9 Living Room Ideas on a Budget

1. Choose multi-functional living room furniture

Here’s a great idea for a budget living room, and an undeniably true fact: If you buy living room furniture pieces that perform more than one function, then your living room budget will stretch that little bit further.

A great place to start is with the sofa, or rather the sofa bed. Rest assured, the days when the typical sofa bed was neither a stylish sofa nor a comfortable bed have long gone. Sofa beds today are beautifully designed and wonderfully well made, and often offer a choice of mattress – memory foam or pocket springs – while also incorporating useful built in storage space for pillows and bedding.

SHOP SOFA BEDS

2. Invest in an impactful rug

Filling a living room with wall art and framed prints can leave room for little else in a living room budget. A large rug with a bold design, however, can deliver a similar style impact and at a fraction of the cost.

Think of a rug as art for your floor. Pick one that really resonates with your inner designer by choosing a distinctive look like a retro-style shaggy rug or a modern geometric rug. A rug is also a great way to establish a living room design theme – bold and contemporary or defiantly traditional – or to bring in a new accent colour.

Shop rugs

5. Rearrange your living room furniture

This has to be perhaps the easiest idea for a budget living room, but you may be surprised at how a simple change of furniture arrangement can make your living room feel like a whole new space. Sketch a few new layouts on a piece of paper first, and get a friend to help you with the heavy lifting. A second opinion is always great to have, too.

And along with rearranging, don’t be afraid to start removing too. Eliminating duplicate or unused pieces – you may love a nest of tables but do you really need three sets? – can be very liberating. Plus you’ll find that you’ve created something incredibly useful: extra space. This can make a smaller room feel lighter and more airy, as well as feeling more inviting whenever you have family or friends over.

7. Mix and match vintage furniture with investment pieces

Our advice for anyone looking for ideas for a budget living room is to learn to love eclectic style. A designer favourite, this is an on trend blend of different interior looks, styles, designs and even colours.

What it does mean is that instead of spending money on creating a sleeker more unified living room look, you can save up for the pieces that you really want – that beautiful oak coffee table, a gorgeous leather armchair – and fill the gaps with a more affordable eclectic mix of second hand pieces. Or, shop vintage stores for furniture that you can transform into something unique. The upcycling movement is huge, and you’ll find plenty of online resources to help you refinish or refurbish bookcases, TV cabinets, dressers and more.