Fix up your new home on a budget

Once the whirlwind of a new home — offers, inspections, packing and boxes — winds down, new homeowners start noticing the little, and not-so-little, imperfections in their space.

But closing costs, new furniture and legal fees can quickly reset your renovation budget to zero. Luckily, there are some table lamps big transformations that can be done on the cheap.

The biggest change is always a coat of paint. “It’s a great way to personalize your new home, to wash the previous owner’s marks and scratches off the walls and to make a new house feel crisp and fresh,” says designer Sam Sacks.

With fresh colours on the walls and a clean coat of paint on the ceiling, a new homeowner might also want to look down to the floor, says Sacks, as refinishing scuffed or dated-looking floors “can make an older space seem new again.” Refinishing can also extend the life of your hardwood for a few more years, until it’s more feasible to replace it.

Working off the new canvas and colour palettes, the next step is to create a space for all your belongings says, interior designer Evelyn Eshun, owner of the Artella Group and design expert at TheRedPin.

A little imagination and personalization can make a big difference in off-the-shelf finds. Sacks says great pieces of table lamps furniture can be found at big box stores, but in order to keep the space from looking like a catalogue, you need to put your own creative stamp on it.

“For example, a slip covered sofa can be found for under $800 at places like West Elm, Ikea or Crate & Barrel,” Sacks says. The covers can be tossed in the wash when they start to get dirty, or replaced if there’s a stubborn stain. “But to really get a fun, personalized look, get a few yards or gorgeous fabric and have a sewer copy your slip covers in it.” That way, she says, for under $400 extra you’ll have “two fantastic, distinctly you chairs to compliment your living room.”