How to Decorate a New House with a Limited Budget

Hello and welcome to Artsy Cupcake, where I share creative ideas for your home.

I just went through a big life change. A couple weeks ago I did a post sharing 5 tips for a cross-country move. My move had not happened yet, but now that it has, I’m busy planning the decor for my new craftsman style home. I will be sharing 3 ideas about how to decorate a new house with a limited budget and what ideas I have for decorating your home with its style in mind. Check out the video below I made for this post!

1 // determine the style of your home

The first thing you want to do when you move into a new home, is really examine the style or features of the home that make it unique. Does it have a farmhouse vibe, or is it really modern or minimalist? It could be a cottage style, or victorian with gingerbread house details.

Look at the flooring, the roof, are there arches or a lot of straight lines? Maybe it’s a very traditional home, but there’s one thing that gives it a hint of a style. For example, some columns on the porch could give it a colonial feel. Those types of details are what you want to latch on to and work off.

2 // the details are your head start

mediterranean style home

My house in Texas had an Italian or Mediterranean style and we tried to pick that up by using a lot of bronze accents inside the house. Just little things like changing out the little flusher on all the toilets from white plastic to a bronze finish. A cheap but impactful change.

We also used lavender, and planted Italian cypress trees around the yard to amplify that Mediterranean style. If you’re going to do some landscaping anyway, might as well get more bang for your buck by being thoughtful on what plants go with the style of your home.

craftsman style home

My new home is in Colorado and is totally different because it has a more rustic craftsman style to it. Now, it isn’t full on Frank Lloyd Wright looking or anything, but there are a few features that give it that craftsman style essence. 

The name craftsman comes from the Arts and Crafts movement, which started in England in the mid-1800s. This movement on the handmade and artisanship.

Craftsman style homes have always been popular in forested or areas with mountains, so I’m happy to say we have a view of the mountains, so it totally goes along with that vibe. 

front of house

Let’s start at the front and look at some of the details. Wood and stone. That right there is the first sign of craftsman influences.

Now, see how this column is thinner at the top and goes out at the bottom? That’s called a battered column and is very typical in the craftsman style.

The front door is a spot I think could use a few inexpensive details to give it more of a craftsman feel. If the HOA will let us (fingers crossed), a wooden door with a paned glass area at the top and some dentil trim would give this door that craftsman look. I love the stained glass look that is so popular in craftsman style homes.

This stone out front is echoed in the main living space at the fireplace.

wood

Medium to dark woods are very popular in craftsman style homes and you usually see a lot of wood details on the inside of the homes. We have these dark cabinets in the kitchen and they are a shaker style door, which are characterized by their simplicity. The flat inside and outside edge detail and flat recessed panel are typical of the craftsman style cabinetry.

My husband had an idea to put 2 beams in the main living space that are the same color as those kitchen cabinets. Another option I thought of was instead of 2 wood beams, do more of a craftsman style coffered ceiling, which you see in a lot of Frank Lloyd Wright homes. 

Let me know in the comments section below whose idea you like better. My husband’s 2 big wood beams or my coffered ceiling idea?

windows

Overhanging trim and 3 lite valance grids, like these at the top of the windows are another sign of craftsman influence in this home. For that reason, we did curtains instead of horizontal blinds. We don’t want to hide that architectural element because it adds to the vibe we’re going for.

I found the curtains below on amazon.com and they ended up being way cheaper than custom blinds! 

Buy on Amazon

3 // small fixes can make a big impact

lighting

Some of the things that are already in this house stood out like a sore thumb to me and unfortunately will need to be changed out (or I’ll go crazy). We’ll be doing these projects over the next year or so. 

For example, look at these light fixtures. They are nice and simple and would be great in a more modern or traditional home. But we really want to emphasize those craftsman details and a great way to bring that inside is through the lighting.

Here are some ideas I found. Rather than the lighting just being there, I think some upgrades will make the lighting become more of a statement. We may just start with the entry way and piano and kitchen areas. Then eventually move on to the less seen rooms of the house. That’s the nice thing with lighting – you can go in stages to save money. 

hardware

The hardware on the cabinets could also be swapped out for something with a craftsman style. This is super easy to do and is something you can do slowly on a room by room basis. 

// final thoughts

Noting these styles that are already implemented into the home give me a head start, because I’m just building upon what’s already here, instead of totally trying to change the feel of the home. 

For example, if I wanted to make this home into a modern contemporary, there would be some work to do. I’d probably want to change the color schemes by going for more of a stark white on the walls and white cabinets and changing out the hardware.

But by picking up on the style of your home, this can help with your decorating budget because you already have some of the elements built into the home and you’re just building upon what’s already there. 

If you liked this post, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, because I post regular updates on my projects over there.

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Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a very happy day!

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