Tips to update your home without breaking the bank.
The UK is known mainly for its indecipherable English accent, eccentricity, luxurious lifestyle, football, golf, pub culture, and English breakfast.
However, there are many TikTok videos right now that humorously approach the rising cost of living in the UK.
Picture this: For the entire “reasonable” price of 25 pounds, you can treat yourself to a culinary masterpiece – a bitter, lifeless hotdog, unceremoniously wedged between two uninspired slices of bread and graced with just enough mayonnaise to remind you that disappointment comes in many forms.
No one could ever mock the UK’s gastronomy, considering there are people who come here exclusively for a good cooked meal, but this is a genuine bargain for those who are constrained to overpay for mediocrity.
With all the not-so-glamorous responsibilities implied by adult life, finding money to renovate your house entirely seems almost impossible. No worries. That’s why we’re here: to guide you through some home update ideas that not only are budget-friendly but also look incredibly expensive.
The rising cost of living in the UK
The Office of National Statistics tracks the prices of hundreds of everyday items, including food and fuel, in the UK. It tells us that air fryers, gluten-free bread, and spray oil are main characters in the inflation basket.
Despite subsiding somehow the inflation costs from 2024, the year 2025 doesn’t bring many joys in a matter of prices:
The cost of food increased by 3.3% in January 2025.
UK house prices increased by 0.4% in February 2025, bringing the average property cost to 270,493 liras. However, inflation weighs more heavily on renters than it does on homeowners, highlighting the inconsistencies of consumer prices caused solely by the housing market. Renters outside of London pay an average of 1,113 British pounds, while those who live in the heart of England find themselves compelled to part with the pricey sum of 2,101 British pounds.
The average annual bill for gas and electricity per household rises up to 1,738 pounds.
Budget-friendly home improvements
It’s true. Many people have invested and still invest exorbitant amounts of money in their home design, using premium materials, architectural details, and magnificently sized spaces. The good news is you can freshen up your space, too, and without breaking the bank. We know precisely what intricate details can make a difference in your house, and we’re here to help you transform it from a basic house into a lovely home.
The illusion of higher ceilings
“Fake it till you make it” isn’t just a cool motto that many live by; It’s also a good principle to use within your home aesthetic. The illusion of higher ceilings and implicitly large spaces is simply charming. Allows us to present you the means by which you can artfully replicate the beauty of grand ceilings:
Use floor-to-ceiling curtains.
Keep the lighting flush.
Use a vertical display of art.
Give your ceiling a high gloss or create a colourful one.
Put decorative lights on the walls, not on the ceiling.
Please keep it simple.
Oak wood finishes & treatments
As oak wood is frequently used for furniture and flooring in the UK, we’ve assumed that it may be found in your house, too. Thereby, you have to know that a fresh coat of oak wood finishes can do wonders for your furniture, highlighting its natural beauty and giving it a glossy sheen.
Expected or not, oak wood varnish is surprisingly affordable compared with the depth and richness that comes with it. Due to its rich oil composition, it can easily erase any signs of age, wear, and damage. Moreover, oak wood oil treatments are the secret of many old houses that still look great. These treatments inject your furniture with resilience, overall fighting against the traces of wear that naturally come through the years and increasing the resale value over time.
So yes, with a single click, you can unlock a product that, though modest in size, has the power to make a huge impact. At Rubio Monocoat, you can find exactly what you need and maybe even more than that. This reputable wood protection company was founded in 1906 and has dominated the industry ever since.
Wall art and décor
Art is a powerful tool that can instantly transform any blank space into a mesmerising focal point. Colour, texture, personality, and art are the key elements for them all. Let’s explore some common or maybe not-so-common art ideas that are sure to enhance your space and show the world who you indeed are:
Reverse-painted glass bottles.
Melted crayon wall art.
Pressed flower window panels.
Handwritten poetry lampshade.
Mirror mosaic wall.
Pink Bow or Blooming Hands flower vase.
Paint, paint, paint
The urge to pain is primitive, innate, and also very stylish. You can paint everything in your house: your stairs, bathtub, ceiling, doors, walls, kitchen countertops, tables, chairs, and whatever other pieces come to mind.
Learning how to paint walls is relatively simpler than complicated; all you have to do is do a little research on the wealthy internet. We’d only like to add that there are numerous painting techniques that you should keep in mind:
Colour washing
Sponge painting
Rag Rolling
Ombre
Chalkboard painting
Stripe
Venetian Plaster
And one last thing: When you play with colours, please make sure your walls or any other things you plan on painting don’t look like the outfits Emily wore in “Emily in Paris.”
In a world where butter is practically trading at steel prices, hunting for some home design resources might let you feel spread thinner than a pat of oversized margarine. On a more serious note, what’s happening is not cheerful at all. Times of crisis may have the power to take almost everything from you except your personality and creativity, which is good, as personality is the key to any splendid home.