4 Designers Share How They’d Upgrade a Living Room With Only $20

Picture how you’d overhaul your living room if money were no object. Now, picture how you’d actually redecorate your living room if you only had $20. What you’d pick to upgrade your space looks a lot different in the latter than the former, right?

It can be so off-putting and discouraging to reconcile what you can actually change in your space without taking on a full-scape remodel or renovation when you’re working on a limited budget. But the truth is that making intentional changes and upgrades is not impossible—and you can actually do it with just $20.

To prove it, we asked four design pros what they’d buy to upgrade a living room with a max of $20, and were pleasantly surprised that there was no shortage of ideas on how they’d take on this challenge. Below, read their ideas, and get inspired to tackle on your own living room upgrade.

How to Upgrade Your Living Room With Just $20

It’s completely possible to freshen up areas of your home (particularly your living room) on a strict budget. Anika Tarasiewicz, a New York-based interior designer and the founder and CEO of CRAFT by Anika, says that she’d start by, first and foremost, heading “straight for a local thrift shop, antique shops, estate sale, or even a flea market.”

Here, she says you’ll “almost always find something with potential, especially if you’re open to a little DIY, and bringing thrifted finds into your home provides you with an opportunity for the pieces in your home to “feel layered, personal, and collected over time,” she says.

You’ve also got the ability to really stretch $20 when you’re thrifting.

But thrifting isn’t the only way to upgrade your space. You also want to look for items you can buy in bulk, which will bring down the cost per item. Here are a few more designer-approved ideas.

Candles

Armed with only $20, Rebecca Merritt, the owner and principal interior designer at Merritt Design Co., would buy a candle.

“You don’t realize how much scent can impact your mood and make a space feel cozy, ” the designer says. “I personally love a candle with a flickering wick that makes that fireplace crackle sound.”

This time of year, I’d opt for a cinnamon or pine-scented candle to get into the Christmas spirit.

Vases and candlesticks

Home design and improvement specialist Bea Copeland would also shop secondhand to refresh her living room. Instead of just candles, she’d opt for candlestick holders or vases.

“Brass, glass, ceramic—you can find an assortment at any estate sale and collect the ones that fit your personal style best,” she says.

Greenery

Merritt is also a bring proponent of bringing the outdoors in.

“I like to take a jar or vase I already have and add some branches each season to give the room more depth, texture, and color,” she says.

Because it’s such an easy way to refresh your space, seasonal branches that you can find in the yard or from a local store can easily be displayed in a vase or jar you already have at home, she says.

Lighting

Tarasiewicz says that affordable lighting “can change the entire feel of a room and completely transform the space.”

She says to opt for rechargeable or battery-powered puck lights since they can be tucked into a bookshelf, cabinet, or dark corner to create a soft, inviting glow. You won’t need to hire an electrician for any installation work, and most styles are low-profile enough to blend in, says Tarasiewicz.

Kristina Phillips, the founder of Kristina Phillips Interior Design, says that with $20, she’d choose to swap out your existing lightbulb for a high -CRI, warm-white LED bulb (2700K, CRI 95+) and make sure it’s dimmable, too. This type of intentional lighting isn’t just budget-friendly—it’s moody in all the right ways.

“The whole room instantly looks richer; paint reads truer; and art and stonework glows,” she says.