
The client’s curtains in the master bedroom are a brown colour. They were suitably functional, in that they are black out curtains. My client said he wanted red, black out curtains. My vision for the bedroom included a khaki tartan wallpaper.
So I found a beautiful Dulux colour called Base Camp for the other walls. Once the walls were painted and before the wallpaper was installed the brown existing curtains made more sense. The new colour had changed the room and my client’s perception of the once drab old curtains suddenly changed. He saved at least $3,000 not getting new curtains because the existing ones fit with the design strategy.
Best budget ideas
In every room there is a focal piece. For example in the living or lounge room this is the sofa. In the bedroom this is the bed. One way to save money on furniture in a space is to spend less on the complementary pieces such as coffee table or bedside tables.
If you have a design strategy as mentioned above you can choose complementary pieces at budget prices that do not compromise the overall aesthetic or quality finish or dilute the more expensive focal piece.
For example in this project I completed for a client in Reservoir, the bedhead was approximately $1,000 but the bedside tables were from Fantastic Furniture. But given the Boho inspired style goal they worked.
Best DIY idea
You have to be really handy to do trade work. I don’t think quality trade work is something anyone can do. Tradies do years of apprenticeships and training. So the best DIY advice I have is self-awareness.
Do your research on any particular job you have in mind. For example tiling. Watch a lot of videos, read a lot of blogs, get advice from various Facebook groups, before you decide you can do the job.
Because fixing your mistake is going to be more expensive than getting it right first time.
While everyone is looking to save on their renovation project it is my experience that things always balance out. When you pay big money for something you can also pay a budget amount for something else. But having a design strategy is key.
