Inexpensive Decorating Ideas

Sometimes you just need to make a small change in your decor to make a room or your whole house look new and fresh. A change or paint color or new wall hanging really can change a room completely, and not every decorating change needs to be expensive. A big change in appearance does not need to take a whole lot of time either. A weekend or even an afternoon is enough time to make a significant change. Here are some simple, quick and inexpensive ideas to make a change and give your home a new look.

One: Make your bookshelves more than storage and dusty display for unwanted items. Clean up those bookcases, and if desired, paint or add some accents to the furniture. Then put your books back in the bookcase, but mix things up a little. Arrange some of the books in traditional rows, but between some of the books place art pieces, photos or pieces that are important to you. Do not forget that the books themselves can be decorative, not just informative or entertaining. Stack some of the books in horizontal or even pyramid shaped stacks. You can place paperweights, photos, clocks or even small vases of flowers on those stacks for further interest. An even easier change would be to rearrange your books by color, size or in some other way that is pleasing to the eye. It might not make finding the book you want easy, particularly if you have a large collection, however if you only do this for one small bookcase it can make a big visual impact. You can also use benches, side chairs or other pieces of furniture to store books in a different way while adding a charming visual and keeping some favorite books handy.

Two: Framed fabric remnants can make unique and perfect artwork for your walls, and might cost you nothing at all. If you are a sewer or someone that has dabbled in reupholstery, you might have everything you need on hand already. If not, then a trip to a craft or fabric store will be able to get you everything you need for very little money. I suggest that you begin by deciding on the frames you will use, and where you want to put your new artwork. Those details will help you find the perfect fabric. Varying frame sizes, colors and shapes can add further interest to your walls. When you are ready to find fabric, I suggest looking in discounted and remnant bins for high quality fabrics. Make sure that the pieces are large enough for their chosen frame and that the design or color scheme will compliment its intended surroundings. For a sense of harmony or continuity, I recommend using fabrics with a common trait: such as a particular color, flowers, pattern or print style. When the fabrics and frames are ready, tack the fabric securely and tightly to the frame backs and hang the finished results as you would any other artwork. If you are very ambitious, or fall in love with a fabric, you can make matching pillow covers to continue the look further in your home.

Three: Add a splash of color in an unexpected or otherwise unconsidered space. You can paint a single wall in an otherwise neutral colored room to compliment the dominate color in the upholstery or carpet, or stenciling a design on the single wall can also add color and elegance to a room. You could also add some character to the room by painting the woodwork, like painting a faux chair rail or the molding. Painting an otherwise overlooked hallway with a color that compliments the areas that it connects, even adding some color to the door of the pantry can make a big difference. For the cost of a small can of paint, you make a huge difference in more than one room.

Four: Pick up one or more small rugs. You can use some well chosen rugs can cover up dingy areas in wall to wall carpeting or scratched spots on your hard wood floor while adding a cozy feel or colorful accent to any room. Try putting a rug in an unexpected place, like under a bench at the foot of the bed or in front of the bureau. Do not be intimidated by the rugs, even if they have bright or bold patterns. You can put several in the same room as long as they share a common color or design aspect to tie everything together. If you are super crafty, you can crochet a rug or two, or make your own rag rugs. The rugs do not need to be expensive. A trip to a discount store, Goodwill, or flea market might yield the perfect rug, or rugs, for your decor.

Five: Take a trip to a flea market, Goodwill, church fair, tag sale, demotion firm or remodeling firm to find unique items to add to your home. Searching for the perfect something can be a great experience, even if you walk away empty handed. The trip can give you great ideas, even if you do not find the missing piece of furniture or artwork that you might have in mind. Make sure that you bring a notepad and pen, as well as the information on what you might want including dimensions and measurements for the space the items would need to fill. That notepad will come in handy if you find a piece that was not what you originally had in mind, but seems to be even better but might not fit where you want to put it. The paper and pen will also come in handy if you see something that you love, but think you can make on your own. A digital camera can come in handy for the same reason.