Affordable Decorating Ideas from the Salt Lake Parade of Homes

Earlier this month, I had the chance to go see the Salt Lake Parade of Homes. I love the Parade of Homes for all of the decorating ideas it gives me. You may think that since the majority of the homes are quite expensive that the furnishings, themes, decorations, and ideas are expensive. But actually, there are plenty of affordable decorating ideas or ideas that could be replicated very easily for less.

Here are some of my favs….

In this adorable Bat Man room, the accent wall was painted black with stenciled Batman heads in white and yellow. Stencils are a great, inexpensive way to customize any wall.

I loved this wood “chair railing” that was on 2 walls in this boys bedroom. It really brought your eye down and made it feel cozy. I looked at how it was made and it was just straight boards (1×4) that had been stained and then they layered shorter boards on top to create depth. So easy and really cheap too. (Love that they added some hooks too!)

It is so fun when you can repurpose an item. I believe this is a wooden wine rack that was being used to display fake succulents. Succulents are really popular right now and all of the craft and decorating stores sell nice ones that you can't even tell are fake.

Here are two examples of vinyl pictures and sayings that were used to used to make a large impact without spending much money. The best part, they are easy to remove when you want a change.

A great trick when you need artwork is to take your own photos and frame them, like they did with these video game controllers. If you use thrift store frames or use craft store coupons you can get some unique art hung for very little money.

How fun are these Twig Wreaths? I took a close look and it appeared they had glued twigs to each other, perhaps using a glass pop bottle or something in the center to get a nice circle. Then remove the bottle and spray paint white. Also love that they used two wreaths next to each other instead of just one.

We all know the impact paint can have on a room, but have you ever considered the ceiling as a fun place to make a statement? Love these black and white stripes in this nursery!

This rope and wood shelf was so cute. It added a lot of texture to the room it was in and would be so easy to replicate. You could have the home store cut the wood for you and then you would just need a drill to drill the holes for the heavy duty rope. So cute!

I had never thought of using a plant stand as a nightstand. What a great idea!

I noticed that several homes had doors that were painted a bold color instead of the traditional white. I love the look!

This nautically designed room had an awesome mural but what “caught” my attention was the fish net that they draped over the curtains. What a fun and inexpensive detail that ties the window treatment into the rest of the room!

Have you seen these adorable light strings? I walked past some at Target just the other day and I loved them but I wasn't sure what to do with them. Here is a fun way to display a $10 string of lights. It also added a beautiful soft glow to the room too!

I have 3 boys and we love Lego's at our house, so this next idea really stood out at me! How cute is this name spelled out in Lego's on the wall. If you have kids, chances are you might already have the supplies for this project!

Here is a 5 minute idea that I have done before. Take a plain lamp and add ribbon or trim to the lamp shade with hot glue. This animal print trim makes takes this lamp from boring to statement piece in no time at all!

I am such a fan of beautiful jars that I couldn't help but notice how many homes had used large jars to decorate with. Large jars can often be found at thrift stores or you can buy them at discount stores (Tai Pan Traiding) or at craft stores with coupons. Best part is that they double as decor and storage containers!

Here is a money saving idea if you want to frame your windows but don't intend to cover the windows with the curtains. Using short curtain rods could save you money over the really long rods that cost more.

Sometimes we think collections of things need to be put away in a closet but if you have a great collection of something (movie posters, vinyl records or license plates etc), consider using them to decorate your space. It makes it so much more personal and allows to you enjoy your collection too!

Thank you, Salt Lake Parade of Homes for so many affordable, beautiful and inspiring ideas!