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High Style, Low Budget
1. The Price Is Right The best thing about decorating is finding innovative and inexpensive solutions to your décor dilemmas. If you are resourceful, you can create great looks on a minimal budget. Most of us simply do not have an unlimited decorating budget. Even the decoration pros don’t usually have an enormous budget to work with. In fact, a lot of interior designers will tell you that their best work comes from having to work with a limited budget. So if you’re on a tight budget, keep these four ideas in mind. Use cheaper materials liberally, pricy ones in smaller amounts. For example, you can use cheaper materials like sailcloth for drapes and slipcovers, with the more expensive materials reserved for trim and throw pillows. If it comes down to a choice between expensive materials and expensive labor, go for the labor. A skilled craftsman can make cheap fabric look expensive. It’s not the total cost as much as it is making your money saving measures count that’s important. Save where you can and spend your savings on expensive frills. Try to make the best of what you already have. Sometimes something as simple as rearranging the furniture can change the whole look of a room. Play around with what you’ve already got before you go shopping 2. It's in the Details You can change a drab room with some small touches. For instance, wood moldings can be had for very little. These are easy to install and can change the whole look of a room. Think of them as framing for your home. These kinds of details can make a huge difference. 3. Make Your Space Work for You Even if you can’t afford expensive artwork, you can still dress up those bare walls. Cut out, mat, and frame some maps, charts, architectural drawings or other pieces. You can place them on one wall to create a sort of collage piece or you can spread these throughout your home to create a recurring theme. You can create an impressive decoration by having a simple print framed by a professional – this may cost a little, but is far cheaper than buying a new piece of art. 4. Hanging Around You can group your art for dramatic effect – before you go nailing every wall though, make some templates on paper of your paintings and try arranging these on your walls with masking tape. When you’re happy with the groupings., then go ahead and hang your artwork. 5. Save with Sheets If you are in need of fabric, try buying sheets instead. You can find them in many different colors and patterns and they are generally cheaper than the same amount of fabric. 6. Sew It Up to Save Dough Just like paint, fabric can be used to transform a room. You can use slipcovers for your furniture and change it seasonally for a different look quarterly. If this is beyond your sewing skills, an upholsterer can make these for you at low cost. You can give your old chairs a new look by giving them new slipcovers – this is a real money saver compared to replacing them. You can layer inexpensive fabrics to easily achieve an expensive look – try it, you’ll be amazed. Create a unified look to a room by using the same fabric repeatedly. Use the same fabric for curtains and throw pillows, for instance. 7. Size Matters You can do one of two things when decorating – spend a lot of money filling a room with may items or you can opt to use fewer, but larger items. If you are willing to spend a little on one large piece of furniture which will serve as a focal point, you won’t need to spend money on a lot of other pieces. How about one large mirror rather than several small ones, for example. You can substitute four small end tables with an armoire – this will be noticed and used. Use two large throw pillows instead of five small ones. 8. Know-How Stretches the Pocketbook The best design investment you could make is in expertise. You can hire an interior designer for a few hours; these professionals can help you devise a plan for your budget to decide where your decorating dollars would be best spent. Keep an eye out for design ideas which are cheap or free. Look at the decorating schemes in magazines and at open houses for ideas. Again, it’s not about how much you spend but how smart you are about your budget. You’ll have to do some outside the box thinking if you are working with a small budget. Be creative and the enterprise will be a rewarding one. 9. Paint It Pretty! You can give your home a whole new look with a small investment in paint. Remember that you don’t have to paint things white; be willing to experiment. You can use pastels or darker colors to fill space if you don’t intend to cram your rooms with furniture. You can also use patterns rather than solid colors. There are plenty of books out there on decorative painting. Read up and be patient and you can create a unique and attractive look for your home for peanuts. 10. Beyond Your Walls Paint isn’t just limited to walls. You can paint floors with deck paint (two coats) followed by polyurethane to make a great finish on tile floors and older distressed wood flooring. The same goes for furniture. You can repaint your old furniture for a new look. You can even tie mismatched pieces of furniture together by painting them the same color. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com For over 60 years we've specialized in interior decorating and furniture. We carry the largest selection of American made solid wood furniture such as oak dining tables. Whether you're looking for oak file cabinets or wooden corner tv stands then visit our website. |
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