31 Low Lift Home Improvements for Under $100

It’s not an expensive, or difficult, thing to do these days — just make sure it matches all the rest of your metal fixtures, from yourtowel barto your sink faucet handles to yourtoilet paperholder. Whether it’s matte black, chrome, polished nickel, satin nickel — make them consistent. It bumps up the whole aesthetic of the space. —Nye Basham, designer

Hang a pegboard fororganization. It’s easy, and they’re cool-looking. —Emily Wissemann, architecture student

Use a sisal rug even — or maybe especially — if you have wall-to-wallcarpets. Throw them right on top to create room separation, and to add some beauty. They also look great layered under Moroccanrugs. —Leanne Ford, designer

Use with a porcelain socket or white-cord kit to replace any dumpy light fixture — the bigger the better, in my opinion. They work especially great over thedining tableor in thebedroom. —L.F.

I came across this foam in the hardware store. It kind of resembles a granite or terrazzo look. Top a layer of it on a plywoodbench, and you have a coolcushion. —Alex Proba, founder of Studio Proba

You may have the dreaded orangey-grained ’90s oak kitchencabinets. If your landlord is cool with it, paint them with a cabinet kit. It comes with instructions, which are simple to follow. The main thing to know is that it takes a few days for each step — the de-glosser, the primer, the paint, and the clear topper — to dry, but it’s quitetransformative. And quite tackle-able for even the non-handy among us. —Daniel King, co-owner ofHome Union

Life is too short to spend timediggingthrough cabinets and deep stacks looking for the pan you need. So get yourself a potrack. I get tons of compliments on this one, from Cuisinart. It’s easy to install (just three screws — make sure you find the studs) and doesn’t take up a ton of wall space. —Taryn Williford, Apartment Therapy editor

Even expensivelampcords tend to be quite ugly. An inexpensive solution is to swap in fabriccords. I like them in a classic brown or black, but a color can give a room a pop of fun. —N.B.

Switching out existingoverhead light fixturesis always a good idea, but I like to take it a step further by adding ceiling medallions. They’re my secret (and incredibly cost-effective)weapon; they dress up a ceiling, and draw the eye up. —Molly Torres,Homepolishdesigner

Cleaning up details you don’t think get noticed but the eye takes in — like floor grilles — does a lot to elevate a space. —Nicole Powell, co-founder ofWe Three Design

McMaster-Carr’s catalogue has a surprising number ofstand-alonehardware pieces that are quite handsome when used in the right way. Like, for instance, this very nice-looking over-the-doorcoat hook. —Shengning Zhang, furniture designer

Top a simple pine box with a circular piece ofmarble. You can often find ugly marbletableson Craigslist or eBay for cheap and just take the top off. —Jesse Kamm, clothing designer

Go to Canal Plastics and have them cut custom clear-pink Plexiglas fortablesurfaces; depending on the size, it can be around $40. —Amy Silver, set decorator

Getplywoodsheets at Home Depot — they’ll cut notches in the wood for you. —E.W.

Embrace theexposed-wiring lookby choosing a fixture with an extra-long cord that can make geometric patterns on your walls and ceiling. The cone pendant above is fromFlos, but Menu makes equally nice ones that are under $100. —Ming Thompson, co-founder ofAtelier Cho Thompson

Bemz slipcovers — which are made specifically for Ikea pieces — aremachine washable. They’re especially great for clumsy people like me who have always wanted — and been too afraid to own — whitechairs. —T.W.

Change out your toilet seat for a black one. Make a note to be sure if you need round or elongated. It instantly makes anybathroomlook more traditional. —L.F.

It’s super-simple: Just go toWainscoting America’s siteand put in your room dimensions. We went with the Shaker style, but the raised panel is also nice, and a bit more traditional. Nail the panels to the wall, then paint them. It adds a ton of character. —Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum,The Brownstone Boys

The best advice I can give to a homeowner for instant sophistication: Install a dimmer. Lighting is the great special effect that changes everything in the room. For avintage-style home, I like push-button light switches with mother-of-pearl detail. For another $12, you can get abeautiful, traditional-looking brass cover to top it. —Barbara Schmidt, creative director ofStudio Bstyle

Doorknobsin rentals can be hideous. Sub in a matte-black set with just a screwdriver in about five minutes. —Fiona Byrne, designer

They look particularly great against a lacquered white finish — more on living-room furniture than in the kitchen. There’s something about acrylic that feels ultra-modern, without being toobold or overpowering. —Patricia Voto, designer at Gabriela Hearst

Mix a white color additive into water (just a little), then stir that into the concrete overlay until it’s a pancake-batter consistency. Use a drywallknifeto spread the mixture over the wall, starting from the bottom and pulling it straight up. Finish with concrete sealer. —L.F.

Get a large piece of glass fromSam the Glazierin Bushwick (or any other glazier), and use it as amirror. They’ll sand down the edges for you on-site. —E.W.

To make this littlebedside table, pour cement into a bucket, filling it about a third of the way. Then take a wooden broomstick, cut it in thirds, and arrange “legs” into the cement. —Amy Harlow, owner ofWagwear

They’re sleek — and good for the environment. I especially likethemin contrast with old-fashioned tiles, which many New York bathrooms have — it modernizesandcompliments the existingaesthetic. —Kyla Burney, owner,Adaptations NY

If you can’t get rid of sad, grayishgrout, stain it black or a dark shade to make the grout color look modern and sharp. —M.T.

Short of renovating, not much is going to fix an ugly backsplash — but peel-and-stick tiles can hide it. I’ve seen these up close, and they’re a lot more convincing than you’d think. If your tiles are a standard size, you can also find the type that cover each individual tile with a separate sticker (so you still see thegrout lines), but they’re a little less forgiving to install. —T.W.

There is something charmingly low-tech about these — especially in a bathroom or kitchenwindow. Light filters through them in a really lovely way. —Kelly Behun, designer

Remove window blinds and add floor-to-ceiling-height curtains to expand your visualspace. —Ana Claudia Schultz, designer atHomepolish