With home makeover shows being at the top of the ratings game, homeowners everywhere are looking to add some decorating excitement to their own humble abodes. Unfortunately, redecorating your home can be prohibitively expensive for many families. The designer wallpapers, furniture and fine fabrics shown on television are out of reach for most. But you don't really have to spend a fortune to add a touch of drama to your own décor. You just need some know-how and a commitment to do it.
1. Hunt for It!
Tamra Orr, mother of four from Portland, Ore., found plenty of economical shortcuts when redoing her home. "We almost never buy retail," she says. "Instead, we scout the city thrift stores for purchases like furniture and accent pieces. We also go online to Craigslist and read furniture ads daily until we find what we want. We have decorated 90 percent of our home that way."
Orr stands behind her searches for bargains in thrift stores and other discount stores. "You may think they have low-quality items, but you may well be pleasantly surprised to find great stuff," she says. "Read the newspaper's classified ads for people selling their stuff, and go online to local sites as well."
2. Change It!
Susie McAuley is an interior decorator and the founder and owner of Susie Homemaker Co. One of her specialties is giving tips and advice for decorating without breaking the bank. McAuley understands that many people would like to have a polished home without spending too much. "It does not take a lot of money to make a big change in your home," she says. "Just moving your furniture around can make a huge difference. And you don't have to go overboard. You can keep it simple by updating your paint and drapes and create a whole new space with very few DIY dollars."
McAuley believes one of the best ways to do this is to start in the living room. The living room is an area of the house where the most time is spent. "The living room is normally one of the largest rooms in the home, so seating must be comfortable," she says. "Big pillows on the floor are always a way of adding extra seating." Big pillows can be sewn up in minutes with clearance fabrics and still create an arresting statement.
McAuley also suggests that home owners should consider adding color. Paint is always a great way to change a space or make a space look more dramatic. "If you're not picky about the specific color of paint, go to the 'oops' paint section of the store and find a color you can like," she says. "The miss-mixed paint from this section is a fraction of the cost and they often have great colors to choose from."
3. Let It Shine!
Karen McAloon, the host and designer on HGTV's popular Design Remix, also believes the living room is a great place to start. "Give your living room polish the same way you do your silver: by removing the accumulated layers and letting your best belongings shine!" she says. "Most people already have a few standout pieces; the trick is to remove the unnecessary from the room to really let them show front and center. Simple rearranging and editing will give you a fantastic free makeover with things you already have!"
McAloon believes that achieving a smooth design is all about controlling the eye's movement around a room. She suggests that you keep the not-so-fantastic areas simple, so your eye moves past them, and draw attention to the best feature in the room by highlighting it with large, bold accents. "A few dollars invested in two sets of curtains to hang floor to ceiling adds lushness and drama to windows, and steals all the attention away from a past-its-prime couch," says McAloon. "A worn and dated coffee table doesn't stand a chance of being noticed when a bold, oversized vase in a bright color is set on top with tall branches from your yard. Remove the clutter and the unnecessary from the room, keep the furniture arrangement simple and use your budget on large, easily noticed items to create a sophisticated new look."
McAloon believes that great design is not about what you spend; it's about what you do with what you have. "Design – great design – is about three very simple things: balance, proportion and function," she says. "Balance out your large pieces with your smaller ones, keep the proportion of the furniture in line with the room and most importantly, make sure it works for you and your lifestyle needs. Following those three steps doesn't cost a dime!"
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Karen McAloon's Design Remix Rules:
Living Room: One elephant per room! Choose ONE large piece of furniture, and herd the rest out! Then, use smaller-scale pieces to complement and refine the room for a spacious and sophisticated feeling.
Kitchen: A bright, saturated wall color with crisp white trim will make any kitchen seem bigger than it actually is. Take close-up pictures of fruit or vegetables at a local farmers market in a contrasting color to your walls, blow up at a copy shop and hang for instant (and cheap!) personal art!
Bedroom: Your bedroom is your sanctuary; decorate it that way! Take the TV out and put in a reading chair. Use soft, neutral tones for a soothing atmosphere. Add fabric, fabric, fabric! Double up on your curtains, throw mashes of pillows on your bed – fabric absorbs sound, making your sanctuary quieter and more lush!
Hallways: Always use a transition color to let your hallway be a bridge between rooms, not a destination. Soft, blown-out colors with artwork hung at eye level in a continuous line down the length of the hallway will provide a neutral passage between your stronger rooms.
Bathrooms: Smaller rooms like bathrooms pop when painted in bold, deep colors. Grab vertical visual interest with one oversized art piece and fabric shower curtains hung from ceiling to floor. Keep it bold, large and simple!
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