How to Decorate on a Shoestring Budget
You don't have to make a fortune to create a bold style in your abode – even if your budget is shoestring, there are plenty of ways to perk up your dull domicile with paint, inexpensive fabrics and decorative pieces you can find or make on the cheap. Best of all, when you decorate on a budget, your own style and ingenuity shine through.
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Things You'll Need
- Magazines
- Discount paint
- Recycled fabrics
- Art prints
- Inexpensive frames
- Sandpaper
- Salvaged architectural pieces
Instructions
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Apply customer-rejected paint, which is basically a tint that didn't come out to the customer's exact specification. Most likely, this will be a custom color that you can purchase for much less than the full price of paint. Mix the paint well before you use it.
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Place fabrics strategically to hide flaws and refresh your space. For instance, instead of painting a wall, hide it with a curtain hung close to the ceiling. Re-cover your lampshades with recycled fabric from old pillowcases or tablecloths. Cover patio chair cushions with inexpensive terry cloth. Lay wool rugs in good condition; these may be available at thrift stores for a fraction of the cost of retail.
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Create your own art gallery with inexpensive art prints, or if there's an artist-in-residence, create custom digital art to print and hang in inexpensive frames. Paint mismatched frames the same color for uniformity; for vintage flair, distress the frames by sanding the edges and crevices with sandpaper.
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Drive around your neighborhood and hunt for leftovers neighbors leave on the curb. A fresh coat of paint and some new knobs can yield you a new chest of drawers for under $20 as of 2011. A weathered old door snapped up at an architectural salvage yard can become one-of-a-kind table when placed on sawhorse legs with a sparkling glass tabletop.
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Tips & Warnings
Discount departments stores often have specialty lines designed by celebrities. They usually offer inexpensive replicas of the trendy home decor pieces you find in specialty catalogs. Don't underestimate your local dollar store or garage sale or thrift shop when it comes to finding interesting and cheap decor.
Home decorating magazines are filled with inexpensive and innovative ways to transform trash into treasure.
References
- Cottage Home Decorating: Thrift Store Shopping
- Yankee Magazine's Living Well on a Shoestring"; 2000
- Good Housekeeping: Decorating Ideas (for $35 or Less)
