Monday, June 19, 2017

Designing Your Dream Home at an Affordable Price

While we are out and about on summer adventures, Patricia is sharing a great guest post on the amazing ways you can design and decorate your home on a budget. Check them out! 

Just the thought of undertaking home renovation can drive you into a frenzy as you start imagining the enormous costs it would entail. But achieving your dream home design is actually more achievable than you’d think. And no, it does not have to involve cutting down your groceries for the next six months or depriving your kids of their fun. Here’s a list of home decorating ideas that will help you create a space you’ll truly love while going easy on your budget.

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Less is More
One of the best ways you can spruce up your home through affordable interior design is by keeping in mind that oftentimes less is more. People tend to make the mistake of filling their shelves with too many knickknacks. Not only does the room end up looking cluttered and tacky, the countless decorations can also add up in terms of expenses. So resist the urge to buy every cute item you see at Ikea. If you are in the process of redecorating your home, it may be best to rid your space of some items and create a more put-together look. You can opt for a minimalist look, with a few accent pieces to liven things up. Going this route will allow you to create luxurious looking interiors without spending much. You may keep things interesting by adding tall vases alongside books that are standing upright. You may also include various objects of different heights and colors. Your shelf and your living room will soon look Pinterest-worthy.

Source: Janet Farthing via flickr

Add a Trendy Piece
Although the classics are generally preferable, you can still get into the trendy spirit every now and
then. It’s nice to be current and timeless at the same time. You can add a trendy piece or two as accent. One such trend is the triptych, or a trio of paneled art hinged together. This has become increasingly popular in recent years and can be very pricey. The great news is that you can create one yourself. You can download free artwork from the web, and have your local printer produce an extra large copy of it. You can then cut it into three parts, and fit each one into an affordable Ikea frame.

Decorative pieces that are raw white are also seen as a growing trend. You can go for handcrafted vases that are bone white or chalky white. Keep your eyes open for these pieces when you visit a thrift shop.

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Create an Illusion of Space
Another way you can make your place look more luxurious without shelling out too much money is by creating an illusion of space. This can be done through little hacks like taping together smaller rugs to create a giant piece, opting for a neutral palette, and placing tall mirrors against the wall. Space does a great job of making a room look grander, even if it’s just an illusion.

One effective way you can make your place look spacious is by choosing a monochromatic hue for all your decor. Lighter shades reflect light, and can make rooms appear larger.

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Make Sure You Have a Focal Point
Whatever kind of theme you decide on, you must stick to a key rule: every room must have a focal
point. Your design should focus on one eye-catching piece of wall art. Good artwork can cost you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. You can remedy this problem by creating your own. Not only will you save money, you also get the chance to showcase your creativity.

If you are not the artistic type, you can always go to nearby art schools and commission the service of a young talent on a shoestring budget. You should go for oversized pieces as they always create the greatest effect.

Source: Pixabay via Pexels
 Choose the Right Paint Color
Deciding on a paint color can be difficult, especially as the rest of the decorating you do will likely
be influenced by your color choice. If elegance is what you are after, your choices will often boil down to either understated hues or bold colors. Your choices will have to depend on your personality. In any case, painting your unit doors black will create an elegant effect.

If repainting the whole house is not within your budget, you may focus on one wall. The wall itself can serve as a focal point, effectively sprucing the whole place up. You can cover one wall with grass cloth or paint it a dark color. The wall behind your bed would make for an ideal focal point. The added texture will not only make the room look more polished, but it will also add more warmth to the place. You can explore your options with affordable wall papers.

Source: ErikaWitlieb via Pixabay
 Create Drama Using Inexpensive Items
A little drama can’t hurt when it comes to designing your interiors, especially when they do not break
the bank. For instance, you can add a headboard to your bed using inexpensive desktops you can buy from affordable furniture shops. Choose a color that will pop up against your wall. A dark headboard, for one, can have a dramatic effect against a light-colored wall. You can add more style by propping up your pillow shams so that they form a diamond instead of a square.

Another dramatic scheme for your interiors is by adding lots of contrasts and shadows. Using tall plants and oversized floor lamps will also do the trick.

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 Go Only for Elegant-Looking Furniture
You can follow all the steps above to a T, but still end up with a shabby-looking room if you make the
mistake of using tacky furniture. You don’t have to go for the pricey pieces to get an elegant look. All you need is a keen eye for style. You can even have the furniture reupholstered to suit your taste or the interior design theme.

One way you can play around with your furniture is by going eclectic. You can complement a regular looking sofa by adding a corner chair or two that are from a different era or distinctive genre (a Ming-style chair, perhaps?). You can also be creative with your color schemes. You can never go wrong with combining beige, gray, and white.

Source: Donald Tong via Pexels 
 Use Your Pillows to Accessorize
You can further accessorize your living room by adding tasteful pillows. They always make a great decorative addition to your sofa, oversized chair, or love seat. They can help amp up the elegance
factor, but only if you choose the right pillows. For one, you must skip the usual 12 to 18-inch pillows, and go for the 24-inch ones. For better effect, stuff them into 22-inch pillows covers. This will create a plush and luxurious effect. Also, do make sure that you only go for tastefully designed pillow shams.

Do not hesitate to start your home improvement project now. With the workable ideas mentioned above, you can easily turn things around.



Patricia Evans is an interior designer, residential designer, art crafter, DIYer, and a full time mother. She writes about interior decorating, and loves working with shapes, shades, and spaces. She is also in to green and simple living, and loves cooking and having tea. 

Currently,
Kelsie



9 comments:

  1. One of the reasons I dream to have my own house, is that I can decorate it as I wish and put all my creativity into it! These are all really nice tips.

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  2. I love all of these tips that Patricia gave! My hubby and I just redid our entire apartment and I was going through this post like a checklist to make sure we did it right! ;)

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  3. love these tips! I couldn't agree more that less is more! It keeps things clean and doesn't break the bank!

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  4. Love this post! I am all about the minimalist trends happening right now!

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