How Can I Decorate My Home With Less Than $200?
It's easier than you might think to decorate your home with less than $200. You might not be able to take out a wall or install a sauna in the bedroom, but inexpensive changes like a knock-out paint job can still make a big psychological impact. Give every room in your home a once-over, evaluating furniture, window treatments, wall and floor colors, accessories and lighting, and use a few simple tricks to switch things up -- then use the money you saved to host a swanky housewarming party. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Remove all the non-furniture and non-accessory items from each room, starting in the room that needs the most work. Look critically at what's left. Evaluate furniture, lamps, tables, chairs, throw rugs, etc. Decide what you love, what you can't stand and what you feel neutral about. Consider donating or getting rid of everything that doesn't fall into the "I love it" category. Don't worry about the room feeling empty. Creating a room that contains only essential items gives the room an open and modern air, while clutter takes up space and repels comfort. Cost: free
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Evaluate walls, windows and flooring. Paint dingy, damaged wood flooring for a striking, unexpected room transformation. Think hot red floors in an otherwise neutral space or whitewashed planks in a room that needs brightening. Don't write off painting walls as too-obvious: color changes everything. Try light cocoa brown as an alternative to white or cream for neutral elegance in a living room; go technicolor when you need to breathe life into a dead space. A hot yellow closet can spark a smile every morning, and green built-in shelving in the kitchen changes how your dishes look. Use chalkboard paint to transform a wall into a drawing board. Cost: from $15 to 30 dollars per gallon of paint
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Visit the fabric store. Make a beeline for the remnants table, where scraps of fabrics are often on sale for a hefty discount. Let yourself be drawn to the colors, textures and patterns that appeal to you. Buy scraps to make a large quilt for your bedroom or throw pillows if you're crafty or a few flashy yards to drape over a tired couch if you don't sew at all. Keep window treatments in mind as well -- a curtain rod and metal circles with clips for hanging textiles isn't expensive and requires no sewing ability. Cost: 25 cents and up
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Trade furniture with your friends. Offer your friends your stuff in exchange for theirs -- it's likely you'll both feel that you've come out ahead. In that vein, sell your "I don't love it" items on an online classifieds website or at a yard sale and use the proceeds to purchase a few used items that you do love. Don't stop at furniture -- trade throw pillows, footstools, tablecloths, stereo systems -- anything you feel like you can do without is worth offering to someone else and seeing what she offers in return. Cost: Free.
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Spend the rest of your money on one fantastic, original, unbelievable, inappropriately expensive item that you are ashamed to admit is calling your name. It could be expensive wall art or a cashmere throw. Visit the studio of an artist you love but whose work you've never been able to afford, and select a small piece to treasure. Feel healthy and wise about your purchase, as you have just redecorated your whole home at a cost of less than $200.
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