How to Get the Most from Your Decorating Dollar

Getting an incredible looking room doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, and it doesn’t need to end up looking like an inexpensive IKEA showroom either. A savvy shopper and creative decorator can combine both skills and come up with a great looking room that is both classy and cheap at the same time.

If you’re looking to update or decorate a room and want the room to look hip and trendy or casual and classy, but don’t want to spend a lot of money, then the following tips are for you. The first thing you’ll have to accept is that you’re probably going to have to put a bit more leg work and elbow grease into your project than people who don’t have budget constraints, but you’ll also reap more satisfaction out of the final product.

First of all, learn where to find the best deals and discounts on staple pieces. You should search discount stores, specialty shops, garage sales and flea markets for deals. And don’t stick to the exact piece you saw in a decorating magazine because it may be impossible to replicate that piece at an inexpensive price. Instead, look for items that can be modified. Beds that can have pieces of the headboard removed, dressers that can be refinished, lamps that can accommodate new shades. Keep your mind open when shopping for these key pieces and spend the extra money on durability and comfort, not trends.

Painting is another key part of decorating because it give the room such a dramatic new look. Here is one area where you should spend the money to get quality paint. All paints are not the same and cheap ones may not end up being the color you were hoping for or may require several coats to get the desired effect. So, if you want to cut corners when painting, try painting less of the room. Paint only one wall or go for a faux finish technique which typically requires a lot less paint because it is mixed with water and glaze. If you have extra paint, keep it for the next tip.

Art and accessories can be incredibly expensive but they don’t need to be if you have a crafty or artistic touch. Turn boring frames into gilded masterpieces. Create your own artistic prints, or clip them from secondhand picture books. Frame unexpected items (such as seed packets or skeleton keys) with inexpensive matting to create a dramatic work of art. Decorate plain vases and other accessories with wall paint to give it a unified look with the rest of your room.

Explore past treasures. Review your old furniture and accessories, see if your friends and family will let you rummage through their old pieces. Always keep your eyes open for deals or sales on discontinued items or used pieces that can be transformed into bargain beauties.

If you’re looking to decorate a room in an inexpensive way you should create a plan of what you want the room to look like. Establish one or two elements as the focal points, such as a piece of furniture and an accent wall or a piece of art. And then give yourself ample time to collect the right pieces and complete a lot of do-it-yourself projects. If you follow these rules you’ll get a designer room at a fraction of the price.

Create Your Own Art

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