Is there a new baby on the way and not much time (or money) to convert that spare room into a nursery that your little one will love? Don’t fret-with imagination and a little advance planning, you can do a great conversion job in the space of a weekend and with a budget of $200 or less. Figure $50 to $75 for paint and wallpaper, $25 to $40 for curtains and the balance for a rocking chair and a few pretty pictures found at your local flea market or thrift store. When it comes to budget decorating, treasure hunting can be half the fun! More on Weekend DIY Series: Convert a Spare Room to a Baby Nursery in 2 Days for $200

Most homes today are decorated in a more casual or family friendly style rather than the formal don’t-touch-anything style of past generations. However, this formal look can create an elegant and luxurious atmosphere that is lacking in many homes today. The question is…is this a look that you could really maintain and enjoy? Before you start planning your home’s interior design or choose to decorate your home or single room in a formal decorating style, consider the functionality and upkeep that go along with maintaining this classical, and often expensive, design style.

Formal home décor usually involves using dark, intricately carved hardwood furniture and floors. They are often coated in shiny, highly polished lacquered finishes to reflect the lights and attract the eye’s attention. This can be a sleek and expensive look, but it can also collect dust and is easily marred with fingerprints and smudges. Wood furniture and floors need to be dusted, polished, and mopped on a regular basis to keep them looking clean and luxurious. More on Is Formal Home Décor for You? Consider Functionality and Upkeep

Don’t look now, but those retro designs so popular in the 1970’s are back! Perhaps it’s because kids leaving their parents’ homes and establishing their own are raiding family attics and basements and hauling out all that stuff their parents started out with 30 years ago. Or maybe it’s that a modular sofa from the 1970’s is easier to find and less expensive to purchase than, say, a Queen Ann desk actually made during Queen Ann’s day.

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