As the spring and summer months approach, it’s the perfect time to freshen up your rooms. The problem is that most of us today simply don’t have the cash to spend on our homes that we’d like. Here are some ideas to create that interior design magazine look without breaking the bank.
* Clean, tidy and clean again! Clutter makes rooms look…cluttered! Remove all the bits and pieces from the tables and furniture tops and put them in clearly labeled boxes to store somewhere for two weeks. After the time is up, everything left in the boxes is obviously not needed. This works great with children’s toys and games. Just remember when the two weeks are up to get rid of anything still in the boxes, give it away, or hold a garage sale.
* It just takes a little more effort to paint a wall than it does to wash it. Spring cleaning is great for ending the winter blues, but a coat of paint will change the whole room. White is usually the cheapest paint to buy, but if you don’t want pure white, buy the smallest amount of a dark or bright color you can, add it to the white, and then mix it up. Keep stirring until the colored paint is completely mixed. You can also use tubes of artists’ acrylic paints that can be purchased very cheaply to add a bit of color to regular white paint.
* Visit your local flea market or thrift store. These places are hidden treasures of decoration accessories. Buy some cheap frames, paint them to match, and fill them with some exotic pictures cut out of magazines or travel brochures. Old cotton or linen curtains can be dyed in the washing machine. Dye two pairs to match, use one pair to decorate window displays and the other to make matching pillows.
* If you don’t have a dining table, cover a sturdy wallpaper table with a clean cloth, the more you hang the better, add a beautiful vase of fresh flowers in the center of the table. Beautify old dining room chairs with fresh new seat covers and find new tablecloths to match.
* Buy an old wooden piece of furniture and paint it white. Find an old wooden dresser for a few dollars at an auction or thrift store; add a coat of white paint, something that you have left over from painting the walls is fine. Then rub it lightly to give it a worn look and apply some furniture polish. Before you know it you have a French wardrobe.
There are a host of other affordable home decor ideas. Just because your budget is small doesn’t mean you can’t give your home a whole new look. Use your imagination and whatever small amount of cash you have to achieve good results and soon you will have a house to be proud of.