I love to furnish a home on a budget! I’m a professional interior stylist and I bargain hunt for absolutely everything, My own home, client projects, shoot styling, all of it. Finding a brilliant piece at an incredible price is genuinely one of my favourite things about my job, and it is a skill I have been building my whole career.
When I bought my Brighton cottage it was empty, unloved and needed everything. I mean everything. And I furnished it almost entirely on a tiny budget by using exactly the tips I am about to share with you. So these are not theoretical. These are the real strategies I use as a professional, week in, week out, to make budgets stretch further than most people think is possible.
Here are my tried and tested bargain hunting homeware tips, and you can start using them this weekend.
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT MAXINE:
Maxine Brady is an award winning interior stylist in Brighton. She has 25 years experience styling homes and interiors for magazines, brands and TV shows across London, the UK and internationally. Follow her on instagram 96K followers and Tiktok. Listen to Maxine’s Interiors Podcast: How to Home
Mix and match expensive items with bargain second hand buys
Tip 1: Stop buying things just because they are cheap
The number one mistake I see people make when bargain hunting for their homes is panic buying something just because it is in the sale. This is especially risky with bigger purchases like a sofa, a bed or kitchen elements. If you are buying something because it is cheap rather than because it actually works in your home, you will end up with a space that looks mismatched and crazy.
Clever bargain hunters know it is not about spending as little as possible. It is about buying things you will love for a long time. Take a moment to work out what you love, what you need and how something fits into your room before you commit. A stylish home is not built on buying more. It is built on choosing better.
Get to know your high street and you’ll be able to furnish your home on a budget in no time
Tip 2: Know where to shop for the best value finds
For designer lookalikes, Dunelm is always my first stop. Their bedding and rugs in particular are fantastic value and they are great for larger statement pieces too. Next is a firm favourite because they collaborate with interiors brands at genuinely affordable prices. You can find pieces from names like Lucy Tiffney, Rockett St George and Eleanor Bowmer that bring a designer feel without the price tag.
Homesense is one of the best kept secrets on the high street. It is packed with designer brands at silly low prices and the stock changes constantly so you need to pop in regularly. For more quirky, personality-led pieces, Habitat and Oliver Bonas are brilliant for cushions, vases and frames that make a room feel personal. And if you are patient, shopping the Heal’s sale can occasionally throw up something really special for a fraction of the usual price.
You can get up google alerts for items you love so you can hawk on when they land in the sale.
Look for little vintage items that will add character to your home like this stool. Image Graham & Brown
Tip 3: Make second-hand your default, not your last resort
Beyond the high street, second-hand is always part of my strategy. Vinted, eBay and car boot sales are absolute goldmines for furniture, vintage pieces and accessories. If you have good vintage warehouses or large charity shops, then make sure to visit often and frequently. Keep you room plans and measurements on your phone so if you find a bargain, you know it is going to fit!
Some of the pieces I am most proud of in my home came from a car boot or a charity shop. With a bit of patience you can find things for next to nothing that bring enormous character to a room. That’s how you can furnish a home on a budget yet still give your space loads of personality too!
Vintage textiles can be turned into art or used to upholster furniture. Rug, Weaver Green
Tip 4: Learn how to spot quality when shopping second-hand
This is a skill and it genuinely gets easier with practice. I always look for three things: brands, materials and condition.
Start learning the names of key furniture brands, whether that is mid-century makers, Art Deco pieces or Victorian antiques, and you will begin to spot them instantly when you are out and about. Most good quality vintage items have labels underneath that tell you about the maker, or you can do a quick Google image search to trace where something came from. I once picked up a pair of Ercol side tables for £5 at a car boot because I recognised the shape immediately.
Check the materials next. Solid wood, metal, heavy glass, leather, linen and weighty ceramics will almost always look better and last longer than lighter synthetic alternatives. Then examine the condition properly. Open drawers, check underneath and give something a gentle wobble. If it feels solid and well made, you have probably found a brilliant bargain to furnish a home on a budget.
Mix and match high end with inexpensive for a luxury look on a shoe string
Tip 5: Know when to splurge and when to save
Spend more on the pieces you use every single day. Invest in your sofa, mattress, bed frame, rug, taps, flooring and kitchen worktops. These are in constant use so it makes sense to buy the best quality you can afford.
Then save on the smaller decorative stuff. Cushions, throws, accessories and artwork can all be found by shopping around, and you can be much more playful here. Mix in high street finds, vintage pieces and clever DIY. If your core pieces are solid and timeless, you can refresh everything else whenever you like without starting from scratch.
Old units can be given a new lease of life with paint. Image Lifestyle Floors
Tip 6: Use paint to transform cheap pieces completely
Furniture paint is always my first go-to when I want to elevate a budget buy. A fresh coat in a beautiful colour, especially something matt and sophisticated, can completely transform a basic piece of furniture. I have done this so many times in my own home and the results are always worth it.
Wallpapering the inside of a cupboard or a drawer is another favourite trick of mine. It adds that little moment of surprise that makes a piece feel really special and considered, even if it cost you nothing.
Tip 7: Upgrade the hardware and the details
This is one of the easiest wins there is. Swap out cheap-looking handles for brushed brass ones and the whole piece changes. Pretty Pegs stock a brilliant range of designer-looking legs you can use to customise sofas and cabinets, which instantly elevates them. If you have a glass-fronted cabinet, reeded window film creates that expensive ribbed glass look for very little money. And if you have scatter cushions that look a bit flat, swap out the polyester inserts for feather ones and you will immediately notice the difference.
Old vintage terracotta pots can be picked up for next to nothing but can seriously elevate your home. Image Dunelm.
Tip 8: Style with confidence and give things space to breathe
This is the tip that ties everything else together. Placement matters enormously. Give your pieces space to breathe, create small styling moments around them, and resist the urge to cram everything in. When something is styled with confidence, your whole home starts to look more expensive, whatever you actually paid for it.
How to Furnish a Home on a Budget: 8 Bargain Hunting Homeware Tips to Try This Weekend
After reading this post do you feel more confident to furnish a home on a budget and add some vintage flair your pad? I do hope so!
That is genuinely how I approach every room in my little home. I am always on the lookout, always editing, always finding a better version of something for less. It is one of my very favourite parts of this job and I love that it means a beautiful home is not just for people with big budgets.
If you’re planning a photo shoot or socail media content, then contact Maxine.
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