Style and smartness on a small budget

a small living room area with lots of light, a sofa, a TV, a vertical book display and an art wall, all in neutral colours.

Furnishing on a budget is easier and more satisfying than it sounds, just look at this home! Read on to get some great ideas on how to create welcoming and stylish rooms with conscious material choices, a colour theme, and personal details.

A living room area with secondhand books, accents in natural materials and an art wall in white, black and oatmeal.

Pick a palette

To achieve a timeless, calm atmosphere we’ve chosen a three-colour palette of white, oatmeal, and black with accents of natural wood, bamboo and rattan. The shelves, boxes, baskets, mirrors and frames are all low-price basics, as well as the wall clock. Why not make your walls more personal by creating the art yourself or by putting up favourite black-and-white photos?

A living room area in black, white and green with large plants, an AGEN rattan chair and accents in natural materials.

Bring your rooms to life

Furniture and deco details in natural materials add warmth and softness to rooms with a basic, graphic style. A mix of big and small plants is an affordable way to take your home to the next level – buy them, plant seeds from fruits and vegetables and adopt plantlets from family and friends.

A window with semitransparent, white curtains, a grey blind and a vertical display of secondhand books beside a reading lamp.

Two bright ideas

A mix of curtains and light-blocking blinds gives you control over light and privacy – handy when taking a nap or binge-watching your favourite series. The decorative collection of inexpensive secondhand books rests on four small shelves.

Make your art

The colour story that started in the living room continues in the bedroom, but with a more graphic expression. The piece of modern art behind the bed was made from MDF board and stretched meter fabric – a super-doable afternoon project at low cost.

More than meets the eye

This cabinet is a bedroom gem. The big mirror reflects light softly, it has a surface for decorative items that make you happy, a find-fast drawer for make-up, necklaces and knick-knacks, plus hidden storage for bed linen and extra pillows.

A clever closet

Create a storage combination that suits your needs and budget with low price wardrobe organisation products. Using curtains to close it off instead of doors is a smart way to keep the cost down and can help save space, too.

A hallway with hooks holding jackets and bags, a broad shelf high up and a white MACKAPÄR bench with storage compartments.

Just hang it

Rows of hooks is a budget-friendly way to make the most of every inch in hallways. They give a good overview and work for clothes, gym bags, baskets, and backpacks. A shelf close to the ceiling is great for stowing away things you don’t use very often – within reach but out of sight.

A long LINDBYN mirror, a black steel wire SÖSDALA memo board with clips and a shelf keeping memo notes and sunglasses.

Create a collage

A handful of small, inexpensive products – a mirror, a wall lamp, a shelf and a note board – look great when grouped together. If the wall gets messy when adding the things you need, put some of them into matching boxes.

A black TOMMARYD table with four different chairs in white, grey and black, black lamps, and a large plant on the windowsill.

Mix it up

Mismatched chairs work perfectly together when sticking to the overall colour scheme. With a neutral background, simple spots of colour, like the big, green plant, become beautiful and dramatic focal points.

Choose flexibility

A trolley offers lots of no-drill storage without blowing the budget. And if you don’t need it in the bathroom anymore, it will be happy to move to the kitchen, beside your bed or anywhere you might need some extra shelves.

A black NISSAFORS steel trolley with three shelves filled with towels and bath toys standing in front of a bathtub.