Frugal Flair: How To Stretch Your Decorating Dollars

Having trouble matching your big decorating dreams with your limited decorating dollars? You’re not alone there. Far too many people walk into home décor stores and then walk out without buying anything because of the designer prices. The truth is, you don’t have to shop at designer stores to make your home look like it’s straight out of a magazine.

From simple and easy wall and window treatments to nifty little “trompe l’oeils” or fool-the-eye-tricks, here are some clever ways to turn boring spaces into fabulous showcases without having to break the bank.

Get Dabbing
Speak to any interior designer and they will tell you that paint gives you the biggest bang for your buck. Paint is versatile and even if you are on the most stringent budget, you can work wonders with a couple of cans of paint. Think about what you can do with paint. You could paint different walls of the same room in varying shades of the same hue. Bold and bright colors add drama and draw attention to any spot you choose. Incorporating a few colors drawn from various accessories and fabrics in the room can add a fun twist to your home decor endeavors.

Draw Attention With Plush Stuff
If you cannot afford to buy a new sofa set to replace your old ratty one, try diverting the attention by shifting the focus on to something that brightens up the room. A stunning, colorful throw pillow or a throw can add cheerful color to the room while taking the emphasis off your drab sofa. Combining several pillows in different shapes, sizes and colors add color and drama to the room without having to stretch your budget. Area rugs are great for camouflaging stained flooring if you cannot afford to replace it. Scatter plush, colorful little area rugs in several different shapes and sizes throughout your home. Try teaming some round area rugs with rectangle rugs in different shades of the same color for a soothing atmosphere.

Light It Up
Three way bulbs are a resourceful home decor option. You get working and reading light when you need it and the lower wattage bathes the room in a soft, cozy glow when you don’t. Inexpensive lighting can be hidden behind plants or a sofa for an element of drama. Colored lighting casts soft, glowing colors to any room and are especially great in the bedroom and bathroom. Candles or lamps placed around the room can create pools of warm light, which are at once soothing and relaxing.

It’s The Little Things That Count
Instead of doing a complete bathroom makeover, changing just the shower curtains and bath accessories and putting in new towels can give the bathroom a new look for far less. Candles and flowers, particularly roses and peonies add freshness and intoxicating fragrance to any room. Medallions and decorative molding are an affordable alternative to wood moldings. They are simple to install and easy to look after. If you embellish inexpensive photo frames with beads, buttons and sequins or even seashells and beach glass you’ll end up gorgeous frames to display precious family photographs. Chances are no one would be able to guess how much you actually paid for them.

Dress Your Windows
The pay off for investing your designing dollars in curtains is tremendous. Curtains that hang from the ceiling to the floor add lush drama to all your windows. Play around with different fabrics and textures to give each window a personality of its own. Diminish the monotony of standard vertical blinds by adding soft curtains on either side. Curtains by themselves are a major influencing factor to the total all-round look of any room.