DECORATING ON A BUDGET

By: Wendy Wallace

When decorating, imagination is always more important than money. It is possible to create a living space that is comfortable, functional, and an outlet for your own innovative style while staying within a budget.  All what you need to do is plan ahead and think like an artist.

“Determine what you need first and what you want second,” recommends interior designer Sarah Lazechko, who believes the basic rules of decorating are the same no matter what kind of budget you are working with.  “Think about what will be best for the room.  Then build the room around the most permanent things.”

If you’ve just moved into your first apartment, or are considering revamping the one you’ve been in for awhile, Lazechko suggests you should figure out what your priorities are based on what you use your home for. Ask yourself how long you’re going to be living in your current place. Make a list of the essential items you need.  If you have the basic necessities; a bed, a couch, a table and chairs the main task is to take the focus off the primary pieces of furniture and turn your apartment into an expression of self.    

Before you begin shopping for anything, look at what you already have. 

Award-winning designer Trevor Furmanek encourages people to look at what the furniture and accessories they now own and try to see their use in a different way.

 “Think about how you can take things and how you can mold or manipulate them into what you want or need them to be.  Make the things you already have more interesting,” he said.

For example, stacks of hardcover books could have a glass cover and be used as a coffee table.  Cardboard boxes can be covered with wallpaper and used as storage containers and end tables.

Both designers recommend using paint as a cheap and immediate decorating tool.  Paint may seem like a tedious stand-by, but its possibilities are endless.  Painting walls can create a dramatic effect.  Use chalkboard paint on part of a wall as a spot for impulsive artistic creation.  Acrylic paint on windows can be used to make them part of the room rather than just something to hide.  If painting the rental property isn’t allowed Furmanek suggests painting your possessions.  Pick a color scheme and transform everything from bookshelves to lampshades or even your TV.

You can also use fabric to refurbish a room.  Fabric can be used just like wallpaper to create an attractive effect.  It can also be draped or tented over a ceiling.  Heavier fabric such as burlap can be placed on the floor and used as an area rug.  Or, you can buy a piece of canvas at an art supply store, paint it yourself, and use it as a floor covering.  Muslin and printed cottons work well as inexpensive window treatments.

“Gone are the days when everything is color-coordinated to death,” Trevor Furmanek explained.  “Clashing is something that doesn’t really happen.”

Keep that in mind when shopping for things to make your apartment comfortable. Catering to your own tastes is more important than following conventional rules.

If you’re decorating on a budget, buying secondhand is inevitable. Try and determine how long you plan on having an item, then look for pieces you can live with. Buy the best you can for the amount you can afford.