I always get asked where to save and where to splurge when it comes to decorating. I think the answer always comes down to where you want to have the greatest impact. Where do you want to draw the most focus? Where do you want the most luxury? What is the most important part of the room, either functionally or aesthetically?
In today’s video I want to share with you eight splurge-worthy upgrades every home can use. The best part is that many of these are micro-splurges and not massive investments. These are easy splurges to integrate into your home as your budget allows.
1. Splurge on the Jewelry of a Room
Number one is great lighting. I’ve owned three homes. The first one was an older home. It was more than 20 years old when we moved in. Our last two homes have been builder homes, and all three had horrible lighting. One of the first things we did in all of them is replace the main light fixtures, and it makes such a big difference. I think lighting is the jewelry for a room, and until you try it, you won’t really realize what an impact it makes. I encourage you to save up and splurge on great lighting.
2. Get the Look of a Pro Decorator
Number two is accent furniture. This is an entire layer of a room that lots of people miss. I think it marks the difference between more of an amateur and a professional decorator. Great accent furniture is what helps fill out a room. It’s the bench under the console table. It’s the decorative stool next to the chair. It’s all those little pieces of furniture that help fill in the space, make it feel more collected, and make it feel more put together.
Now, accent furniture isn’t actually expensive in and of itself, but I think people consider it a splurge because they aren’t necessary furniture pieces, so I urge you to splurge in this area. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised that it’s not a big investment to get a few great accent furniture pieces.
3. Buy Fewer, Bigger Pieces
Third is bigger décor. You’ve probably heard me say this before, but it’s so important. When you’re in the store and you see a pretty vase that you like and there are three sizes, I want you to go bigger than you think you need to go. I know the smallest one is the least expensive, but the bigger one is going to have a bigger impact. In the long run, this splurge is going to save you money, because you only need a few bigger pieces to make up for a ton of small pieces.
4. Turn Your Reading Habit into a Decorating Asset
Number four is hardcover books. When you’re looking on Amazon and the Kindle is $9 and the paperback is $10 and the hardcover is $12 or even $15, go for the hardcover, because not only will you get the value out of reading the book, then you can use the hardcover book without the dust jacket for decorating.
5. Upgrade Your Paint
Number five is quality paint. Now, be careful with this splurge, because once you go into the realm of high quality paint, you will never go back to the home improvement store brand. I promise you. The difference is amazing, both while you’re painting and the finished product. Invest in great quality paint so you can have beautiful rooms and beautiful furniture, if you like to paint furniture. Don’t cheap out on your paint. Great quality paint takes less coats and looks better than the less expensive paint.
6. The Non-Negotiable Carpet Upgrade
Number six is invest in a great quality carpet pad. If you are installing carpet in a newer home or replacing carpet, I think the carpet pad is so important. When we installed the carpet in the basement in this house, we got to choose the carpet pad, and we chose the thickest, most luxurious carpet pad possible. It added more than a dollar per square foot to our carpet installation, but it makes a world of difference, especially in the basement. On a cement pad, having a thick carpet pad is so important and it feels so luxurious, and in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t that big of a splurge. We cannot wait to replace the carpet and the carpet pad in the rest of our house.
7. Why You Should Invest in a Rug (Even If You Have Carpet)
Number seven is rugs. These tend to fall in the category of accent furniture where they don’t always feel like a necessary purchase, especially if you have carpeted areas in your home, but rugs are a great splurge because they can add so much color and pattern to a space. If you have a room that is feeling flat, I want you to splurge on a great area rug for this space. It will make all the difference.
8. The Easiest Way to Get Better Light
Number eight, and the final splurge, is a new one in our house, and it kind of circles us back to number one of great lighting. Invest in changing out your light bulbs. Get rid of those incandescents and the fluorescents and the CFL’s, and go with LED light bulbs. You will be amazed at the difference. Not only are they healthier for you and the environment, but they produce great light. We are really enjoying them. We’ve been slowly investing and splurging to replace all the light bulbs in our house with LEDs.
Get Your FREE Online Shopping Guide
Are you ready to splurge but not sure where to shop for lighting, accent furniture or rugs? Then download my free guide, 21 Favorite Places to Shop Online for Furniture and Home Décor.
Hi Jackie! I installed a really cute kitchen light fixture over my sink that looks best with an Edison bulb because of the shape. But when you turn it on, the light is so dingy and yellow that we took it out right away. The clear glass round incandescent that I replaced it with looks better because the light is brighter, but the Edison shaped bulb was meant to hang below the glass cone. So now it has lost its charm. Have you seen Edison shaped bulbs anywhere with white light? My electrician was no help.
Teri, The Edison bulbs have a filament so they give off the dim, orange light. I have them over my island and love the charm, but we have recessed lighting that gives us the bright light we need.
For better light in a decorative bulb, check out this cut glass option: http://m.cb2.com/cut-glass-halogen-40w-light-bulb/s320095