Home decor ideas

If your home is due for a design update but you have a limited budget and even less time, you're in the right place. We came up with more than 50 home decor ideas to get you started. With something as simple as an accent wall, colorful light bulb, or new throw pillow, you can make an entire space can feel fresh, on-trend but timeless, and refined. The best part? You can tackle each of these decorating ideas in one day, even though the results will look like they took way longer to pull off.

🏡You love finding new design tricks. So do we. Let us share the best of them.

flowers on bathroom counter
ALISON GOOTEE
1

Find Another Spot for Flowers

If you constantly keep a vase of flowers in your kitchen or living room, extend that love for fresh blooms throughout the house. It's the perfect excuse to invest in a new vase for your bedroom or bathroom. In this New York apartment designed by Katie Ridder, a globe-shaped vase adds a nice bubble detail. Or if the upkeep for real flowers is too much, go for faux alternatives.

small art on walls
SHADE DEGGES
2

Swap Out Art

Whether you have a few tiny frames—like in this bedroom designed by Jae Joo—or medium-sized ones on a gallery wall, you can easily swap them out with fresh finds. Tear our pages from a coffee table book, or stop by a flea market for new works.

interior mirror
ROBERT PETERSON / RUSTIC WHITE INTERIORS
3

Add a Mirror

Place a large mirror above your mantel as HGTV star Alison Victoria did in her Atlanta loft, or dedicate another empty wall space—whether it's in your hallway, entryway, or bedroom. Not only will it look good, but it'll make the room feel bigger and brighter.

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living room
PAUL COSTELLO
4

Refresh Coffee Table Books

If you can't resist a good coffee table book, bring a new one into your collection. Or if you keep them in various parts of your home, simply rearrange your stacks for a new look. Here, in a living room designed by Barrie Benson, the four stacks could easily be given a new layout and order using only the books on the table.

art on bookshelves
GENEVIEVE GARRUPPO
5

Attach Decor to a Shelving Unit

Don't have any more room on your walls for art? No problem. Hang anything from paintings and sconces to plants and bookmarks on a shelving unit. Here's a tutorial for how to hang art on bookshelves to guide you through the process—which includes tips from designer Marissa Bero, who has pulled this move in plenty of home libraries, including the one seen here.

living room with green chaise
HEIDI CAILLIER DESIGN
6

Set Up a Cozy Reading Spot

No designated reading nook? No problem. If your home doesn't have any leftover real estate to convert into a reading nook, design your formal living room to serve double duty as a cozy lounge area. Here, Heidi Caillier strategically chose furniture with fabrics and shapes that are both sophisticated and homey, perfect for entertaining or unwinding alone.

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black eclectic bedroom
FARROW & BALL
7

Don't Be Afraid of Black Paint

The soft black paint color in this bedroom makes it feel special and intimate in ways you'd never be able to achieve with a lighter hue (this specific shade is Farrow & Ball Railings). The eclectic furniture lends itself nicely to the darkness, too, adding a more lived-in and homey vibe.

white modern living room
REID ROLLS
8

Style an Empty Fireplace

Rethink how you style an empty fireplace. In this texture-rich environment, interior designer Leanne Ford turned an empty fireplace into a little gallery to display pottery and artwork.

light pink paisley bedroom
VICTORIA PEARSON
9

Treat Your Windows

Adding the right window treatment can make all the difference. We're especially into Roman shades with a fun pattern. "It goes against decorating 101, but using small patterns together can be easier on the eye," says interior decorator Kristin Panitch, who designed this dreamy pink cloud of a bedroom.

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black modern bookshelf
FIONA LYNCH
10

Re-Style a Bookshelf

From the inky stained wood to the modern side chair and clean-lined ladder, this home library designed by Fiona Lynch is a gorgeous contemporary take on traditional design. You could fill it with books—or you could add in decor accents and accessories like vases and sculptures to break up the monotony of a wall of books. Or, color-coordinate your books. Not only will it feel more cohesive, but if you've got a lot of bright colors in your collection, they'll stand out even more.

breakfast table with black chairs
JOHN GRUEN
11

Set up a Breakfast Nook

Breakfast with a view? We're in. This one is country-chic and just a touch rustic but still polished. It also proves you don't need to have an actual built-in nook to achieve the right vibe.

room, product, furniture, interior design, house, floor, door, home, building, table,
12

Spruce up Your Entryway

If you don't have a grand foyer—or you do but it needs some love–introduce a small console table. For a formal yet modern aesthetic, opt for a traditional table and then hang modern abstract art above it. Then lean some portraits against the wall for a laid-back take on the gallery wall.

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