Budget-Friendly Interior Design Hacks for Busy Moms

No matter how old your children are, there’s always something to do. From the early days of teaching babies how to walk on wobbly legs and eat their first spaghetti noodle to shuffling everyone around to ball practice and ballet recitals, moms never stop. How are you supposed to fit interior design into the hustle and bustle of regular life? You need your home to work for you and you want it to look great, too, but it’s hard to find time to prioritize that.

Luckily, there are great tips below to get you started. Whether your house is a (very relatable) wreck or you’re just looking to get things updated, these design tricks can work with any budget. After all, not everyone has thousands of dollars to redesign the living room. Start with the basics and soon enough your home will feel more livable and chic.

Make a System

You have a thousand things to do and a dozen places to be. For some reason, you only have a couple of hands meant to do it all. Don’t occupy them picking up after everyone else in the family. Instead, you can find a system that works for everyone and make it look good at the same time. Your house (and sanity) will thank you.

For example, if you’re tired of tackling an endless mountain of laundry that seems to be scattered throughout the whole house, everyone needs a system. Head out and grab a few bins. You can choose one for each member of the family, or perhaps grab two for clean laundry and two for dirty laundry. These bins might match the laundry room aesthetic or fit in with the bedrooms of their respective owners. They can integrate seamlessly into existing decor or stand out in a way that doesn’t allow anyone to forget them.

If needed, apply this same philosophy to things like toys, sports equipment, or just general clutter. Everyone gets a bin and it’s their responsibility to maintain it however necessary. The house will look more put together and everyone takes on their own slice of responsibility.

Hidden Storage

Minimalism was a major trend for a while, but the idea tends to clash with a lot of busy families. There always seems to be a lot of stuff, and even the necessary things pile up. It may make your home feel messy or like you’re just lost in the shuffle.

There are plenty of storage solutions out there to help keep the endless flood of things tucked neatly away. If you’ve spent a lot of time decorating your home, that hard work shouldn’t be lost beneath a parade of craft supplies, hockey sticks, or whatever else moves through your house. Sometimes, even storage itself starts to look like clutter. You can’t stick four cube organizers and a rolling cart in every single room and expect it to look great, after all.

Instead, consider updating with versatile furniture that has built-in or hidden storage. TV cabinets with storage drawers or shelving, fold-out coffee tables that expand for more (or less) space and storage, or storage footstools and ottomans are all fantastic options. Beds frames with built-in storage in the headboard and under the bed are a great way to maximize space and minimize clutter, too.

If you have rooms in your home that always feel messy, look around at your furniture and ask yourself if it could do more. It doesn’t have to happen all at once. Even small updates, like adding in a storage bench near the main entrance, go a long way. Incremental changes add up, and each one gives you more room to enjoy your house without battling a mess.

Get Playful

Kids spend a lot of time being told what to do, how to act, what clothes to wear, and so on. Sometimes, it’s hard to see how few choices they really have. Involving them in the design process goes a long way, even if it’s just in one designated space.

This might be something as small as letting them choose the paint colors for their bedrooms, or it might be something a bit more striking. Look for an open wall in your home and consider painting it with chalkboard paint from top to bottom. It might be the wall between the kids’ bedrooms, it could be in a playroom, or you might choose something right in the middle of the living room or family room.

Regardless, it’s a way to keep kids busy, give them creative freedom, and make them a part of the house. They can draw to their heart’s content, and you have all sorts of priceless artwork all in one place. Everything from tic-tac-toe competitions to chalk masterpieces is right there on your wall. That’s a steal at around $25 for chalkboard paint and a box of chalk, making it a win for mom all around.

Rearrange

Layouts that work without kids go out the window when little ones come into the picture. Likewise, the furniture arrangement that worked when your kid was two probably isn’t necessary when they’re celebrating their eleventh birthday. If it’s been a while since you took a step back and looked at where things are in your home, give it a try. Maybe your couch doesn’t need to be shoved back against the wall and out of the way anymore, or it might be time to get rid of that coffee table everyone keeps tripping over.

Spending a couple of hours rearranging furniture is a great way to make the whole space feel refreshed and updated, all without spending a dime. It helps you notice what you’re missing, too. You may decide that a new lighting fixture could complete the whole look and bring the room together. Rearranging might create space for an area rug. It’s the same space with new, unlocked potential.

Final Thoughts

With a constant tally of things to do, there’s no time to waste comparing prices and worrying about overpaying once you finally decide on the right living room rug. Spoken takes it off your plate. When you shop with Spoken’s tool, you’ll see the item you want, where to buy it, and all the best deals and discounts in one place. It saves you time and money – another victory for Mom.