There is no shortage of projects that need to be done in our 100-year-old home, but due to things like getting married and debt spirals, I’m trying to focus on smaller, lower-cost updates. So, recently, I decided to give an often-used yet neglected area of our house: the upstairs hall. Here’s how I underwent a quick budget hallway update.
Our upstairs hallway isn’t so much a hallway as a small room with a linen closet. There isn’t a ton of wall space like your typical hallway, it’s mostly doors. The space does lend itself to being a good place for a small area rug though, so I got to work finding something affordable but in keeping with the style of the rest of our house.
The best place to look for rugs on a budget is RugsUSA. They have a huge selection and are constantly running sales so things are typically 30-40% off list price. That’s where I found this cute little 4×6′ rug for $85 with free shipping. When browsing on RugsUSA the quality can be a bit hit or miss, so just make sure you look for something made from natural materials as opposed to polyester or something synthetic. This rug is low pile wool and cotton.
Next up was finding some art to hang up. I have a ton of prints and postcards hoarded away and picked out a few to hang in the space between the bathroom and guest room doors using some frames leftover from my stairway gallery wall.
For the space next to our bedroom door, I decided to go the custom route. Inspired by these cool prints from Paper Jam Press, I had Michelle make this pair of prints with the lyrics to one of Zac’s favorite songs, Ruff Ryders’ Anthem by DMX.
I got them printed for a few bucks at Staples and popped them into a $12 set of frames from Michael’s.
So, for under $100, here’s what our upstairs hallway looks like now.
It’s not the most dramatic before and after, but it makes me happy every time I come upstairs. Plus, now I have DMX stuck in my head all the time. I will say that the rug isn’t as bright in person as it looks on the site (and also the border might be completely different?), but it still works for us.
Nothing like a quick, budget hallway update to brighten things up! Have you been tackling any small projects lately? While I’d love to get to work on our kitchen or bathroom, little updates like this just make more sense right now.
