How to Fake Expensive Decor

This money-saving idea allows you to dress up a wall without any paint. Use decorative tape, peel-and-stick wallpaper, or even fabric to give your walls a custom look. As long as you pick a product made especially for walls, it should come off with no damage to the existing paint job if you ever want to change the design.

Who needs to spend money on a fancy new headboard when you can create a faux headboard for the cost of some paint? Simply tape off a design you like, and roll on the paint. The best part is you can easily change the design or color scheme several times and still spend less than you would on a new headboard.

While subway tile is fairly inexpensive, you still have to pay for tiling supplies and perhaps a professional to install it. Or you can install a faux subway tile backsplash for a fraction of the cost. Look for a peel-and-stick material with a subway tile pattern that you can place over your existing backsplash. Or if you just have white walls above your kitchen counters, you can use gray paint to create faux grout lines that give the illusion of a tile backsplash.

Custom built-in storage solutions can cost a small fortune to create and install. However, you can whip up a functional and attractive storage solution yourself using crates that you stack vertically against a wall. Pick up some inexpensive wooden crates, and paint or stain them if you wish. Then, simply screw them into the wall in any pattern you choose. The options are virtually endless to customize this project.

Nothing sets the mood like lighting, but elegant lamps that cast a warm glow can get pricey. Fortunately, you can create your own mood lighting for just a few dollars. Acquire some colorful glass bottles or vases, and simply fill them with LED string lights. The tinted glass will diffuse the lights to just the right brightness for elegant evening lighting.

If your home lacks a fireplace but you still want the feel of one in your space, consider using a chalkboard mounted to your wall wherever you want your "fireplace" to be. This hack requires some drawing skills to create, as you'll be drawing your faux fireplace box right on the chalkboard. The good news is if you mess up, you can erase and try again. Then, hang a floating shelf over the chalkboard as your faux mantle.