How to Create a Cool Interior on a Small Budget: 5 Life Hacks

A two-room apartment decorated by designer Irina Dolganova was liked by many of our readers. And it's no wonder — the interior looks stylish and harmonious even on a small budget. We've collected the best ideas for interior decoration from this implemented project.

Partial Cabinet Replacement

A great idea for a stylish and economical renovation is to keep the frames and only replace the fronts. Irina Dolganova did exactly this: "I left the lower drawers from the old cabinets and only replaced the fronts. The countertop, by the way, was also kept from the old kitchen: all shades of the new interior were chosen with regard to its color. The fronts are made of MDF with enamel paint. There are no expensive features in the cabinet such as pull-out shelves — the goal was to make a beautiful kitchen in an interesting blue color, but save as much as possible."

Colorful Ceiling Molding

Ceiling moldings are one of the expenses during renovation. If you decide to use them, why not draw attention to them with color? You can paint them in a bright shade or in a more neutral gray. This won't show up on the estimate, but the interior will become more interesting.

Effective Headboard Panel

Cool panels or wallpapers are often quite an expensive luxury. How to save money? For example, place the element not on the whole wall but only on part of the surface. The high headboard covers part of the wall, so the designer raised the panel higher — the headboard smoothly transitions into the image.

Uniform Floor Covering

Uniform floor covering throughout the apartment, except bathrooms — this is quartz vinyl. Floors in one piece throughout the apartment always look great, especially when the apartment is small. In addition, you can get a discount for volume when purchasing and save on joining elements and trim.

No Partitions in the Bathroom

Often, in the bathroom, a washing machine is separated from the rest of the space by a partition made of gypsum board. Apart from buying the frame and gypsum board, additional costs include tiling the partition, cabinet doors if they were planned. The simplest solution is to do away with the partition altogether. For example, as Irina Dolganova did — against a light ceramic tile background, the washing machine doesn't stand out so much.