Authored by Jackie Acosta in Home Improvement
Published on 12-04-2008
Making over a room from blah to beautiful can be a very expensive thing to do: new furniture and fixtures cost a lot of money and of course, time and labor also. What should one do if he or she feels a need to change scenery around the home but only has a limited budget? Here are some ideas that will give rooms a new look without break the bank.
A quick yet very noticeable room makeover idea is to change the color of the room. Do this by repainting the walls. Not only does it cost less than wallpapering, it’s relatively easy to do by yourself, thus saving you more moolah on labor cost. Change the color of your room from drab to fab–use bright colors to liven up the room and you can opt to use another color of paint for accents like stripes.
Another idea is to rearrange the existing furniture to give the room a new layout. Moving a cabinet away from the corner may give you more space to play with, or moving your bed closer to the window may give you a feeling of having a new bedroom. Layouts can change the way a room looks and feels, so don’t be afraid to move things around. Here’s a tip before you start lugging furniture: measure and make layouts before you actually move. This helps cut down on time and saves energy–plus your floor or carpet some unwanted marks.
There may be some restrictions which prevent some people who rent or live in dorms when it comes to painting or moving furniture around. A little bit of creativity and resourcefulness can be used to counter this problem. First is to decorate from a smaller perspective. This means using accents and accessories to give some life into the room. It can be as simple as changing the sheets to something more bright or shifting to a lamp shade that throws more light into the room, or buying a new organizer to de-clutter the space and at the same time add a focal point in the room.
Resourcefulness is necessary if you are working on a tight budget–use things that are lying around and repurpose them for other things: drape that old bead necklace into a repainted lampshade to add a more dramatic effect to your bedside. Use the circular cork boards for pots and pans as your own corkboard. Sew pillow covers from scraps of fabric or old pieces of clothing. Put in a new air freshener or room scent oil. A little can go a long way–a minor adjustment like changing light bulbs to make the room brighter or using yellow light to soften the harsh white walls can totally change how you feel inside the room.
Remember, you don’t always have to spend so much on room makeovers. The key is to be resourceful and more creative. Just like with clothes, you can use the same thing over and over again and it will still look different every time–it just depends on how you style it. Happy redecorating!
