How to Decorate your First Home on a Budget

You've just bought your first home. Finally, a space you can make your own! You're excited to decorate and transform the interior into your personal style. Sure, you had to sacrifice a little when it came to your first home purchase - style and condition were less of a priority than price and location. But you're ready to tackle that home and DIY it into your dream home!

But where should you begin?

Your pinterest boards are full of inspiration and style. But your bank account is a little less full. So how do you decorate your first home on a budget...AND get a living space that reflects your personal style?

1. Paint is your best friend

Paint is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to revamp a home. You can paint walls, cabinets, furniture and instantly breathe new life into them! But don't go rushing out to buy gallons and gallons of paint the first week you move in. Live in your space for a little while. Get a feel for your style - what you like, and what you don't like. Once you whitewash that brick fireplace - there's no going back.

2. Don't be tempted by all-in-one room solutions

Those large, retail furniture stores want to sell you all-in-one, matching furniture sets for your room. Its a quick, easy, and tempting solution to fill up the empty space in your home. Don't do it. Your home should tell a story, not be a magazine advertisement for a furniture store. Invest in large, main furniture items like a bed, sofa, or dining table. Add in a thrift store coffee table, some flea market nightstands, and some secondhand chairs. Your style - just like your family - will evolve and change over time. Don't shell out thousands of dollars on something you may not love a year from now.

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3. Use textiles to add personality

If your home is in need of some major upgrades, but you won't be able to do them for a few years, then use textiles strategically to add your style and personality to the space. An inexpensive area rug can add pattern, color, and warmth to a space while hiding cold floor tile. Drapery and throw pillows can also be used to draw the eye away from unsightly features - like a hand-me-down sofa. Color, pattern, and light are the three things that draw the eye the most. Use them in your space to highlight your style and detract from outdated features.

4. Get your DIY on

You're going to be offered a lot of secondhand items once people hear you are moving. Don't reject them right away because they're not your style or taste. Think of ways that you can easily update them - fresh paint, new upholstery, new hardware. A couple hundred dollars for new fabric on an old chair is better than thousands of dollars for a new chair.

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5. Embrace the Imperfection

Not every room in your home is going to be pinterest-perfect. Choose which ones you want to spend your time, money, and energy decorating. Start with the Kitchen, Bedroom, and Living areas as they are the most utilized spaces in a home. Let your home bug you for a while and don't be too tempted to spend a lot of time on Pinterest. Recreating someone else's space in your home won't work. Find out what you like and embrace it!