Interior design on a shoestring

Interior design on a shoestring

For many, leafing through interior design magazines incites mixed feelings of appreciation and jealousy.

Yes, we appreciate the beauty of the homes depicted, but we’re also left green-eyed at the apparent unattainability of such a gorgeous home.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though.

Admittedly, the economy has done little to enhance people’s interior design budgets – things like putting food on the table tend to come first – but times of economic austerity can inspire a creative streak that many of us didn’t know we possessed.

By changing your attitude to interior design and realising that you don’t need to purchase something brand new whenever you want to give a room a facelift, you can learn to work with your possessions whilst incorporating a few affordable items to complement your resourcefulness.

Quite simply, there is potential in almost everything in your home.

It pays to upcycle

It’s cheap and easy to upcycle items such as that dresser shoved in the spare room for the last three years, or the nondescript kitchen table that simply needs a bit of TLC and a vibrant coat of paint. By replacing the handles on an ugly cabinet with vintage ones, for example, you have yourself a unique piece of furniture that’ll look great.

Buy a quality floorcovering

It may not be immediately obvious, but by buying a designer floor mat you can really spruce up tatty looking flooring without breaking the bank by purchasing an expensive rug or carpet. Nowadays, a sophisticated floor mat is just the thing you need to complement your other interior design efforts, and keep your flooring protected from boisterous children or dirty paws.

Samples are your friend

Finding inexpensive samples of paint, wallpaper and fabric can go a long way to creating a new look in any part of the home. By opting for small amounts of top quality materials, as opposed to vast quantities of shabby rubbish, your home will look picture perfect in no time. Samples are often sold off cheap or given away for free, whilst tester pots of paints from DIY stores can be used to transform a beat up picture frame to decorate a bare wall.

It’ll all be worth it …

Concerns over whether your efforts will end in disaster are natural – which is why it’s prudent to make small changes first. Move your living room around, rearrange your book shelf or paint a feature wall. It may sound trivial but it’ll prove that embracing change is absolutely vital when designing on a budget.