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Decorating Your Home
By Julie Dana, Fri Dec 9th
Do you dream of adding style to your home but don’t have a lotof money? Don’t despair! There are 5 things you can do that willhelp your house look beautiful without spending much money. 1. Declutter your home. Nothing zaps a great look like clutter.Look around you. Do you have paper plies or mail stacks? Do youjust add to your knickknack collection rather than rotate yourselect favorites? When was the last time you saw the front ofyour refrigerator? Simple solutions that cost very little moneyare to invest in nice office trays, pretty bulletin boards andframes for your child’s artwork. Make the trash can handy toimmediately toss unwanted mail. Taking away the clutter willmake your space appear larger and help your treasured objects beemphasized rather than lost. 2. Make display surfaces pretty. A key element in houses thatare decorated by a professional rather than want-to-be is theart of accessorizing. Flat surfaces such as mantels, bookcases,and coffee tables are the perfect places to restyle for less.The one important point here is to keep it simple. Bookcasesshould only be 2/3 full. A mantle should not have mirror aboveit (a very dated look) – choose artwork instead. Place no morethan three items on an end table – cluster these varied butrelated items together for more impact.
3. Paint to Impress. Paint, as you know, makes the most dramaticchange for the money. Be bold, be daring and most importantly --don’t do white! Choose a complex color. This simply means if youwould use several different words to describe the color than itis probably complex. For example; if you said it was
a kinda“gold, straw, beige-y color” than it is probably a complexcolor. If you said “just yellow” - it probably is not a veryinspiring look. A beautiful color on the walls can make the roomgo from ordinary to extraordinary in less than a day and usuallyfor less than $50. 4. Make it personal Decorating your house is a job but stylingyour home is fun. Personalization is putting your interests,hobbies or values into your décor to really make it your own.Buy simple – read inexpensive - curtains at your local big-boxstore and then buy exquisite wide ribbon to hot glue on theedge. Use your grandson’s first sneakers to tie back the dencurtains. Use some family photos but just promise not to use toomany. A guest coming for a visit may find all those staring eyesunnerving. 5. Change with the seasons. You know the drill – lighterbrighter for spring/summer and darker richer for fall/winter.This easy task of changing the fabric items around the home canhelp you make it seasonal. Change out placements, bath towels,and accent pillows. The final touch is to purchase a seasonalbouquet of flowers: fresh or fake- these centerpieces can addpunch to a room. Decorate your home by spending time not money in decluttering,painting and accessorizing. By following these simple tips, youcan make a huge impact by bringing your home from average tospectacular for very little money. About the author:Julie Dana is a professional Interior Redesigner and AccreditedStaging Professional. Her company, The Home Stylist, offersonline decorating consultations, do-it-yourself decorating plansand real-estate staging. Visit http://www.thehomestylist.com totake a fun style quiz, vote on a color poll, and sign up forfree decorating e-newsletter.
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