What to do when your budget is not enough.

It’s not uncommon for investors to come to us with a very low budget in mind for their next development project – especially when it comes to things like the final layer of furniture, art, accessories, and styling.

This final layer of decoration is hugely important if you want to give your property the WOW factor. Not only will it provide the interior space with the final human connection but it will also be important for attracting potential tenants.

However, just because you’re working with a tight budget, it doesn’t mean that you have to settle for less when it comes to your interior design.

So, what are the key things you should prioritise when you don’t have a never-ending budget?

Mar Design UK - Where Design Meets Investment Vision — Sofa, by Montis

#1

Style and colour

Before you start picking out individual pieces of furniture and art prints, it’s a good idea to choose a specific style and colour palette.

By choosing this early on in your project, you will get design and clarity and it will inform all the future decisions when it comes to picking out pieces for your project.

#2

Statement pieces

In any room, there will always be a couple of statement pieces that stand out and make the room feel complete.

It may be a large statement sofa, or bright coloured curtains that draw everyone’s attention immediately.

Selecting a few key statement pieces will bring your design together, then you can pick out other pieces that will revolve around the one statement piece of furniture.

In regards to artwork, it’s normally best to select a bold piece that will draw your tenants in. It doesn’t have to be an extremely expensive piece to make an impact, you can find plenty of high-quality art for lower prices at places like Desenio, I am fy art or Etsy.

#3

Think about your WOW areas

Think about the areas in your home that people will spend most of their time and that can make a big impact in terms of design.

It’s normally a good idea to allocate your budget to these areas that you really want to stand out, and maybe save more in the areas that are not set to have quite as much of an impact.

Strategic Property Design for Investors - Mar Design UK — Artwork, by Desenio

#4

Consider focal walls

Wall space is something that many property developers may ignore, but could be the perfect chance to inject some life and style into your space, without having to spend all your design budget in one place.

Take advantage of your walls and think about key feature walls that will create a real impression when your tenants are in your space.

This can be for example a colour paint variation, introducing a wallpaper or a pattern with decals.

#5

Start with your neutrals

Neutrals are always a safe bet when you’re designing a home, start by making the main furniture pieces neutral and then you can bring in pops of colour and texture through soft finishings like cushions, throws, or rugs.

Interior design on a budget can work

The next step in the interior design process is to understand how and where to position all these elements so you can create a more impactful property for your prospective tenants.

By utilising all of these features together, you can ensure a quick turnover that will cover the cost of your investment in design in no time.

If you follow all the tips that we outlined above, you’ll be setting your property up for success. But, if this all sounds like a lot of hard work then you can always reach out to us and we’d be more than happy to help you out with the aspects of interior design and technical information you’ll need to get your property on the right track.

Get in touch with Mardesign here.

Check out what investors say.

“I was recommended Mardesign by a large investment company I work closely with. I had a really good initial consultation with Raquel and thought they were a good fit for my project. From start to finish they have been amazing. I am very happy with Raquel and would highly recommend using Mardesign for any project. I will be using them on future projects.”

— Greg Railton. Pineapple Investment Group