Are you someone living in an old home? Don’t feel abnormal. If you are to go by statistics, more than 60% of the people living in UK, Europe, USA and many other parts of the world reside in quite old homes. It is actually fairly common for many residential neighborhoods to have houses older than 50 years. This is scratching the surface only as well. Many houses are centuries old as well. Grey living room ideas have been pretty popular in the past centuries. This is why you see so many of them in older homes.
Thing with homes and residential buildings is that they get sold, resold and sold again. Different owners in different timelines renovate these old houses to their own taste of design. A grey living room might still survive throughout the decades though. However, if you are living in an old home, it doesn’t have to stay looking old. There are so many basement bar ideas available today that can turn old basements into much modern looking ones. Teal color living rooms or part of the houses is very much possible with the right kind of design dedication.
Here we have some pro tips that will transform your old home into modern looking one on a budget:
1: Plan Your Budget Home Décor Ahead
One of the worst things you can do during any budget home décor is to start without a plan. Re-decorating without a plan can be so hard on any budget that you might have to give it all up. This is where things get out of hand especially when you are on a tight budget.
From the simplest task of doing your wall again to finishing the whole house, it all needs a plan. Do yourself a favor and plan your home décor ahead and stick to that plan for the most part. Consider cost of all things needed and also all the labor if your will not be on a DIY project.
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2: Get Your Drawing Skills Out

Many people are fond of drawing and have quite excellent drawing skills to boast as well. Why not put this to good use. Things to draw for your home walls are potentially bound by imagination only. Possibilities with all those easy things to draw on walls of all sizes are frankly limitless.
If you have a grey wall in your living room, that grey living room can be transformed so easily with drawing. There are so many different colors that work great with various things to draw on grey walls. Wallpapered walls can also be drawn on with the right kind of skills.
Teal color works very good with easy things to draw on grey walls actually. However, you got to be careful when looking for things to draw on grey living room walls. Thing with drawing paint is that it doesn’t come off easily. Once it is on your wall, you will have to keep it in all probability.
3: Clean Everything and Remove the Clutter
Clutter around the house can be the number 1 distraction during any modern décor project. Clutter and wasted things actually contribute highly to the old look and feel of any house. Start fresh and remove all clutter from everywhere in the house and deep clean all spaces before you start.
Whether you are implementing any basement bar ideas or attic transformations, it is important to start from a clean base. Dad jokes in the family aside, be sure to have the whole space you are remodeling cleaned out before starting. Pro opinion is that it helps plan your things to draw or any other ideas too.
4: Paint It All White
The color white provides a good base to work from for any home design project. It is actually a pretty basic budget thing to paint any room or the whole house white. Whether you want to have a teal color wall or any other combination, it will all look good on a white background.
Match easy things to draw with design themes in black on white background and you have a cool wall anytime. This is one of the most efficient ways of starting to make your home look contemporary rather than old. Paint it all white, later, you can add teal color or any other one of your choice on top.
5: Holiday Décor Design Theme for Your Home

When is Easter 2020? O sorry, it’s already past right! Next question, when is Thanksgiving? Or, when is Christmas 2020? For any festive events of the future, you can start planning your budget home décor anytime of the year. Trust us, its never too early to start planning.
If you decorated for thanksgiving 2019, you’ll know how easy the whole thing can be. When is thanksgiving? It doesn’t really matter as long as you have the right decoration planning. Wallpapers, DIY room paint projects or reusing old ornaments can do the job for you. Dad jokes alert!
- Give your family room a nice little DIY holiday décor on a budget
- Add thanksgiving 2019 ornaments that you have stored for thanksgiving 2020
- Start preparing all your ornaments for Halloween or Christmas already
- Start your Christmas 2020 décor planning with green and red wallpapers
- When you start planning ahead in time, most things can be done within a short budget
6: For Usual Décor, Ditch That Wallpaper
Wallpapers might be great solutions for holiday or event-based décor requirements. Yet, wallpapers are things of the past. Old houses used them to great effect. But this is where design trends have drawn the line. Wallpapers are truly things of the past and this is where they should stay.
Affordable wall paints are available these days that look much better. Polish your own wall painting skills and take up a painting DIY project. This way, it will also be easier to decide on your favorite things to draw as well. Get tiles, paints, wall textures, anything but wallpapers for a modernized look.
7: Swap Curtains for Blinds on Windows

Curtains and window drapes can be pretty darn expensive. When your curtains have lived their lives and are on their way out, replacing with new drapery can be expensive. On the other hand, windows blinds can be the perfect solution for a budget room décor.
Windows blinds are available in many different materials, shapes and forms. Different blinds for windows suit different interior settings. Those wooden blinds make a luxury appeal while being so much cheaper than quality window drapery. Oh, and their color choices are potentially limitless. Blinds Chalet sells some of the best Made in USA Windows Blinds.
8: Attractive Highlights – Doors, Frames or Any

One of the most cost effective and attractive ways of modernizing an old home is to use design highlights. Old style home designs are guilty of having plane and boring layouts. By adding door highlights in colors and designs, you can give your home exterior a cool new look.
Also, with frame highlights for pictures or general art pieces, things can truly look contemporary. Frame carvings in walls can also hold refreshing little plantation pieces as well. Highlights in shape of doors, frames, art pieces and others have the ability to make old homes look more modern.
9: Make a DIY Edge Lighting Mirror for Dressing Rooms

Dressing room lovers will love this idea very much. An edge-lighted mirror turns the whole room into something special. Even for grey room ideas, this mirror design can be such a great add-on. Turn the lights low and light up the edges of your mirror. No more will you need lights on top of your mirrors.
This edge lighting for mirrors works great of teal color walls as well. If you are someone who needs to have a separate dressing room in your house, this can be the perfect idea. Old homes usually have spare rooms in them. Put one to good use and have your dressing setup with this DIY mirror design.
The Desire for a modern home, the drive to do it within your budget and the fun of doing it all, leads to something truly great. There is a lot that can be done on a budget with old homes.
Reading Recommendation: 23 Home Accessories That Would Make You Proud of Your Home Décor Taste
10: Clean Carpets and Add Center Pieces
For old homes that have carpeted rooms, adding a center piece can really make a modern impression. This center piece can be in shape of a rug or a center round smaller carpet. Add a small center table in round or oval shape for an even better modern design element.
However, you need to make sure that old carpet is well cleaned and washed. Floors make quite large spaces in any old home rooms. Make them look nice, clean and refreshing for a great overall finish. Cleaning that old carpet is cheap. Getting a new center piece is affordable as well. All on a budget.
11: Affordable Updates for Those Old Power Outlets

Power outlets and switch boards are among the worst when it comes to maintaining that old home look and feel. Also, these switch boards and outlets are available for cheap in the market. Especially when you are looking for easy things to draw on your walls, these outlets can have all those around them.
All your things to draw on walls can revolve around these switch boards or power outlets depending on their position. When changed, new boards will make a modernized impression for your old rooms. These are available in all colors as well. For your teal color walls, match or contrast accordingly.
12: Paint, Polish and Shine That Old Furniture
Furniture items including sofas, tables, beds, chairs and even all the woodwork in rooms can make an old impression. Losing their color and definition, these make homes look much older than they need to be. Also, getting all these new can be quite expensive this year 2020 and later down the line.
We got an easy and cheap fix for this expensive problem when you are on a budget. Budget décor can be achieved by painting, polishing and shining that furniture in good state. Yet, furniture items need to be in good shape for this. Restoration and then painting or polishing is the way to go for damaged ones.
13: Renew Your Cupboards
While you are at repainting and polishing furniture, continue the effort on cupboards as well. Old homes really look old due to the state of cupboards that are also large in many rooms. Giving them a new paintjob can make that interior look and feel much more modernized.
And yes, you can go for any color cupboards you wish. Teal color, bright red or even yellow cupboards, depending on rest of your interior themes can look great. Do fix any broken doors or replace any missing bits making your cupboards look modern and feel new.
14: Get New Backsplash

Backsplash is the single biggest impression provide for homes and interiors of all kinds. Also, tiles, wall textures and few other ideas are available cheaply as well. To create a modernized look for your home, replacing that old-style backsplash is very important.
Backsplash for kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms and other spaces is very significant. Grey living room ideas with greyed out backsplashes don’t work anymore. Replace them and get new ones that make a new design impression for everyone.
15: Shower Curtain Update Goes a Long Way
For a new modernized bathroom, a shower curtain replacement and update go a long way. Shower curtains are available in many different materials and finishes these days. If you have shower doors in your bathrooms, shower curtains will not work. Either of the two need to be updated.
Also, these shower curtains can now be custom-made for your precise requirements. Color match them with your bathroom interiors to give even a more modern look. Take that old bathroom look away and introduce a more modern feeling with a new shower curtain.
16: Deep Clean Your Floors and Fix Any Damage
Floor tiles or wood fixtures can really dirty up over time. Replacing these floor tiles and wooden sheets can be expensive. Instead, you can just clean them properly and restore a new modern look. Also, repair any damages to any of the tiles or wooden pieces.
Make sure to get all the dirt and grime off from between the tile cracks. These when dirty, make a really un-polished floor impression that takes you back the old house memory lane. Your old grey living room ideas can brighten up with this little hack.
17: Modernize the Garden and Tidy It Up
Gardens in old homes have been filled up with things. More modern trend has sheds in backyard gardens tidying up the look. All extra garden belongings like the bar b q, movable pools, kid’s swings and/or any other garden items should be tidied up in sheds.
Build up a cheap shed or get one premade and tidy up your garden. Find a quality garden center near me and get what you need. Grow some flower plans on the sides giving it a neat and contemporary look. Paint the garden fence nicely again. Have some easy things to draw on the fence if needed.
18: Dim Lighting for More Rooms is More Modern

Traditionally, homes and apartments have been lit up inside pretty aggressively. Yet, the more modern trend has elegant dim lighting across many rooms. Your bedrooms, living rooms, passageways and guest rooms can do better with modern dim lighting. Dim lighting has an elegant feel to it in the modern day.
Ceiling lights are pretty modern and provide an elegant feel of their own. Floor lights are nice and provide a reference point in the dark as well. kitchens and garages can still stay as bright as they can possibly get. Dim lighting for other rooms is a more modern affordable approach.
19: Get Rid of Those Old School Sheets and Fabrics
Bedsheets, sofa covers and table cloths, all make pretty significant impressions. Those old-style boring bedsheets and table cloths are things of the past. Brighter more attractive fabrics are much more modern offering a contemporary look. Even with bohemian styles, newer brighter colors make sense.
Teal color for your table and sofa fabrics make sense in many settings. Make sure to brighten up the feel in your grey living room with modern attractive colors. Also, don’t thrown in too many colors in any one single room unless you are going with a bohemian modernization. It all has to follow a theme.
Why Do It?
Of course, the question arises, why do it at all. Budget friendly ideas for old homes can yet have a huge impact on the way they look and feel. By spending much less than you think, that old feel can be erased from any home. Implementing new modern ideas can spruce up your modernized homes for the better.
At the end of the day, all of us want our homes to look modern and attractive. Budget Décor Ideas aims to improve the way your home looks but also boost many functionality features as well. Read our article on DIY Spirit Halloween decorations as well here.