Whether you live in a single family residence, condo, apartment, own a home or are renting, there are times when you just want to see some different interior 'scenery'. The familiar colors, fabrics and furniture arrangements that have been a source of enjoyment and comfort in the past may now seem a little boring and ordinary. So what do you do? Your budget may not be able to handle a major home decorating project. But don't let that thought stop you, because there are a number of changes you can make that are easy on the budget and will provide a breath of fresh air for your home's interior decor. These strategies will apply to any room or area of your home, although we will focus mainly on the living area in this dicussion.
First, clean out the clutter. The 'stuff' we own can accumulate over time, and eventually can become a hindrance and get in our way. Take each room in your home individually so you won't become overwhelmed with the task. Then, remove anything that you have not used in the last three months. If it is an appliance taking up space on your kitchen counter, put it in a cabinet and out of sight. You may have set a floral arrangement or some other type of nic-nac on a table thinking you would find a permanent home for it later, and there it still sits. Move it. You may be surprised at how much brighter your rooms look when they are clutter free.
The next home decorating idea in this project is to rearrange the furniture in at least one room, and preferably two or three rooms of your home. You may need to enlist some help with this step, so plan ahead and gather a few pairs of hands to accomplish the task. If you have not moved your sofa in two years or more, it is time for a change! You may not have many options if your living area is small or limited in other ways. At a minimum, pull the sofa away from the wall (I know that's where it is right now for most readers) and angle it toward the television, or whatever the focal point is in this area. You might be limited to a move as subtle as pulling one end of the sofa about a foot or so from the wall. But wait, that's not all. Then, take the other seating in the room and angle it just a little bit, swapping locations of chairs (if you have more than one in the room). Now step back and notice that your room has taken on a different feel because the position and angles of the larger pieces have been changed. You're making progress with your interior design project!
After giving your room's largest pieces a new perspective you will now do the same for the accessories. I always advise that you physically remove them from the room or area you are working in. Bring in accessories from another room, or take the extra inventory of pictures out of the closet and try something different in this room. Go ahead and take a decorating risk!
That leads right into the fourth easy and no cost home decorating idea for you. Take a careful look at the color scheme in this room and add a new, never before used accent color to the area. If you're not sure what type of color could be added, here is one course of action. Purchase something small and returnable, such as an accent pillow, and just try it. What is the worst thing that will happen? You won't like it and will take it back to the store. But, you might love it, and it is always so much fun when the decorating 'aha!' light goes on. When that happens, you will be able to add, in a small way, more of this color to the room. Remember this rule, though; more is not always better. Be thoughtful and particular about where you place this new color. If you don't overwhelm the room with it, the result will be that breath of new life for your room.
You have one more home decorating idea to implement if you desire, and that is to bring the outdoors in with some greenery. Placing greenery in the room can provide the finishing touches to your interior design project. Again, use a light touch with the silk plants or trees, and if possible use good to better quality merchandise. Your newly redecorated area will have a look of class and polish with carefully placed, better quality silks.
Now that you have successfully made these easy, simple and low or no cost home decorating changes, step back and enjoy your surroundings. Better yet, take a break, have some refreshment and enjoy the view from a new perspective!
For less than $500 you can make your porch comfortable and relaxation friendly. You can also add privacy to your porch so that you don't have to worry about your neighbors or everyone who is driving by watching everything that you are doing.
The best way to get started is to be patient and wait for outdoor furniture to go on clearance. You don't have to wait long for this to happen. Outdoor furniture is typically put on the market at the end of winter. By July, most stores have already put their outdoor furniture and decorations on clearance for 25%-40% off. There is no need to pay full price for furniture if you know that it will be on clearance in no time.
Before you buy furniture you need to think about how you want to use your porch and how big your porch is. If you have a smaller porch you are going to have to choose between seating or dining furniture. Larger porches can actually accommodate both, making your porch even more useful. Even if you have a small porch with a wicker loveseat and two chairs, perhaps you would still have room for a caf? table to use for coffee and bagels in the morning.
Buy an outdoor rug to coordinate with the cushions on your furniture. Again, wait for the rugs to go on clearance. You don't want them to take up your whole porch but to be more like an accent of color.
Accessorize with plant stands, colorful pottery, flowers and picture frames. If you have wall space consider hanging an outdoor clock, metal sign or mirror. Buy a white outdoor bench and store your furniture cushions when they are not in use to extend their life. The bench can also be used for additional seating if needed. Outdoor lights can add whimsy or romance to your porch depending on what kind of ambience you are going for.
For privacy and shade buy outdoor blinds. You can find them at your local discount department store or home improvement store for less than $20 each. If you have an overhang on your porch roof, hang them behind the overhang so that when the blinds are up they can't be seen from the street.
There are so many other things that you can do to make your porch into an outdoor living space. All it takes is your imagination. You might find that you have things lying around your house that would be perfect to add to your outdoor space. The first thing that you need to keep in mind is that if you can be patient and wait for things to go on sale you can get more bang for your buck. But the most important thing to keep in mind is that you should decorate your porch to suit your decorating style and in such a way that you will want to be out there from the time the sun comes up until it is time to go to bed. After you are done decorating, you will wonder how you ever lived in your home without relaxing on your porch and enjoying the outdoors.
Both Candi Randolph & Tim Shank are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Candi Randolph has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Marriage and Interior Design. Candi Randolph is a Design Consultant, owner of an interior design company in Fort Myers, FL and the author For more infomration. Candi Randolph's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
Tim Shank has sinced written about articles on various topics from Dogs, Terrier Dogs and Dogs. I enjoy writing and creating websites. For more of my websites visit my ,. Tim Shank's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.