Friday, December 21, 2007

Create a Beautiful Home on a Shoestring Budget!

With fall and winter months finding you indoors more than any other season of the year, it's the perfect time to redecorate your home! There are many ways to save BIG money on beautifying your home, and we will go over a few of those here.

The first thing you will need to do is find a starting point. If you have a plan from the beginning, you will be able to figure out what your costs are going to be and stick to a budget, saving lots of time and money in the process.

The basics of decorating your home are style, color and formality. You will definitely want to decide what colors and style you want to use ahead of time. Make sure the decor you decide on is going to make you and your family happy and comfortable, as well as making your home beautiful!

Let's start with color. You probably already know what your favorite colors are, but it you're having trouble deciding, look at a few magazines to get some ideas. If that doesn't work, pick your favorite color and mix it with white - this always works well.

Next, what is your decorating style? Do you love western decor, country farmhouse style, Asian or something else? Some people like the eclectic style where you mix a little of everything. That is fine too, as long as you have a focal point to guide everything else. Get an idea of the feeling you want for the room, such as rich and warm (this is perfect for rustic style), or bright and sunny (farmhouse). This will help you make the perfect choices for your room.

Next, do you love the formal look, or maybe you're the type that likes the relaxed, lived-in look. Make absolutely sure that you stick with the formal or informal look and feel that you like! You will never feel comfortable in a formal room if you are drawn to the easy, lived-in look and vice versa. You always want to be happy and relaxed in your home, so formality is very important!

Creating a beautiful room can easily be done on a very limited budget. These days, you can use flat bed sheets for just about anything! Pick a patterned sheet with colors you are using in your newly decorated room. Use them for curtains and table covers. For instance, if you are decorating in Shabby Chic style, a sheet with small pastel colored flowers would look gorgeous on your windows! Western decor your style? Use rich, bold striped sheets to add a punch of color to your room.

You can paint just about anything these days! Have furniture that doesn't match in color? Just paint it all to match. With a little sanding and painting, you can transform all of your tables, wooden chairs, shelves or whatever you have into a gorgeous, matching set. And if you want to lighten up that dark room, paint your furniture a pastel color or white - you won't believe the difference it will make.

Last but not least, if you need new or different furniture, that is pretty easy to find also. Look at flea markets, garage sales, and online. There are many places online that you can find new furniture at wholesale prices, or even cheaper! Check the online auctions - there is always an abundance of furniture there. Throw in a few accents for the walls and tables, and you're done! You can make some of these accents yourself, or buy them at a discount crafts store. There are many ways to find affordable accents for your rooms.

Use some of these suggestions along with your own unique ideas, and you will soon find that you have a gorgeous, totally redecorated room that didn't cost you an arm and a leg! And the great thing is that it will look like you spent a fortune.

No comments: