Designing your home on a budget
Rule #1: Always think hospitable, comfortable, cozy and practical
After that can come fashionable, sleek, dramatic or whatever pleases you. But always keep in mind that a beautifully decorated home still has to function as a home! A home is to be lived in and not just looked at. Make sure your home says, “Welcome.”
Rule #2: Decorate for your family first
Strive for a home that is truly welcoming to the people who live there. Your husband should not have to perch in chairs that feel too small. Your children should not have to avoid certain rooms. Consider every family member’s comfort and taste when making decorating decisions. And don’t fool yourself about how your family lives! If your husband watches TV a lot, don’t hide the set under a side table. Remember, other people live in your home too. It’s not just Mom’s place.
Rule #3: Buy what you love - but avoid paying retail!
The fact is that you don’t have to spend a lot to get a rich, fabulous look. Before you pay retail for anything, try garage sales, flea markets, discount stores, sales and your grandmother’s attic. Full price should be your last resort. Remember, a dollar saved is two dollars earned.
Rule #4: You don’t always have to love what you buy if it works to enhance what you love
This is an important corollary to Rule #3. If a certain side table fills a decorating need (fits that empty corner, makes an interesting statement, adds interest to your wall arrangement), if it’s affordable and if you don’t hate it, go ahead and snap it up. You can always replace it when you find something you like better. Time has a way to make you fall in love with those things you don’t initially like.
Rule #5: Work to create a pleasing ambiance
Your overall decorating goals should include creating an ambience that pleases all the senses.
A home is a place where we know we are protected and loved. It is a “trauma center” where hurt people can get well. It is a place where freedom rings. The occupants don’t have to be shaped with the same cookie cutter. Each person is encouraged to grow in his or her own direction for life. In this place called home, we can cry when we are sad and laugh with shouts of joy when we have victories.
Soothing sounds, intoxicating aromas, sumptuous textures - all these add immeasurably to the overall sense of a beautifully decorated home. A comfortable home wants a person to say, “I’m so glad to be home. This is where I can relax, recreate and recharge my battery for tomorrow.”
Rule #6: Put something alive in every room
This is one of the best ways to enhance your home’s ambience - real flowers, green plants, funky-looking cacti or a spaniel curled up on the rug. Try the sound of running water. The trickle sound of water is so relaxing. Even a goldfish in a bowl livens up a room. (However, don’t forget to feed it!)
Rule #7: Try to stage a surprise
An element of the unexpected will do wonders for your decor - an oversized picture, a shelf hung lower than usual, a red pillow in a green room, a teacup turned on its side, a wall of family portraits. The backyard and patio areas are great places for surprises. Don’t be afraid to do the unusual.
Rule #8: Don’t put out everything you own
If one lovely pitcher is good, 20 aren’t necessarily better. In other words, there’s a fine line between cozy and cluttered. Even if you love that rich Victorian look with knickknacks everywhere, try to avoid the trap of too much of everything. You can always store away your extra treasures or rotate them seasonally. Remember, too much of anything that is the same causes it all to “get lost.” Break it up with contrast.
