This article was updated on 08/16/19. Happy National Tell A Joke Day!
There comes a time when every home can benefit from a little freshening up, but there is no reason why redecorating or changing a room should cost the earth. With only a small and frugal budget and a bit of imagination, it is possible to create a completely new look for a room.
Change the Look of a Room with a Coat of Paint
The cheapest and easiest ways to give a room a new lease on life is with an imaginative wall texture or a fresh coat of paint. Walls act as a backdrop, a blank canvas for fresh ideas and looks. Paint is relatively cheap and an average-sized room can easily be completed within a couple of hours.
If painting a whole room seems like too much trouble, try just painting the door in a color that contrasts with the walls. As a general rule, walls doors look good with a sheen such as satin or eggshell, trim should be gloss, and ceilings should be a flat sheen.
Refinishing Furniture and Strategic Positioning
If the budget does not stretch to new furniture, consider pimping what is already in the room. In many cases it is surprisingly easy to re-upholster furniture with nothing more than some fabric, a pair of scissors, and a heavy-duty stapler.
Wooden furniture can be refinished using sandpaper to strip off the top layer of stain or paint and then re-paint in either a neutral tone, such as white or go bold with blues and reds to create a modern look.
For a really quick and free fix, try simply moving existing furniture around. That old chest in the bedroom might just work in the living room as a coffee table, while that gilt mirror in the hall could look great over the mantelpiece.
Its surprising how just moving the furniture around can make a room feel made-over. Remember that where you position your pieces goes a long way towards opening up the space and enhancing traffic flow. Dont be afraid to try different configurations.
Rugs as Accent Pieces
A quick way to make a big change is to throw a rug down on the floor. A rug will visually break up the room; a big bold color or pattern works best, but be sure to anchor it to the spot by placing it under a coffee table or chair or use a non-slip mat under it.
This way it will look as if it is serves a purpose and has not just been laid down for effect. Place a runner in the hallway from the front door. Not only will it keep your floor cleaner, it will visually lengthen the hallway itself.
Coordinate Your Accessories
Remember that small changes can make a huge difference. Every room is bound to have more than a few knick-knacks and accessories; these can be used to create accent pieces. Accent pieces take a main color and coordinate it throughout the room.
For example, if your walls are a shade of red or rose, then red cushions on a plain, neutral sofa would act as accents. Continue the color theme with vases, candles, lamps, and photo frames positioned around the room.
Focus on Window Treatments
Consider upgrading your window treatments because they can have a huge impact on the look of the entire room. Why not combine drapes with blinds? This will create a layered look that offers visual depth. It will also go a long way to improving your homes energy efficiency. Or, go minimalist and do away with the drapes altogether and have just enjoy the blinds.
This creates a clean, streamlined look, which adds much-needed freshness to any room. Even better than blinds and a bang on trend at the moment, are stylish wooden shutters. There are many suppliers for interior shutters online and DIY installation is easier than ever.
These sites usually display shutters that cover the whole of the window or just the bottom half. Shutters serve a dual function, affording complete privacy and making it easy to regulate the amount of light entering the room.
We hope you enjoyed this article on budget interior design ideas. Did you find it helpful and did it spark your imagination? If so, please share the link with friends and social media. And if you have some related ideas please share them with our readers in the comment section below. Thanks for visiting; were all in this together!
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About the Webmaster:
Kelly R. Smith was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation and financial and energy trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.