Room Makeover Tips That Fit Any Budget
Knowing what’s hot and what’s trendy in interior design is easy. Cable television offers subscribers channels like HGTV and Discovery Home, which provide plenty of “how to” decorating shows. The Internet also gives the non-professional access to numerous web sites that offer tips and resources that will make your home look as though you had it done by a design professional.
It isn’t lack of information that keeps many people from creating a more pleasing and functional environment, it’s lack of funds. They convince themselves that a limited budget can’t be stretched to include redefining their living space, so they continue to live in it as is, even though that space doesn’t reflect what they want or need.
If you fall into that category, the following tips from Kanibal Homes, an online home furnishings and lifestyle store, can help you redesign the space you’re in without putting a strain on your wallet:
- Start fresh — Just because you might be living in a small space, doesn’t mean you need to suffer. The easiest, most effective and ecological way to add some spice into a boring home is to redo what’s already there. Paint dressers and side tables. Take boring wood furnishings up a notch by splashing on a coat of glossy white or black paint. If you’re adventurous, add stripes. Even the DIY fearful can handle this project and all it will cost is a few hours and a can of paint, but what you will gain is a brand new, fresh look that can easily transform a room. The same goes for seating, with a couple of yards of fabric and a staple gun, you can transform a dull chair.
- Clean skeletons from the closet — Invest in shelving and throw out or donate anything you haven’t used in the last year. Store objects with sentimental value in storage bins and boxes. It seems simple, but too many people keep pictures, receipts, and general household accumulation in shoe boxes and open containers, making mess seem more unmanageable than it really is. Concentrate, consolidate, and get consistent with storage containers.
- Soften up — All this too much for the urban dweller? Two words: decorative pillows. The absolutely easiest way to transform a space is to add pillows to the conventional — couches, as well as chairs, beds, floors, etc. Create a textured, versatile look with different shapes and sizes.
- Embrace the outdoors — And when all else fails, and your wallet is feeling the economic crunch, utilize what nature provides for free, and bring the outdoors inside. Large, bare branches are striking in tall, slender glass vases. Spread bright bunches of mixed flowers throughout the home in an array of small jars, teacups, and cans. Reuse what you already have, and you will refresh and clean your spaces in one step.
- Picture Perfect — If you’re just tired of looking at the same old stuff, buy a piece of art. There are some great web sites that offer affordable, limited edition prints, and small paintings. Group art and travel photographs on a wall or a table. Chances are that visions of better times will not only warm the room, but also your state of mind.
The one thing you should always keep in mind when you change your space is that no matter what alterations you make, the end result should reflect you. Just like the clothes you wear, a room makeover doesn’t fit unless it reflects who you are. That’s what’s really hot and trendy in interior design.