SPLASHING out big bucks isn't the only way to remodel your home to up its resale value.
An interior designer shared her tips for making your living space the hottest on the street without breaking the bank, including a way to enlist a pro for less.
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Interior Designer andDeako Design expertJudyHoang has seen trends come and go over the last decade.
She delved into timeless decor pieces, must-have modern home features, and cheap changes to make your house look expensive.
IN WITH THE OLD
"[Vintage] is becoming more trendy, especially this year," Hoang told The U.S. Sun.
The concept of thrifting isn't new, and with inflation on the rise, many homeowners have gone that route to fill their homes over name brands to get designer for a cheaper price.
Hoang said that "it's good to kind of mix around" with styles when it comes to vintage pieces.
"For vintage lighting, we have gone to thrift shops, which have worked wonders for pendants and floor lamps," she said.
She said it's possible to find pieces that look "fancy and expensive," but you may need to dig.
"LA downtown has tons of those hole-in-the-wall places with lighting, and they look really fancy.
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"Sometimes you can spray paint them or you can really, maybe just clean it.
"I think it's random because a lot of those places don't carry the same kind. They'll find what they find, and then when it's sold out, that's it," the expert explained.
"It is just being consistent and probably visiting those stores at least once or twice a week as a designer and see what they have."
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BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
When finding items that don't look cheap — but are inexpensive — Hoang recommended two stores to scan the aisles at.
"Target has come up with their design. In the past, it was harder to find cool items, but their price points are great. I definitely do shop there," she said.
"If you're looking to stage your home, it's cheap, but it looks pretty good and quality is great."
She especially likes Target for little knickknacks and throw pillows.
HomeGoods can also be a treasure trove, but it's inconsistent.
"If you do get lucky, they have furniture and great rugs there for a fraction of the price that you would get from very expensive companies," she said.
She said HomeGoods is great for rugs, lamps, desks, or side tables.
TEST THE QUALITY
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Hoang has a method to tell if something's made cheaply.
"Try the furniture, especially if it's chairs, and test the weight," she advised.
She suggested lifting bed frames, too, to see how heavy they are.
"As crazy as that sounds, some of them are so lightweight, you can feel the quality is not there and the weight is very low," she added.
She also has a preference for solid wood over compressed wood — like from Ikea — if you want furniture that will last.
"I just believe it's going to last longer," Hoang explained.
HOME MAKEOVER
Hoang stressed that you don't have to shell out big bucks just to get some input from a design expert.
"The great thing about now is everybody does it virtually," she said.
Some online designers cost anywhere from $100 to $250 to create a floor plan of a room, put it into an actual 3D visual, and do the planning for you with products included.
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That's a great alternative if you don't want to hire a designer on an hourly basis or commit to a contract.
"Once you approve and say 'I love it,' then you can proceed with the remaining balance," she added.
If you're doing a whole house renovation, building from scratch, or have a bigger project maybe in the kitchen, then she would recommend having an on-site designer.
Even then, though, you can save a bit by choosing the right person.
"I would look for a designer who just started or an assistant designer," she said.
Startup designers who just got out of college usually want to just pad their resumes and come down on price.
She said they're "more flexible," willing to work with you and phase it out one room at a time.
DETRACT DECOR
Some design details do the opposite and detract from a home's value instead of making it look more expensive.
She said that people often want to stretch their imagination from the "vanilla" things they're used to.
But once she shows them "colorful, crazy items," they admit that they don't know if they love it enough to live with it for two years.
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"I would say classic pieces, especially in the main rooms, are more popular," she said.
"When you sell a home, you don't want to have it too personalized either.
"As a designer, I always recommend staying with very classic pieces that others can like without it being too flashy."
TIMELESS TIPS
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The top trend she doesn't see going away anytime soon is the open-concept space.
"We're breaking down walls, we're not putting up walls. For example, we're not making more distinct areas of a formal dining room," she explained.
This goes hand in hand with lighting, which she called "the final touch, like jewelry."
"Your statement pieces are your earrings, your necklace, your ring, and I think lightning brings that to the house," she admitted.
"Not only just for the beautification of lovely pendants, and all these things. I think the mood and dimming and how you set that room as far as lighting works is a huge factor."
SMART STYLE
"As far as upgrades in the elements of the home, I would say smart home lighting right now is a standard. Homeowners don't just think about this as an upgrade. It's a part of their lives," Hoang said.
With smartphones, they're accustomed to the convenience of having things work within their apps on their phone.
"When I staged homes with real estate agents, it was rare in LA to find them not having [Google] Nest or security features, or dimmers that you can control with your phone nowadays," she added.
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It also offers peace of mind for people who work from home and travel or take vacations often by scheduling certain timers.
For families and folks who are more aware of wanting to conserve costs for their homes, Hoang suggested incorporating smart lighting and solar into the structural design.
"My daughter turns on the light and it stays on all day. If I go on a weekend trip, there's no way that we would have caught that," she added.
An added benefit is that it decreases electricity bills.
As we move into more of a touchless society, Hoang thinks that going virtual will play an important role in interior design moving forward.
Everybody has a job, career, or family, so it can get pretty time-consuming meeting a designer every week when you're doing a full house renovation.
"When COVID hit, we were pretty worried. We were figuring out how we can get more gigs or get clients and support them," she admitted.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Virtual methods of communication, such as Facetime, Zoom, and Google Meet have made business "more effective and more efficient."
"I only have good things to say when it comes to doing things remotely or supporting a relationship with them online. When you do meet them, that's just that much more special," she said.
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