Designing Your Home on a Budget? Here are a Few Tips to Get You Started

Most of you spend time poring over interior design magazines, checking out multimillion dollar homes, and dreaming of owning something similar in the future. However, did you know that you can also pull off an expensive and elegant look without spending too much money on expensive items? If you think you cannot make your home look well designed and stylish without spending thousands of dollars, think again. There are so many ways with which you can re-design your home. These need not be expensive and costly— all it takes is a few simple tricks, lots of creativity, and one free weekend to pull it off. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

This is the first step in creating a stylish home. Your theme ties up the many different design elements found in your home, helping avoid the cluttered and unorganized look. You can come up with a theme by thinking of something that interests you: French culture, pop art, travelling, architecture, photography— these are some of the things that could inspire the look of an entire home. Remember, whichever theme you choose, it must reflect you as an individual.

Expensive-looking homes start with expensive looking walls. Unfortunately replacing the wallpaper or re-painting the walls could cost thousands of dollars in material and professional fees. Instead, you can use wall fabric. A neutral-colored thin fabric is stretched over a frame covering an entire wall, and the ends are tacked onto a frame attached to the ceiling and the bottom part of the wall. These are usually less expensive and easier to remove- a great option for those who are living in rentals.

Although some people think that window films are tacky, modern versions offer so many designs and patterns that a well-placed decorative window film or window tint film can lend elegance and class to any home. For example, you can use a frosted-type decorative window film on the bottom sections of the windows’ glass surface to add a dash of understated style. These can also be used to filter and soften the natural light that streams through the windows. When used on doors, a decorative window film can also keep out unwanted peeks from nosy neighbors. With great designs and inexpensive prices, these are great for budget-conscious home decorators.

The key characteristic of elegant design is simplicity. Anything that is loud, extremely vibrant, or featuring too many bright patterns can go against the expensive look you are trying to achieve. For example, instead of bright prints, stick to frosted or one-colored window tint film to keep it simple and understated. Leave the bright prints and patterns to the kitchen where you can employ a more lively design theme. In addition, key accent pieces also give off a newly renovated vibe. For example, in the kitchen, instead of replacing the cupboards, why not just update the glass surfaces with decorative window film and then install new handles? That way, it would look like you have new cabinets for just a fraction of what a total overhaul will cost