So you want to bring color into your room but you just don’t want the mess or expense of painting? Here are 7 frugal home design ideas to give a new splash of color to any room in your home!
Pillows: Design your own be visiting your local fabric store where you will find fabulous fabrics of all textures and shapes. Pillow forms, easy (and usually free) directions can be found as you browse. Of course, if DIY is not your thing, pillows are a frugally priced decorating option.
Change up those pillows on your couch by removing the same colored ones and bringing in some fresh and bright new ones containing contrasting or tertiary colors with varying textures. Design some plush floor pillows for those family gatherings where extra seating is needed.
Wall Art: Nothing says new color better than a substantially sized piece of art on your wall. If it’s color you are looking for limit your art selection to art that simply features the colors of your choice. Create your own masterpiece with a large canvas painted one color and then bounce a tennis ball that has been dipped into another favored color. It’s a quick and easy abstract!
You don’t need to limit color wall art to a canvas medium, hang a rug or place mats, or easy to apply and remove wall vinyls.
Plants and Pots: Plants will literally liven up any room. The larger the room the larger the leaf is the design principle to apply. Not only will your plant perk things up the pot can also introduce some fresh color.
Use pots independent of plants. A nice arrangement of bowls, baskets or pottery running across a mantle or sideboard can create understated elegance. Odd numbered arrangements are the rule: choose 3 or 5 over 4.
Rugs: Persian to french leopard, contemporary to Casablanca, there is bound to be a rug that will walk in that color.
Identify new spaces in your rooms by adding an area rug to suit the size for the function. Yes, you can put a rug directly on top of an existing carpet. It’s a great way to not only introduce a new look but hide the traffic wear patterns and spots. Be sure to use a non slip rug for hard wood floors and vinyls. It will protect the floor, prevent slip injuries and preserve the overall life of the rug.
Ottomans and Seat Cushions: Recover that plain colored existing ottoman with a fresh texture and color scheme. Tie those new pillows together with a matching ottoman or floor pillow. Recover the mantle pads or window box cushions. Throw out the conservative and introduce the bold, brash and beautiful!
Lampshades and Frames: It’s easy to redo a lamp shade with fabric paint (oops I mentioned paint) or fabrics. If that’s too much of a project, check out home decor trims or Ric Rac to glue onto the rim of the shade. Experiment with frames. Use the frames you already own and do some colorful decoupage or fabric applications to draw more color attention to the precious photos.
As you can see, color is not just about paint nor is about spending exorbitant amounts of money. There are fantastically frugal decorating solutions to bring a new explosion of color to that favorite living space.
Now you can decorate like a professional by tapping into Frugal Home Design’s information portal. Learn the tips and tricks professional decorators use to bring the best out of every room in a home. Go to http://frugalhomedesign.com and get started on your project today!
Everybody loves to have a beautiful home but no one wants to spend a fortune on decorating this day in age. There are plenty of ways for those with a budget to decorate their homes beautifully though. Not only do such minor changes such as painting a room or changing furniture around have big results but spending small amounts on actual decorative elements is possible as well. From looking online to looking in your own community there is a wide array of budget friendly ways to express your style and your personality in your home. Here are a few tips to do just that without breaking the bank.
Use Correct Lighting- Many people don’t realize how important the lighting in a room can actually be until they experience really good lighting. Lighting sets the tone for the whole room and can make it feel warm and inviting or completely uninviting. Lamps are great for a room such as a living room because they offer a warm glow but creative track lighting is great for a room that gets a little more action, like a family room, den, or kitchen. There are so many lighting options out there that this can be a simple, easy way to add to any room.
Reinvent Wood Furnishings- While many individuals may not have the immediate resources to go out and by new furniture when it gets old there are quite a few that can afford to reinvent their furnishings. By refinishing your furnishings your not only making them look newer but you can make them look like a completely different style as well if you get creative. Stripping materials and stain are relatively cheap, you just have to be willing to put in the elbow grease.
Use Silk Flowers and Greenery- Silk flowers and greenery garland is relatively inexpensive and can add a whole new look to any room in your home. In fact many silk flower arrangements available for purchase look quite real and many of your guests will hardly be able to tell the difference.
Recycle Older Decor- Recycling older decorative elements from the attic, basement, or even other rooms is a great way to add something new to a décor in another room. Often items just need a little TLC and they can be as beautiful as when you purchased them all over again.
Go To Garage Sales- Garage sales can be a terrific way to come up with new decorating elements for your home. Almost always inexpensive and usually offering a wide variety of items, garage sales are one of the most inexpensive ways to redecorate your space. And although some of the items may contain a little wear, you can always repaint them, re-stain them, or just give them a really good cleaning and they will be just like new.
So now that you have a few ideas as to how to decorate on a budget you can get a start on reinventing your home without spending a lot of money.
Matt Hosty is the head writer at the Center for Meditation.Read some of his articles at http://www.centerformeditation.org For more Meditation articles http://www.centerformeditation.org/osho-meditation-articles.html
Owning a small bedroom will not be a problem when you know how to decorate and design it in a way that it will seem much larger than it really is. With the right methods and approaches, you will eventually forget that what you have is a small space. The idea of extending a small bedroom into becoming a large one might seem impossible at first, but you can easily achieve this by using several helpful guidelines that will help you to alter the appearance of a small room and turn it, at least seemingly, into something grand.
Below are 5 effective ways in making a small bedroom look more spacious.
Paint your bedroom using pale colors
Lighter colors retreat. Ceilings painted in white always appear higher than usual. Paint your bedroom walls in white, ivory, cream or pale pink hues or other light colors for the walls to appear wider. If you choose to completely paint the whole room in a lighter shade, expect that the room will not just only feel bigger, but it will also appear more spacious. And believe it or not, in the hot summer day, it will give you the feeling of a cooler place.
Declutter
Clean up your bedroom. Get rid of things that you normally do not use everyday. Clear the things crowding your top dresser and keep them inside the drawer. Your cabinet and wall shelves must look and be decorative. Try to put minimal things and leave a lot of empty space and area to create an extra illusion of added space.
Put Mirrors
Mirrors are not only dispensable for vanity uses. They also amazingly reflect back light. And we know that light has the ability to create an illusion of space. Also, a wall that is lined with mirrors produces an effect in a room to appear twice as huge since the room’s reflection on the mirrors appears just like an entirely separate place.
Create more space
Try to use empty spaces for storing shoes and other items. All other types of clutter should be hid behind curtains. This aspect ties in very well with the decluttering tip mentioned before.
Choose the right bed
The bed is maybe the most essential piece of furniture in a bedroom. Make sure to buy a bed that not only fits the size of your room, but also provides you with enough space for other furniture. Avoid buying extra large beds when you have a small place.
Proper lighting
Having good light in the room is crucial. Depending on the lighting fixture you get, you can easily achieve the illusion of extra space in your bedroom.
For example using wall sconces lighting, one at each side of your bed, will not only improve the illumination but also make the room seem larger than it really is. Check out this guide on installing wall sconces lighting at home with ease.
If you are a homeowner, you understand how maintenance issues can build up. One day things are fine and everything is running smoothly, and the next day three things break. You may end up with a flood, a falling roof, or a broken dishwasher. This can mean thousands of dollars in repairs, replacements, or weeks of inconvenience. While not all home maintenance emergencies can be avoided, there are a number of things you can do throughout the year to avoid unexpected pitfalls. Whether it is your appliances, furniture and accessories, or actual home itself, you can perform preventative services in order to keep things in good working order. Those who own musical instruments may want to turn to a Minneapolis piano tuner or Minneapolis piano technician to ensure there will be no problems with the tools they use for lessons or hobby. This ensures things are in good working order when it is time to play. If you do not own an instrument, there are a number of other things you can attend to in the home to avoid expense and inconvenience.
You may also want to consider regular maintenance on your appliances. Things like water heaters, refrigerators, ovens, and washers and dryers often break down and while they may not be equivalent to a major expense, repairing or replacing these items can add up. Today, many appliances come with extended warranties and maintenance services when you buy them. Often, for a payment as little as $25 on top of the cost of the new appliance, you can extend the warranty five, ten, or even twenty years. In some cases, these extended warranties come with annual service. This way, the retailer saves the expense of replacing a faulty or broken item during that twenty year plan by servicing it on the regular basis. An hour or so each year from one of their maintenance professionals may save them hundreds or thousands of dollars in the long run.
In addition to appliances, consider having a general inspection done of your home every so often. Just as when you purchased the home, you can have it inspected annually or at least every five years, just to get an estimate on upcoming repairs. Professionals can look at the roof, the heating and cooling system, and the plumbing and they will be able to give you an indication of the maintenance that is coming due. These services usually are not that expensive, and they are often far cheaper than replacing or repairing the home feature should there be a problem. Plus, if you catch the problem when it is just beginning, you will save yourself a lot of inconvenience, and possibly, a lot of further damage. For instance should your roof cave in, that could ruin furniture, carpet, and even be dangerous to those living in the space.
If you own a home, invest a few dollars and a few hours into annual maintenance. You will find in the long run, this effort truly pays off.
Connor R. Sullivan and his wife recently hired a professional Minneapolis piano tuner to work on their family piano. His wife consulted with a professional Minneapolis piano technician regarding repairs on the church piano.
Take the stress out of tax time with a few simple tips!
Preparing for tax time can make anyone stressed out – but there’s hope! By using a few easy organizing techniques, you can sail through your taxes come April.
Who’s preparing your taxes? Think about who will be preparing your taxes, and what sort of information they’ll need. Preparing your own taxes is a lot easier if you make a checklist of what documents (W2s, bank statements, etc.) are needed. With a checklist, you’ll know if any important information is missing when you sit down to prepare your taxes. If you’re going to be giving your information to a tax preparer or CPA, ask them how they would like to receive your information. Some tax preparers want a list of expenses, while others are happy to take receipts and do the totaling for you.
Plan in advance. If your system thus far has been to toss all your receipts into a shoebox, now’s the time to spend one or two hours a week (or just 15 minutes a day) gathering and sorting your documentation. This will save you lots of time and stress when you or a professional are actually preparing your taxes.
Record your expenses. If you don’t have an organized way of keeping track of your deductible expenses, you may be missing out on big savings come tax time. Create a list of your expense categories using a simple list, a ledger, or a computer-based system, such as NEAT Receipts. A great benefit of using NEAT Receipts is that not only will the system assign tax categories to your expenses; it will also store a digital copy of your receipts, statements, and other supporting documentation. That way, if you ever were to get audited, all your information will be safely stored in one place.
Keep everything together. Scattered receipts and expenses can lead to lost deductions – and lost money. Instead of losing your receipts or keeping them in a shoebox, purchase an inexpensive accordion folder or scan them into NEAT Receipts. If you choose an accordion, label the folder’s slots with your expense categories, and as you get a receipt, drop it into the corresponding slot. If you’re using NEAT Receipts, your receipts will automatically be categorized. Either way, totaling your expenses for each category at tax time will be a breeze!
What about next year? Don’t wait until next year’s tax time rolls around to start thinking about your 2008 taxes. Start using your new, more organized strategy for keeping track of your receipts and expenses now! Staying on top of receipts and expenses throughout the year can eliminate tax-prep related stress.
Paying taxes is a fact of life, but the stress surrounding tax preparation and keeping track of your receipts doesn’t have to be! Use some of these simple strategies, and when the taxman cometh this April, you’ll be more than ready.
Joshua Zerkel, CPO® is the founder of Custom Living Solutions, a San Francisco-based productivity and organizing consulting firm. Joshua specializes in helping busy entrepreneurs save time, be more productive and make more money by getting organized at home and at work. Visit http://www.customlivingsolutions.com for your FREE copy of “The Top 12 Mistakes to Avoid when Getting Organized”.
