Design on a Budget - Tips and Tricks

Spring is coming and many people may be tired of looking at the same BLAH rooms that they've spent all winter in. There are many tricks to making a room look new and different. Often, the problem is that these things cost a lot of money. Well, I have some ideas for you that will NOT cost you a lot of money, especially if you are handy with a sewing machine and even if you are not!

The very first thing to do when trying to spruce up any room is to declutter and to find articles that you may be able to do without in the room. First off, take away any bric-a-brac that you may be tired of or just don't have room for. Put books and magazines in cute baskets or on bookshelves if you have them. Clear out toys that are no longer played with if you keep toys in the room. Look around and see if all of the furniture is either functional or especially decorative. If there is any piece that you feel you can do without, remove it from the room to give the room a bigger feel and more space.

The rest of the tips here are generally for a family room or living room but some ideas may be adapted for other rooms as well. The biggest piece of furniture in a living room or family room is often the sofa. It sits there day after day and probably gets jumped on by the kids and the dog. Plus, after time, the fabric gets faded and worn. Or else you just get tired of it. But, a new sofa will run you at least $800 and probably more. So, what's a person to do? There are several ideas for remedying this problem.

The first idea is to purchase slipcovers for your sofa. These can run around $100 or more and sometimes they fit and sometimes they don't. A cheaper idea, if you are handy, is to make your own. There is a great deal of beautiful fabric to choose from so you are not limited to the patterns and designs that slipcover companies have chosen. In addition, if you make your own, you will save at least half of the price and if you measure well, your slipcovers will fit much better than store bought ones. A slip-covered sofa will make a room look totally different and, depending on the materials chosen, it can really brighten things up for you!