How to Decorate Your House - for Almost No Cost!

by: Megan Hazel

Everyone wants to have a home like those featured in Architectural Digest, but if you're like most, your finances will not allow for it. There are, however, several approaches to decorating and designing that you can take without breaking the bank.

A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for brightening up a room, or even changing it completely. Having a room professionally painted can be pricey, however, depending on the contractor hired and the type of services provided. Rather than hiring someone, painting is a skill that is easily acquired and can even be fun to do. While it may be time consuming, it is not a difficult skill to master. A roller, pan and brush set will cost about $10.00, and a gallon of paint between $20.00 and $30.00. Add in some extra money for spackle to fill any cracks or nail holes, some primer or a base coat, drop cloths and paint remover. If you figure on two gallons of paint, depending on the room's square footage, you could have a white-walled room turn a beautiful hunter green for less than $150.00 all told! In the end, you will be left with a freshly painted, new look and the pride of having done it yourself.

Another way to save money decorating is to shop the yard sales. Sound silly? It's not. Springtime is a great time to do this, as many people are cleaning out their closets and putting things in the yard that they no longer want or they simply don't have room for. You've heard the saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure?" This can be your opportunity for treasure hunting! How many times while shopping have you stepped into an expensive boutique or gallery, just to window shop, and while browsing spotted the ‘perfect' oversized vase for your floor, or a really odd sculpture or ironwork that would be just right for your living room? Yard sales are full of these type items! Because proud homeowners re-decorate every few years, they put perfectly good (and pricey!) merchandise out for sale to the highest bidder. If you do not live in the suburbs, you can still take advantage of these type sales at your local flea market on a Saturday morning or the market on your block.

Want a completely FREE solution? Move some furniture! Not only can you change the look of your home by moving furniture within a room, you can even get creative and change the actual rooms themselves. Why not? If you have a large spare bedroom on the second floor that you have been using for a guest room, why not make this into your growing toddler's bedroom and convert his or her room to the less used, smaller guest room? If you have a family room and a living room that are approximately the same size but in opposite areas of your home, why not simply reverse the floor plan? You would be amazed at the difference this can make in livening up a house that has become stale in the decorating department. If this seems too drastic for you or you don't have the extra rooms, even moving furniture within a room can be a completely cost-free way to renovate.

Who says decorating has to be on the inside of the house only? The first impression you and your guests will have is of the outside of your home. Many people spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars in landscaping, when this cost can be cut significantly by doing your own outdoor gardening, planting and decorating. Rather than having a master plan scoped out by a professional, get creative and think of what colors and types of plants you enjoy looking at and what will grow well in your environment. It is then just a matter of buying the soil, plants, potters, and perhaps some decorative stones to lay around the new plants. This process will not be cost-free, but will be significantly less money to do it yourself than to hire a landscaper. It will also be a great excuse to get outside, enjoy the fresh air, and get some exercise! You can think of the colors you like most, and start with plants in those color schemes. Consider whether you like low-lying plants, or whether you may need to shade certain areas of your property. If so, perhaps you can consider strategic tree planting, so that you have beautiful and mature trees down the road that otherwise would have cost a fortune to have put in. Stones can be relatively inexpensive depending on where you get them and what type they are, yet they can beautify a garden, walkway, path or planted area tremendously. This is something you can add to your landscaping creation as well.

Whether indoors or out, you don't have to break the bank to have a beautiful home. A bit of creativity and a few dollars can go a long way to making the home of your dreams if you take advantage of these few simple suggestions.