Decorating on a Budget
“Decorating isn’t about breaking the bank,” said Susan Fenn,
Interior Designer and owner/operator of Sensational Spaces, “it’s about
injecting your own taste, style and flair into your home.”
Fenn
explained that designing your home can be performed exclusively while remaining
on a pre-determined budget. Deciding
your financial commitment to the project prior to beginning is a positive step,
and creates a very realistic goal.
“To
begin we look at what the clients priorities are,” said Fenn, “ their wish
list, what they picture in their mind when they close their eyes, and to what
end we can work together to transform their financial expenditures into a redesigned
living space.”
If it
is all new furnishing that are your goal, Fenn says the start point would be
hunting through used furniture, flea markets and lower end outlets, always
being sure that the client is okay with gently-used furniture pieces. “There
are some very cool and creative treasures to be discovered in some of these
places,” she said, “some of them just need freshening up to uncover a whole new
life.” Fenn explained that sometimes a simple
coat of paint can breathe new life into an old forgotten piece.
The two
most important items worthy of an affordable makeover consist of paint and
lighting. Fenn says that these two items can make a world of difference in a
living space, and can be planned and executed while sticking to the
all-important budget. Neutral colours in painted walls have been the mainstay
for a long time, showcasing beiges, sand and taupe colour schemes. The big
change in this chapter of decorating is seeing the neutral shades move from the
beiges on the colour wheel, to the grays, said Fenn. The gray family of colours is able to
maintain the likes of a neutral palette, but issue in a breath of fresh air
with cool grays that are easily adaptable and customisable with coloured
accents. Grays tend to present a more ‘airy’ feeling than earthy beige tones,
offering a huge fresh look as affordably as buying a couple of gallons of
paint.
“And
it’s not only the walls that can be reincarnated with a luxurious coat of fresh
paint,” added Fenn, “don’t forget about furniture. An old chair, a run-down
table, any neglected piece of furniture can be an astonishing addition to a
made over room with just a coat of paint.” A flat black, or a high gloss black,
promises to showcase and renew furniture in your newly gray painted room. But don’t limit your creativity there, rather
encompass the art of change by splashing some coordinating primary colors into
a room of neutrals. Even a subtle white or a stain can give life to old
furniture. Fenn says to be creative with your ideas when it comes to
reinventing the colour and theme of accessories.
While
shifting to neutral grays or “greige”, another affordable alternative is to go
neutrally with large pieces in the room such as the sofa or headboard. The
alternative is to now present an interesting colour scheme into the room via
accessories.
“There
are stores locally that present colour coded accessories,” said Fenn.
Apparently everything accessory is categorized, such as a lime green, or a
slate blue, boasting everything from lamps to cushions to throws and area rugs,
even vases and clocks, all in a matching colour. Selecting accessories in such
an eloquently mannered matching colour scheme prove to set off the room’s
neutral tones with whichever colour from the rainbow that you decide upon. “You
owe it to yourself to visit stores such as Bouclair to browse through their
colour co-ordinated lay out of accessories,” said Fenn.
The
second most important feature of any room’s overall look comes down to the
lighting. Fenn admits that approximately 90% of the homes that she visits are under
lit. “It’s not a large expense to re-light
any room with lamps; floor lamps, table lamps, ceiling light fixtures, and the endless
possibilities of shapes and styles available is impressive,” she added. “Not to
mention the plethora of options available with the shades for the new lamps,”
she said. Fenn also suggests that
lighting up some of the artwork in your room is a great idea. A light over a painting not only adds more
illumination to an under lit room, but serves to highlight focal points, and
can be done very affordably and inexpensively.
It can
be done, redecorating on a budget. Select the amount of money you are
dedicating to the project, follow some of the ideas above or call an Interior
Decorator, and let the magic happen.
For additional information about Sensational Spaces and
Susan Fenn, visit her on-line at www.sensationalspaces.ca
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