Interior Design – Without the Cost

Be honest with yourself, there’s certain rooms in your house that you’d really like to redesign. If not, then your house looks better than mine. There’s always something I’d like to change over time and there are just rooms which take more wear and tear than others over time. The kids’ bedroom comes to mind.

Often we choose not to change the look and design of a room because we can’t justify the cost. But it doesn’t need to be expensive. Just changing a few things and getting creative can change the whole room. I think we have been fooled by all of these home makeover programs into thinking that we need to get a whole team of experts in to make extensive changes. It’s simply not true. Just making a few alterations which are tied together in a complimentary way can be just as effective. Here I am suggesting a couple of design styles you can achieve without any real trouble or expense.

Contemporary

contemporary

Whilst this style can date quite quickly it can be achieved very inexpensively and will look slick and smart. One of the quick ways to make a room look more contemporary is to fit a wooden effect floor. These can be found at very reasonable prices which are very simple to fit yourself. They also make sweeping up mess much easier. Storage, you need storage so that you can tidy everything away. A contemporary style will often look quite minimalist with less things on display so add cupboards or shelves. Changing the doors on the wardrobe to mirror doors can save you the cost of purchasing a new wardrobe whilst making the room seem bigger and more stylish. You can even paint the wardrobe a different colour if you prefer. In terms of colours you should go with white and black but a few splashes of strong colours look great too.

Shabby Chic

shabby-chic

A very popular style and especially with females is shabby chic. It can make a room feel cosy and luxurious. It will look lived in and stylish and will be the just the place you want to snuggle down and relax. Originating in the 1980’s it has quite a romantic feel to it and a big feature of it is the materials it uses. French linens and cottons will feature heavily and the colour scheme is usually pastel. You can make your own shabby chic room by simply replacing the materials you have already. You could use throws over sofas and chairs etc. and you don’t need to fully reupholster everything. Then with just a few other things such as cushions, pillows and a few metal items such as a chandelier or some candle stands you will have your own shabby chic room to kick back in.

Traditional

traditional

The traditional style looks timeless and classy. When done well and it’s not over stated it will stand up to current trends and fashions and look good for years to come. It will give a touch of refinement and elegance to a room and it will look expensive. However, it can be achieved very simply. Consider the colour scheme; it needs to be muted but stripes can be used to add interest if you wish. You want to have long sweeping curtains with a header. You can keep the same bed and use a valance to hide the bottom half and then buy a large metal headboard full of sweeping curves. To finish off the look you need antique furniture. This doesn’t mean that you need to fork out thousands at the local auction though as English and French reproduction furniture can be acquired quite cheaply which will look just like the real thing.