8 Budget Ideas for a Stylish Creative Interior

We already told how designers from Zi-design transformed a typical 38-square-meter studio into a comfortable and impactful space without a large budget. We decided to remind you of this project and compile the most impressive ideas from it in this article.

Mini Living Room in the Kitchen

It's not necessary to place a full dining table and chairs if you don't host formal dinners and like to combine meals with reading a book or watching a movie. A compact table and a sofa will be enough — it creates a mini living room and an excellent spot for relaxing with a cup of coffee.

Lightweight Kitchen Cabinet

The fewer cabinets, the cheaper the kitchen cabinet will be. Here, designers opted out of upper cabinets in the kitchen and used open metal shelving instead. One of the cabinets was replaced with a niche covered by a textile curtain, and the last cabinet was substituted with a roll-out shelf.

Lighting in Unusual Places

In the kitchen, lighting was placed not above the work zone but to the side. They also avoided technical lighting. All fixtures are point lights with different shadows, intensity, and warmth. "I really love architectural lighting: it creates the very atmosphere needed in every room with various surfaces, finishes, and textiles," says designer Victoria Zolina.

Simple Materials in Finish

To avoid worrying about the sofa upholstery color and fitting any existing model, you can use regular cotton or linen fabric to sew a cover or just beautifully drape it over furniture. A vintage screen made of thin metal rods also fit perfectly into the kitchen: it rustles when moved and leaves no one indifferent.

Furniture Made by Hand

"My favorite piece in the interior is a self-made bench in the living room, made from plywood and covered with mosaic by myself. It perfectly fits into the interior, breaking up the smooth monochrome wall and becoming a highlight in the living room," says Victoria Zolina. "It's a character piece — imperfect, textured, but stylish and unobtrusive."

Masking Radiators with Posters

Don't like how the radiator looks but don't have a budget for an attractive decorative screen or repainting? Cover it with large-format posters or photographs — cheap and stylish.

Shower Without a Decorative Panel

The main feature of the bathroom is an open shower: the metal frame was painted black, and the shower itself was decorated with black curved lines.

Blinds Instead of Cabinet Doors

The wardrobes in the hallway were closed with sliding panel blinds — an excellent solution if you want to save money on storage systems.