15 Low-Budget Decor Ideas to Create a Cozy Home – With Macrame Styling Tips

Would you like your home to feel like a warm hug when you or your guests walk in? It’s really easy, I promise! Here are my 15 best low-budget ideas to create a cozy home!

Affiliate links may be sprinkled throughout the awesome, free content below. I’ll receive a small commission when you purchase from my (Amazon) links (at no extra cost to you), which I’ll happily spend on more colorful macrame cords!

Low Budget Ideas for a Cozy Home

Creating a cozy home doesn’t have to be difficult and can be done on any budget. The most important thing is to focus on all the details that will make you feel at home, like a nice smell, the sight of fresh flowers, or your feet touching a fluffy rug.

I make my own Macrame wall hangings and plant hangers because I love having handmade items to admire and they add a great personal touch and texture to your rooms. Make sure to keep reading because I’ll share more about making your own Macrame home decor in this story below!

These 15 styling tips are mostly low-budget but sometimes a girl can treat herself and shop at Zara Home or Rituals, am I right!? So splurge out, or don’t because, in the end, all that matters is that you feel good about yourself and your house should reflect that.

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#1 Use light colors and natural textures

To make sure your space doesn’t look too overwhelming it’s always a good idea to stick to a simplified color palette when shopping for or making your own cozy home decor.

Soft and light earthy tones combined with natural materials and texture such as wicker and wood will not only make every room feel more spacious but also a lot cozier. Win-Win!

#2 Improve your lighting

The most important thing you can do to change the atmosphere in a room from cold to romantic is to dim the lighting. You can go for romantic candlelight, strings of fairy lights, or you can switch the lightbulbs in your lamps to softer and warmer tones.

The first thing I do when it gets dark is light all my candles. I have quite a lot of them and it takes me some time but I really enjoy the process and it helps me center and be more present while doing it.

As candles can be quite pricy, I definitely recommend this set of 3 battery-operated super realistic flameless candles. The flickering flame makes these candles look just like the real thing, plus they come with a remote 24-hours timer. Super handy!

#3 Make it smell yummy

Walking into a nice smelling home is super important and feels much more inviting to your guests. There are different ways to fill your home with cozy aromas so you can pick the ones you like.

My favorite thing in the world are scented candles, not only do they provide that much-needed warm light but they also give out these lovely smells that make your home feel so much cozier right away!

A great alternative to scented candles is a set of bundled scented sticks. I love the reed diffusers by Zara Home and Rituals as they come in so many different scents like Linen, or Indian Rose and Sweet Almond.

A cheaper alternative option to fill your home with cozy smells is to make your own stovetop Potpourri with cinnamon and oranges. This video will show you exactly how to make yours!

#4 Make your own Macrame wall hanging

I love to add personal touches to my interior and always make my own Macrame wall hangings. All you need is some Macrame cords, a dowel, and a free Youtube tutorial to get started.

The textured fabric adds a nice and soft look & feel to your spaces. You can work with different colors or go for a more natural boho look. Make sure to check out our guide on how to make your own Macrame wall hanging and learn everything you need to get started!

The gorgeous rose knot wall hanging on the right is made by Bochiknot. You can find the tutorial for this beautiful piece on her YouTube Channel.

When you don’t feel like creating your own home decor, Etsy is a great alternative to buy beautiful handmade Macrame wall hangings from local artists.

#5 Tidy up your house

A clean, tidied up, and fresh-smelling home is super important. Not having clutter everywhere, which in itself can be a stressful sight, makes you focus more on the beautiful things in your home. Like that wall hanging you made for example.

The one thing that’s helped me the most in keeping my house organized is adding some simple choirs to my daily routine, such as making my bed right after I get up and cleaning up my living room before I go to bed. This way I’m never presented with chaos when I’m getting ready for bedtime or waking up, which helps with staying calm and zen.

Always try to do the dishes right after you’ve used them so your kitchen will stay a cozy spot where you feel like cooking healthy meals instead of opting for take-out. Self-care often starts in the kitchen and feeling at your best there is super important.

If you’re dealing with piles of clothes all throughout your house, make sure to invest in some pretty laundry baskets. They’re the perfect option to keep your laundry off the floor and will help you stay organized.

#6 Get more pillows and blankets

The whole idea of getting cozy on your sofa starts and ends with soft pillows and a pretty throw blanket to keep your feet warm on cold winter nights.

I usually order my pillow covers at H&M Home but more recently I started making my own with Macrame. Macrame pillow covers add some great texture to your sofa, they’re super easy to knot and require no sewing. Here’s a great YouTube video tutorial to get started:

#7 Upgrade your bathroom

I never really cared much for what my bathroom looked like, but now that I finally have a bathtub, I wanted to turn it into a super cozy space to do some well-deserved relaxing after a long day of blogging!

It took me a while to realize that soft matching towels can make the bathroom feel so much more put together. And I have to say that a thick and warm fluffy bathrobe definitely helps with making me feel extra cozy.

Another great thing to add to your bathroom is a pretty tray with all your favorite creams, perfumes, and body sprays. I always make sure I have some nice natural soaps on display as well, because they look super cute and add such a nice smell to your bathroom!

I also got myself some white porcelain boxes to store my items like hair elastics to keep the counter clean. And of course, I bought some pretty candles to light when I’m taking a nice relaxing bath (trust me this makes such a difference).

#8 Pick or buy some fresh wildflowers

Putting a pretty vase with fresh flowers on your table will do so much for your house. It’s hard to explain that feeling I get when I walk into my kitchen and there are some gorgeous colorful flowers waiting for me.

I never buy fancy bouquets and usually stick to the flowers from my mum’s garden or whatever wildflowers I find growing outside. Some even smell nice, which is a great bonus!

#9 Turn the music on for a cozy home

Whenever I need to do something I don’t particularly enjoy, like my dishes or my taxes, I always make sure to put on some happy music in the background. Music can literally change the vibe of your home and make you feel more relaxed in your space.

I like to make a playlist for different moods, like a cozy one with just soft guitar music and relaxing tunes. You might even want to give classical music a go as this always calm the mind!

I made the perfect worldly playlist with the best tunes I could find on Spotify to help you enjoy your home and relax!

#10 Upgrade your kitchen

There are a couple of ways to add more coziness to your kitchen, but it’s all in the details. For example, I love to get myself nice matching tea towels, pretty drinking glasses, and dinnerware so I can easily set up a cozy breakfast table.

I also make sure there are always some fresh herbs getting some sun in my kitchen windowsill and I store everything in pretty containers to keep the space clean and organized.

A great low-budget tip if you want to change the entire style of your kitchen is to replace the cabinet door handles with some pretty vintage knobs. You can also add a nice backdrop behind your kitchen counters for a more sophisticated look!

#11 Decorate with Plant Hangers

Adding plants to your home is always a good idea and makes your rooms instantly come to life. As plants require love and care they will instantly help make you feel more connected to your spaces.

My favorite thing to do is make my own Macrame plant hangers so I can create more spots in my home to add greenery. You can hang them on your wall or on the ceiling at different heights and make your empty nooks look super cozy!

It only takes a couple of minutes, some cords and a wooden ring to make your own Macrame plant hanger. Make sure to check out our guide on how to make your own Macrame plant hangers and learn everything you need to get started!

#12 Add memories & photos

Surrounding yourself with photos of all your favorite people and happiest memories are a great way to make your home feel more cozy and personal. They’re also great conversation starters when you’re having guests over and will constantly remind you to be appreciative of your amazing life.

Other things that can give that personal touch is to create a place for your favorite souvenirs and ]treasures. If you have a lot of happy memories (yay) you can easily rotate them throughout the year and match them to every season for example.

If you need to create some extra storage to display all your memorabilia, you can even make your own Macrame shelf. Macrame teacher Dan Soliman from Habit Made made the perfect tutorial to show you how it’s done:

#13 Decorate with rugs for a cozy home

Are your floors looking a bit cold and barren? Invest in some fluffy rugs to make your space look much warmer and softer. Go for different shapes and textures within the same color palette to add a playful effect.

Whenever I craft, journal, or need to sort out paperwork, I love to sit on the floor. Sometimes I get comfy on just the rug and other times I like to throw on my banana leaf pouf from Ikea for extra support!

#14 Go for vintage

Vintage home decor almost instantly makes your home look cozier. I love to visit antique markets and can browse those tiny stalls for hours on end.

I usually bring home some old perfume bottles, vintage postcards, and old photos and style them together throughout my house for that romantic boho touch.

You can also add some old books, vintage keys or watches, and dried flowers to complete the look. The fun thing about owning many different vintage items is that they always match well together so your styling options are endless!

#15 Add some mirrors

If you want to make your home feel more inviting, mirrors are a great way to open up a room and make it look bigger.

My favorite space to hang a mirror is above the fireplace because it’s so easy to pair them with romantic candles for a sparkling reflection.

I also love to make my own Macrame mirrors! This beginner-friendly pattern by Bochiknot is a great example of Macrame home decor that you can make to add more coziness to your home!

Tell me your favorites

I hope these ideas were helpful to you on your quest to make your home feel more warm and cozy. I’d love to know if you’re giving Macrame a try, so make sure to join our Macrame for Beginners Facebook Group and share your first project with us!

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