I Spent PKR 5,000 Decorating My Entire Drawing Room. Here Is How.
Everyone says you cannot decorate a room properly without spending lakhs. We proved them wrong with exactly PKR 5,000. This is exactly what we bought, how we used it and what the room looked like before and after.
This blog started as a challenge. Can you genuinely transform a Pakistani drawing room — not just clean it, not just rearrange it, but actually make it look beautiful and intentionally decorated — for PKR 5,000 or less? Not as a theoretical exercise but as a real purchase with real items at real prices available right now in Pakistan.
The answer is yes. And this is the exact, honest, step-by-step account of how it was done.
The Room — Before
The drawing room in question was a typical Pakistani middle-class drawing room. A grey L-shaped sofa that had seen better days. A glass-top coffee table with various items permanently living on it. White walls. A single overhead tube light. No rug. Curtains from 4 years ago that were slightly too short. Random frames on one wall with no particular arrangement. Two mismatched side tables.
It was clean. It was not dirty. It was not ugly. It was just… empty of any personality. It looked like nobody had made a decision about it since the furniture was first moved in. Sound familiar?
| “The room was not bad. It just looked like nobody cared about it. That is the most common problem in Pakistani homes — not ugliness, but indifference.” |
The Budget — PKR 5,000 Exactly
The rules were simple. PKR 5,000 total. No exceptions. Items had to be genuinely available and purchasable in Pakistan. No borrowed items, no things already owned, no cheating. The goal was a room that a visitor would walk into and immediately notice had been beautifully decorated.
| Item Purchased | Where Bought | Cost (PKR) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 cushion covers — earthy tones (burnt orange, olive, cream) | Online home decor store | 850 |
| 1 medium woven storage basket with handles | Online home decor store | 950 |
| 2 warm white bulbs (2700K) to replace tube lights | Hardware shop | 200 |
| 1 decorative wooden tray for coffee table | Online home decor store | 650 |
| 1 small matte vase in warm beige | Online home decor store | 480 |
| 1 set of 3 tealight candle holders (metal) | Online home decor store | 520 |
| Rearranged existing frames into gallery wall | Free — items already owned | 0 |
| Removed excess items from all surfaces | Free — storage only | 0 |
| TOTAL SPENT | PKR 3,650 | |
| REMAINING BUDGET | PKR 1,350 | |
Notice that the total came to PKR 3,650 — well under budget. The remaining PKR 1,350 was kept as a reserve for anything that needed to be added later. We chose not to spend for the sake of spending.
Step by Step — What We Did and Why
Changed the bulbs first — before touching anything else
This was the single most impactful change of the entire transformation. Removing the harsh white tube light and replacing the main ceiling bulb with a warm 2700K LED immediately changed the entire mood of the room. It looked warmer, softer and more inviting before a single piece of decor was added. Cost: PKR 200. Impact: enormous.
Cleared every surface completely — started fresh
Everything on the coffee table, side tables, TV console and shelves was removed and placed in another room. We stood in a completely empty room and looked at it with fresh eyes. This is the most important step that most people skip. You cannot make good decor decisions when you are working around existing clutter. Start clean.
Replaced the cushion covers — instant personality injection
The grey sofa had 5 plain grey and blue cushions. Three of them got new covers in burnt orange, olive green and warm cream. Immediately the sofa went from monotone and forgettable to warm and intentional. The existing grey cushions stayed at the back for layering — the new coloured ones came to the front. Total visual transformation for PKR 850.
Styled the coffee table with the tray
The wooden tray was placed in the centre of the coffee table. Inside it: the small matte vase with a few dried stems, two of the three candle holders with white tealights, and one small decorative object that was already owned. Outside the tray: one neatly stacked set of magazines. The coffee table went from a dumping ground to a styled centrepiece. PKR 650 for the tray plus PKR 480 for the vase.
Placed the storage basket beside the sofa
The woven basket with handles went beside the end of the sofa. It now holds the remote controls, a phone charger, and a small throw blanket. Everything that used to live on the sofa or the side table now has a beautiful home. The basket itself became a decor piece. PKR 950.
Rearranged the existing wall frames into a gallery
The four frames already on the wall were rearranged into a cohesive gallery cluster. The largest frame went in the centre. The three smaller ones were arranged around it in a triangular composition. Nails were moved, frames were levelled, spaces between them were made consistent. Cost: PKR 0. Time: 45 minutes. Result: the wall finally looked intentional.
Put back only what earned its place
Of everything that had been cleared off the surfaces, only items with a specific purpose or genuine beauty were allowed back. Everything else went into storage permanently. Approximately 60% of the original surface items did not come back. This was not a loss — it was a gain. The room could finally breathe.
The Room — After
The same furniture. The same walls. The same floor. The same curtains. PKR 3,650 in new items and 3 hours of rearranging.
The result was a room that three different visitors, on three separate occasions over the following week, commented on without being asked. One said it looked like a new home. One asked if new furniture had been bought. One took photos for her own drawing room inspiration.
None of them knew that the total investment was under PKR 4,000.
| “The room did not need more things. It needed the right things in the right places. That is the entire secret of home decoration.” |
What the Remaining PKR 1,350 Was Spent On — Two Weeks Later
Two weeks after the initial transformation one more change was made with the remaining budget. A warm white table lamp was found for PKR 1,200 and placed on the side table in the corner. When turned on in the evening alongside the warm ceiling bulb the room transformed again — from a comfortable daytime space into a genuinely beautiful, hotel-lobby-warm evening environment.
Total spent across the entire project: PKR 4,850. Budget remaining: PKR 150. Result: a drawing room that looks like it was professionally decorated.
What This Proves
| You do not need a big budget to have a beautiful home |
| PKR 5,000 is the equivalent of a dinner out for a family of four. Most Pakistani families spend more than this on a single eid outfit. The idea that home decoration requires lakhs is simply not true — it requires intention, editing and smart choices. |
| Removing things is more powerful than adding things |
| The single most impactful action in this entire project cost nothing. Clearing the surfaces, editing what came back, creating space — this free action did more for the room than any purchase. This is the secret that no home decor brand wants to admit. |
| Lighting is everything |
| The PKR 200 spent on warm bulbs delivered more visual return than any other purchase. If you can only do one thing from this entire blog — change your bulbs to warm white. Do it today. You will thank us tomorrow. |
Your PKR 5,000 Challenge
Now it is your turn. Set a budget — it does not have to be PKR 5,000. It could be PKR 2,000 or PKR 10,000. The amount is not the point. The point is the constraint. A budget forces you to make decisions. It forces you to choose what truly matters for your room. It forces you to edit rather than accumulate.
Take a photo of your drawing room right now. Do the transformation. Take a photo after. Share it. Tag @soqara. Show Pakistan what is possible when you shop with intention rather than impulse.
We believe your home is already beautiful. It might just need a little editing, a little warmth and a little intention. And none of that costs lakhs.
| Ready to transform your home?
Shop beautiful home decor at soqara.com — delivered From Our Hands to Your Home. soqara.com 🦅 |
