Designer Secrets for
Updating Your Home Décor On a Tight Budget
by Pamela Cole Harris
Home décor seems to change every time you turn around! What was "in"
yesterday, gives your visitors flashbacks to their childhood today! If your
décor is stuck in the last decade and you don't have the budget for a complete
makeover, you have two choices. Keep your decor the same until it comes back
into style (only ten more years to go!) or update your décor for little or no
money! Here are some secrets!
1. Color - If the color is a definite throwback from another
decade, update by painting one wall that new, hot color. Or
paint stripes of the new color on one wall! Create a color
focal point in the room to draw attention away from the areas
that may not be as updated as you would like. But don't go
overboard! (Please get those lime green stripes out of your
mind!)
2. Furniture - Work with what you have. If the upholstery is
worn, cover with throws, quilts, slipcovers or sheets to draw
the eye away from the problem areas. This also works if the
color is outdated. Add a few throw pillows to catch the eye
and draw attention to their beauty! Just one caution: If you
have so many pillows that nobody can sit on the sofa, you have
probably carried this advice a little too far!
3. Floors - Cover an old carpet with a large throw rug or make
your own hand-painted floor cloth. If you have wood floors
under the carpet, tear the carpet out! Then sand and seal the
floors if they are in good shape or paint the floors if they
are not. You can even make concrete look beautiful! (cold and
hard, but beautiful!)
4. Furniture arrangement - Rearranging your furniture is always
a good way to update the look. As with color, create a focal
point of your best pieces. It should be the first thing people
see when they walk in the room. They won't even notice the
ugly stuff in the corner!
Try these tricks and update your own décor! And just a little tip from yours
truly - burnt orange and avocado green plaid will NEVER come back, so give that
sofa to the Goodwill! (or the Smithsonian!)
Pamela Cole Harris is an editor, writer and eco-decorator with over 35 years
experience. Her website,
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com is full of her unique decorating ideas
and "how-to"s. Her new book, "100+ Wildly Imaginative Ideas for Creating Your
Own Coffee Table - a Handbook for the Creatively Deficient Decorator " is
available through her website or at
http://www.lulu.com/pamelacoleharris .