Do you feel like redecorating your home, but you don’t know where to start? Or do you just want to tweak your home here and there, not really give it a major overhaul, but you’re stumped for ideas? We listed little things you can do to breathe new life into your home without doing a major renovation or even blowing too much money on entirely new sets of furniture and decor.

Just make your home brighter

Never underestimate the effect of better lighting on your home. Not only will your abode look brighter, it will likely also appear more spacious, not to mention feel more inviting and relaxing. We found some helpful lighting tips from Buzzfeed 

- If you already have existing floor lamps, place them at the back of a room then aim their light at the ceiling, which will spread the light better and farther across a dim space. 

- Venetian blinds also provide the same effect: make it open at an upward angle to direct sunlight toward the ceiling. They’re better options than heavy curtains, thick shades, or drapery at the top of your window.

- Want to repaint a room? Choose matte finishes for your walls, instead of glossy. A matte finish will reflect light in all directions. On the other hand, a shiny finish will absorb sunlight, preventing it from spreading across the room.

- If you’re thinking of refurnishing a room, opt for transparent acrylic furniture, which neither looks heavy nor obstruct sunlight from getting into the room freely. It makes the room appear more open and spacious, too.

- And as for storage, open shelving will work better than cabinets, which make a room appear heavy and dark. Open shelves let light flow freely in the room. Just make sure you’re the type to use and wash dishes frequently, since open cabinets make them susceptible to dirt and dust.

Make your home reflect your style

One of the best ways to give your home a makeover and truly make it your own is to decorate it according to your personal style—or whatever your current fashion sense is. You must first determine your aesthetic and how you dress and style yourself. Then think of how this translates to the look you want for your living space. Take the following cues from fashion magazine Preview 

- One of the least expensive ways to make a room more stylish is to display fashion-related coffee table books and magazines. They make great accent pieces for, obviously, the coffee table in your living room, shelves, and of course your own bedside table (where you can easily reach for them for pre-bedtime reading). 

- Do you have a favorite fashion brand or designer? A number of high street labels and haute couture designers now have home and interior collections you can shop (watch for our story about this soon!). Maybe your faves offer home decor and furniture or have a limited edition collaboration with prominent interior design brands.

- If you’re the type to follow fashion trends, know that they usually complement interior design trends, so do some research on what’s hot in the design scene.

Frame of mind

If you don’t really have the budget for new furniture or decor, or you don’t really want to do or buy any big item for your home, what you can do instead is gather a bunch of affordable but pretty frames for the following items you wouldn’t normally expect to display (hint: they’re not your paintings or family vacation photos), but will actually add some character to your home, as suggested by ApartmentTherapy.com 

- Do you have leftover tapestries or wallpaper lying around in storage, or did you find one you like but can’t afford to buy enough for a whole room? Frame a portion of it to hang in your room (or rooms) of choice, or frame several and make a gallery grid on an accent wall or pillar.

- Frame your favorite CD covers and arrange them on the wall a la Instagram grid or display the actual collection of CDs themselves.

- Instead of keeping them hidden in an album or box, frame your collection of retro stamps, postcards, and/or foreign money to more prominently display those memories of your travels or that of your loved ones who gave you these keepsakes.

- Do you, your mom, or your grandma have pretty vintage handkerchiefs hidden in drawers, or old clothes that have too much sentimental value to give away (think: your grandfather’s favorite print shirt, your baby’s first onesie, or the skirt you had on when your husband proposed in Paris)? Frame them to liven up your bare walls with fond memories and certified conversation starters.

- Hit two birds with one stone (or frame for that matter) when you capture treasured recipes in a picture frame you can display on your kitchen counter or hang on the wall within eye level from where you do your food preps, so you will always remember and can easily follow these cooking instructions when your family craves these dishes.