With the end of January quickly approaching, most of us are back into the swing of the new year. Some of us, however, may not quite be there yet. Last year almost everyone made some form of list of their new year’s resolutions for 2016. “To lose weight”, “To travel more”, “To spend less time on electronic devices” were a few examples of many on most peoples’ lists. While we cannot promise to wake you up for that 5am run every morning and we can’t put you on a plane to the Bahamas (as much as we’d love to), we can help with another resolution- saving money. Here is our list of 16 budget friendly decorating tips for 2016 that are sure to leave your home stylish and updated without the cost, because let’s face it- we spent way too much over the festive season!
| 1. First Thing’s First In order to start decorating, you need a clean canvas or at least a neat one. January is a good time to throw away (or give away) unnecessary clutter such as unused furniture, warn out decorative items and general mess. The less clutter the better. |
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| 2. Add Some Colour In a hallway or reception room where colour is sparse, you can hang different sized (or identical) canvases painted in a colour scheme of your choice. Acrylic paint can be used for this. You could also paint older drawers or cabinets with a bright new colour. |
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| 3. Mirror, Mirror To personalize your room, you could write the lyrics of your favourite song or a page from a book onto that large mirror you have. Using window markers makes it easy to erase or change. This doesn’t have to be limited to the bedroom. This one found at Save On Crafts.com is a smaller version. |
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| 4. See The Light If you have older ceiling fixtures, you can update them by hanging lightweight objects from them. You can get creative with this one. Sea shells, beads and origami are some examples. |
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| 5. Bedroom Beauty Decorating the bedroom is usually first on most peoples’ lists. If you want to create the opulence of a headboard but don’t have the money for a nice one, you can paint it. A cheaper option and you get to design it exactly how you want it! If you lack inspiration, visit Plascon’s blog. |
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| 6. Pick One Wall If you can’t afford to repaint all the walls in your home, pick a focus wall. This wall can be painted in a different colour or have wallpaperapplied to it and works well in busier rooms like the living room or even in a bedroom. A small accent such as a strip of colour across the walls could also work. |
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| 7. Change Your Point Of View Redecorating your home doesn’t mean you have to buy new furnitureand accessories. Sometimes all it takes is a few changes in the positions of your furniture items to make a difference. |
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| 8. Small Changes You don’t have to commit to big changes when it comes to redecorating. By changing only the smaller items such as cushions and tablecloths, you can easily swap colours and textures when you get bored. If you are buying furniture for the first time, it is also wise to choose simple pieces that will match many different looks. |
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| 9. That’s A Wrap If you have exposed shelving units (i.e. without doors), you can paperthe back of the shelves with patterned wallpaper or wrapping paper that suits the room. |
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| 10. Change The Sheets Changing the sheets and pillowcases in a room can make the room look brand new. You can then use the old sheets to create chair cushion covers for another room in the house. |
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| 11. Nature Is Free A recent trip to the beach can be eternally captured by placing beach sand and shells in a mason jar. You could use dried flowers or leaves from your garden too. This makes for a pretty, down-to-earth accent for shelves and tabletops. You could also wrap string around old wine bottles and spray paint them one colour for another simple yet stylish accent. Use an old wooden log as a centerpiece for a long table. |
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| 12. Wall Makeover Have a look at our previous blog on D.I.Y wall decorating ideas. |
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| 13.Succulents Are A Winner Pot up small succulent plants into old teacups and glasses for an eclectic look. These plants are hard to kill so you wont have to replace them constantly. |
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| 14. One Step At A Time Instead or re-carpeting or changing the tiles, add an inexpensive mat to the floor. There are so many colours and textures available for next to nothing. |
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| 15. Family Tree Do you have an open wall that looks bare but you have no furniture to place in front of it? Create a photo frame family tree. Use a tree wall decal or paint your own tree silhouette in black or any colour that suits the space and place framed photos of family members over the branches. Great for living rooms and dining rooms. |
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| 16. Fake The Architectural Detail Polystyrene mouldings are great for creating opulent skirting, ceiling and even wall details. Just apply them and paint. |
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| We hope you find these budget-busting decorating tips useful. Good luck with all your other new year’s resolutions. | ||
