Monday, June 18, 2012
This weekend I sat down with a girlfriend and had a great conversation about decorating on a budget - she wanted to know what my thoughts were on how to get the most for your money. She's not very into DIY projects (which can definitely help save you money while you're re-decorating, as most of you saw on my show Picker Sisters), so she was after some store-bought solutions to make her place seem warm and inviting, without costing a fortune. She showed me a few things on Pinterest that she loved (a great way to start any project) and I gave her three key pieces of advice:
1. Bold paint is your friend - Paint is an easy, cheap way to add interest and depth to any room. You'll have to do the painting yourself or get a friend to help (hiring someone to paint can get $$$), but there are just about a billion ways to customize paint to your space to give you the right look. Whether it's an accent wall, a door, something more creative (like stripes), or the entire room, paint is completely customizable and will instantly transform a room right before your eyes. The best part? It's completely reversible, so if you end up hating it after a few months - just paint right over it, no big loss to your wallet.
2. Invest in a rug with color, pattern, or texture - A big area rug is an easy way to add instant interest to your space. They can be a little on the expensive side, but investing in one you love will probably save you money in the long run. All you really need is one, and everything around it can be pretty plain. I've seen many rooms that are mostly white and neutral that have one interesting rug smack in the middle of the room - and it works. Whether you're adding color, texture, pattern (or all three), the perfect rug may be all you need to add to your room to give it new life.
3. Gallery walls are cheap and easy - Wall size pieces of art are stunning, but they're probably going to cost several hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars to get something truly beautiful. Instead, try a gallery wall - take thing you already have, like pictures of your family, important newspaper articles you've saved, diplomas, magazine clippings, and other random things you've kept, and throw them in small frames. You can be as uniform or eclectic as suits your personal style - gallery walls have no rules to look good, but tend to look best when there is just a small grouping, rather than covering an entire wall. Gallery walls are also a great way to display fond memories and things you're proud of, instead of hiding them away in a photo album somewhere, why not display them for the world to see??
Paint inspiration (left to right): Decor8, Modern Love, The Blue House, Virginia Belle, From The Right Bank
Area rug inspiration (left to right): SF Girl By Bay, Pinterest, Coco + Kelley, Desire To Inspire
Gallery walls inspiration (left to right): Design*Sponge, I Like Nice Things, Curbly, Inspire Bohemia, Summer House
