Farmhouse Decor on a Budget: Is it Possible?

July 7, 2021

Getting the cozy farmhouse look is easy when you have a lot of money. But what about farmhouse decor on a budget? How do you get the style without spending too much? In this article, we’ll give you some great tips and hacks to achieve the look for less.

Farmhouse decor on a budget

First of all, work out what your budget is and what the key features are that you want. Then go from there. You’ll find that with a bit of research, the high-end looks you like can be achieved for a fraction of the price.

One of the main things you can do to keep costs down is DIY. Don’t worry if you don’t know where to begin, the internet is full of easy ‘how-to’ videos you can follow. Not only will you learn some new skills and put some love into your living space, but your bank balance will thank you too!

There are plenty of places bursting with inspo, but it can be a little overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. Old farmhouse decor on Pinterest is a great go-to, of course, but sites like Hometalk also have several tutorials that will see you save money on DIY furnishings. And don’t forget TikTok – it’s packed with quick and easy hacks.

How to get the look for less

Country decor doesn’t need to cost the earth. The whole point of the style is that it’s raw and simple. Using reclaimed or repurposed materials, you can achieve the rustic farmhouse decor aesthetic you adore. With that in mind, here are some of our top tips to save on materials.

Salvage and save

Salvage yards and construction sites: these are about to be your new best friends. Speak to the site manager and see if they’ve any materials left over that they were going to toss. They might let you have them for free, or just a small price. Here you might be able to get things like:

pallets
scaffolding boards
timber offcuts
old pipes
rustic window frames
old doors

Speaking of which, a lot of people wonder where they can get old farmhouse doors on a budget. Salvage yards are definitely a good option, as is Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. But did you know you can make your own too? With some tongue and groove boards, some wood glue, stain and fixings you can buy online, you can make your own hanging barn door. It will cost a lot less than buying brand new.

Be thrifty and nifty

You can also bring your vintage farmhouse decorating ideas to life by upcycling existing furniture or other items. Look out for second hand items on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, or go thrift shopping. You might find furnishings such as a kitchen hutch or old nightstands that you can put a new twist on with just a lick of paint and some elbow grease. Using a few bigger pieces like these will create an impact quickly, then you can add smaller touches as you go.

Thrift stores will have some amazing treasures. Look out for:

old mirrors (even if they’re broken you could still use the frame)
wire baskets
old vases (it doesn’t matter what colour they are as you can paint them)
wicker baskets
plain cotton pillowcases
vintage cutlery
books with old-fashioned dust jackets
copper or brass style candlesticks
milk jugs and water pitchers

These are all items that you can either use to complement your old farmhouse decor, or that you can respray or repurpose to create new items on a budget. For example, a wicker basket lined with an old cream cotton pillowcase makes great storage, all the while keeping on trend. Vases can be resprayed quickly to make them a uniform color, then placed on a shelf as a focal point. Or what about creating a noticeboard from a broken mirror frame? All you’d need is a little chicken wire and paint and voila! Perfect farmhouse chic.

Make your money go further

One of the best things about country farmhouse decor is that its color scheme is light and airy. So you don’t need to buy really fancy paint for thorough coverage. Buy cheap paint and even water it down to create a whitewash effect. Better still, see if anyone is selling leftover cans on Marketplace or elsewhere locally.

To get a brick wall effect, you can buy stick on tiles or wallpaper fairly affordably online or from hardware stores. But if you want to get the look for under $10, paint is the way to go. You could even add a little concrete or sand to your paint to get a great textured effect and make the bricks more realistic.

Another way to save money on creating your aesthetic is by buying some items from cheaper stores such as the Dollar Tree. Once they’re spray-painted or you’ve added finishing touches to them, no one is going to know that they’re not high-end products. Keep an eye out for hacks on TikTok. For example, you can take four cheap photo frames and create a rustic planter for a fraction of the price. The metallic look against the wooden frames makes the green of your plant really pop.

Keep an eye out for old wooden cutting boards at the thrift store. They make fantastic signage. Not only are they often a great size and shape (so no sawing necessary!), the knife marks and dints from previous usage give them a lovely weathered look. All you need to do then is paint your wording on. You could do it freehand or use a stencil. Or if you want it even quicker, just buy a decal online to stick on. Don’t forget to seal it with a coat of varnish to protect it for longer. You could even attach a few cup hooks to it to create a mug rack like in this tutorial. This leads us on to our final tip…

Reimagine items

Do you see an old cupboard door in a dumpster? Nope. It’s a serving tray. Freshen it up with some paint and fixings and you’ve transformed trash into treasure.

By taking a fresh look at pre-loved items, you can save a lot of money. For example, an old shutter could become a bench, farmhouse wall decor, a noticeboard, or a hanging rack for planters. Whatever you want it to be.

Leftover pallets are extremely versatile. Will you make a bench? Storage? A hall table? Or what about a quick and easy planter?

And it doesn’t just have to be older items you transform: look out for hacks for modern farmhouse decorating using cheaper furniture from IKEA, for example. A basic Rast chest of drawers won’t cost much and can be turned into a farmhouse nightstand pretty easily.

The main thing is that farmhouse decor on a budget doesn’t have to mean boring or basic.

Go for simple, light or muted colors. Pair white with greys, greens, blues and maybe a little blush.
Wood doesn’t have to be expensive. If it’s reclaimed, even better.
Keep metals unpolished to contrast the clean whites.
Soft textures like wool and cotton will add the hygge you want.

Above all, don’t be afraid to Do It Yourself!