Interiors on the cheap

There are plenty of ways to update your interiors which don’t cost a packet

DURING THE boom we were going house crazy and economist David McWilliams wryly noted that we were a nation obsessed with our decking. Our national pastime is no longer investing in wooden panels with which to carpet our yards and the closure of many furniture retailers is evidence that people are less likely to spend money on their homes.

But if a man’s home is still his castle, how then are we to satiate our need to redecorate without breaking the bank? If you are lucky enough to have a parent’s home to raid you might be surprised what interior delights, relegated to the attic, you might repurpose. A recent sojourn to my parents’ attic revealed some antique suitcases great for display and classic 1960s prints which are de rigueur.

Jackie Carton is an interior designer and says that de-cluttering is one of the best free ways to change your living space. “Be ruthless – if you haven’t used something in the last year you are unlikely to do so in the future. Throw out broken or damaged items, recycle others and donate to charities where possible.”

If you can’t get your unwanted items to the charity shop there are other ways to dispose of them. Websites like adverts.ieand gumtree.iehave free sections where you can offer items to give away or which you can scour yourself for interior goodies.

Moving items around and repurposing is another way to shake up your living space without spending. “Evaluate all your furnishings and consider moving furniture between rooms for a different look. Rehang mirrors, photos or artwork to change the appearance of the room,” says Carton. “New lampshades, cushions or a rug will update the space without blowing the budget. Be creative – perhaps that rug would look better as a wall hanging?”

There are several places to go for cheap and cheerful household additions, including Heatons and TK Maxx. The TK Maxx store in St Stephen’s Green Centre, Dublin, offers a decent supply of cushions, bed linen, vases and lighting, but other stores, such as those in Blanchardstown and Galway, also offer real choice in terms of furniture.

While Ikea goes without saying for cheap and cheerful furniture and homewares it’s important to measure the space you have to ensure that you are not left with a behemoth of a bookshelf better suited to a New York loft space than a terraced house in Stoneybatter.

With more of us shopping online it’s impossible to ignore the likes of Gumtree.ie, Donedeal.ie, Buyandsell.ieand Adverts.iefrom which you can source an enormous array of furniture and interiors items at really good prices.

Claire Rogister of Adverts.iesays that last month over 9,000 ads were placed in its home and garden category with 5,000 being marked as sold so there’s plenty of choice.