Easy and Affordable

Interior Decorating Tips

Getting Started! ...

Try these interior decorating tips... when you have absolutely no idea what you like, or you like simply everything!

• Buy a bunch of home magazines or better still subscribe to some

• Clip the pictures you love and stick them into a scrapbook

• Search the internet. Bookmark your finds or print them out and add to your scrapbook.

• Pin your favorite pictures to create a mood board.

See if you can spot a trend in your choices. You can do a similar thing with fabrics.

Analyze the space in your home.

•How do you use the space available?

•Do you use all your rooms to their full potential?

•And if not, why?

•Identify "problem areas" and think about how you could improve them

•Optimize your living areas and think about how they link to the outside.

Tip

Creating a single living area from two or perhaps three small under-utilized rooms can literally open up your house.

You may not be able to afford these improvements right away.

In fact, just changing the function of a room can help your house work better for your needs.

For instance, a bedroom may function better as a lounge with only some minor alterations. And sometimes a lounge can work as a bedroom if there are other living areas.

Your needs change over time and it’s great if you have flexibility in a home to make the space work differently.

Top Tip

Painting throughout is the most cost effective way to transform the look of your home.

The house itself will, to a large degree, shape the decorating style you will go with. Your home’s surroundings also influence what will best suit it.

But ultimately your interior decorating choices and finishing touches reflect your personality.

Consider an overall decorating style for your home rather than a room by room approach. What looks good in one house will not necessarily look good in another. Natural light plays a big part in how color responds.

Tips on choosing paint colors

• Collect some paint swatches from your paint or home store.

• Place them in different parts of a room and see how they change over a day as the light changes.

• If you like the way one or two of the colors look, buy a test pot.

• Using the pot, paint a piece of card that you can try in different areas of the room or house.

• And if you decide you don’t like the color, go back to your paint swatches and start over.

Just want to make your space feel more like home?

Then try these inexpensive interior decorating tips...

• Make cushions out of colorful fabric found on shopping expeditions. They are easy to make for the home sewer and can inject color and freshness into the look of a room. Be adventurous and choose an outrageous pattern!

• A throw or blanket can add pattern and texture...great for that catnap on the sofa!

• If you are into crafts, framing your own photos or prints is a great way to put a personal touch to your room.

• Another personal favorite decorating idea is to have more than one table lamp in a room. Additional lighting is often overlooked when decorating, and table lamps are very easy way to add mood, ambiance and extra light to a space.

• Add an item from a second hand shop or yard sale. You may find a small table which needs a coat of paint (or not) or a rug. Be discerning. You will have to sift through a lot of junk until you discover something worthwhile!

Easy and Inexpensive Decorating Tips to Revitalize Your Kitchen

New kitchen cabinets can cost a fortune for some reason!

You can totally transform your kitchen by replacing your kitchen cupboard doors and leaving the actual cabinets as they are.

I had a joiner make new doors and drawers for my 25 year old kitchen. The internal cabinets were in good condition and some door hinges were replaced.

Result? Great ....and at a fraction of the cost of a new kitchen!

New cupboard doors, new handles, a tiled splashback, lighting and a sunfilter blind all help to create a new look in this kitchen.

For an even more cost effective makeover, just repaint the existing cupboard doors.

It’s really important to use paint that's made for the purpose.

If you use the wrong type of paint, your cupboards could look worse in only a few months.

Ask questions from your dedicated local paint store. They are supposed to be the experts. Or try using a painting specifier on the internet.

Update the handles or drawer pulls on your cupboards. Take care when choosing your new hardware though. Prices do range widely so buy to suit your budget.

If you are going to replace your kitchen in a couple of years, there’s no point spending more than you need to.

Tip

It helps if your new hardware is exactly the same size as the old ones so the screw holes match- saves filling holes, and drilling new ones.

Add freshness to your kitchen by removing old and dated window curtains or blinds.

Replace with...

• a cedar venetian blind,

• a contemporary roller blind,

• a micro venetian blind

• a custom made Roman blind.

A new light fitting for your kitchen will also be money well spent. If your budget allows, add extra lighting over work areas.

Fittings can be inexpensive but do choose lights that work with your overall look.

These are all cost effective and really simple ways to rejuvenate a tired kitchen.

Of course you will have painted the walls as a background for all your work!

I have used all of these decorating ideas and tips myself, with great results.

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