Decorating on a Budget

Do you wistfully look at design magazine and hope for a beautiful home like the ones featured there? If you thought home decorating is only about spending the big bucks, you were wrong. With a little bit of planning, creativity and patience, you can work wonders by decorating on a budget.

Let not small spaces, rented lofts and limited budgets restrict you. Pick up a few useful tips on decorating on a budget and you can camouflage, recreate and work wonders on your home. You can become the proverbial genie and wave the magic wand over your old and depressing décor.

Home Decorating Budget

Any home decorating starts with listing out your needs to see what you need to spend where. There will some areas of the house that may need special attention. The kids' bedroom may need sprucing up to accommodate their growing requirements. The kitchen may be in dire need of a facelift. Does your living room lack personality?

Peruse our simple tips to make your house look like your dream house without creating a budgeting nightmare. Place gaily-colored rugs and mats to liven up the room. Play around with color and texture. Add valences to the windows. Bring out the unused sheets and quilts from the linen close and use them to add color and energy into a room.

Scout around for little pieces such candles, potpourri, bric-a-brac, figurines and other simple articles that you can put on your mantelpiece or display unit. Take decorating tips and inspirational ideas from furniture showrooms and décor magazines. Second hand stores can be a treasure trove of furniture pieces. With a bit of polishing and retouching, you can get yourself some elegant furniture items.

You may be able to pick great bargains during clearance sales. Furniture from scratch and dent rooms can be reworked and made to look as good as new. Thrift stores and garage sales can surprisingly throw up some cheap furniture and accessories that can be turned around with nimble fingers, be it a beat up coffee table or old rocking chair.

Work up a good blend of patterns - one that is not too overpowering but one that lends a cozy feeling to any space. While dark floors create a feeling of a smaller corner, lighter flooring will lend a feeling of expanse.

Kitchen: The best way to give your kitchen a new look is to work on the cabinetry. You can clean and paint the doors for a new look. Change the cabinet doors if necessary and budget permits. Alternatively you can remove the doors of a few cabinets and turn them into display units. Paint the interior of the cabinet a bright shade and put your crockery on display. Paint or paper the walls.

You will be surprised at the change it can bring to your kitchen space. A coat of rich wall color and your kitchen will look spanking new! Add fabrics such as gay prints, pretty florals or staid stripes to enliven the kitchen. Pretty laced curtains billowing at the kitchen window look fresh and. charming Grow plants on the windowsill for a cottage-like feel.

Living Room: Put up new curtains and slipcovers. Work your furnishings to give your living room a new look. Get a new shade for the old lamp. Look at simple details such as a new tablecloth for the dining table. Positioning of the furniture is very important especially if you have a large living room. It is better to divide the room in two or three separate seating areas. This provides cozy seating areas where you can entertain small groups easily.

Bedroom: Make your personal space your private haven, a place to relax and refresh yourself. You don't need expensive bedspreads and comforters. Look for good bargains and pick trendy fabrics and embellish them suitably with lace and trimmings. Try and create storage with chests of drawers and closets.

Holiday Decorating on a Budget

With the festive season in the air, do not despair about expensive decorations and ornaments. You can get your creative ideas flowing for simple holiday decorating, one that will not burn a hole in your pocket. What is most essential is to lend the house a cheerful festive spirit.

Use house plants and foliage to best advantage. Make simple wreaths to add a breath of fresh air. Work on decorating the fireplace mantel or the corner curio shelf, and you will find the difference it makes to the entire room. Set candles of different heights in the center of your table. Use seasonal items like pinecones, nuts, evergreen trimmings and fall leaves.