Affordable ‘WOW Factor’ Interior Decorating Ideas
Creating and living in a space that looks expensive but isn’t too harsh on the budget is becoming an increasingly easier project. Most of us want our homes to look like a professionally decorated mansion but not everyone has the funds to achieve it – but, there are so many different ways to craft unique and affordable design solutions. You just need to be willing to engage your imaginations and discover them.
With blocks of houses being built almost identical to one another, homeowners strongly desire an interior that is fresh, reflects their personality and style and offers a perception of affluence. Below are a few great tips to help get those creative juices flowing and ensure you have your own space that in distinctive to you.
Bring Nature Inside
The outdoors has a natural appeal to us humans – let’s face it, nothing beats the smell of fresh flowers in the home or the array of colours it creates to light up a room. Bringing nature inside though isn’t just limited to flower arrangements, but can open a world of decorating ideas with plants, shell collections, stones and other “bits” of nature to give your home a stylish, organic look.
Adorning with nature isn’t just a trend that’s hot for 2014 though, it’s one that keeps growing with time and can be transformed to suit your mood and environment. A simple touch can create a perfect balance, like a twisted branch with plenty of tendrils to sit on top of a table or used as wall décor, or a nature-themed room can craft a new space in your home. A beach environment works well for this, with starfish and shell collections carefully placed.
Colours that make a frequent appearance in natural décor can bring life to the inside of the home, and help to complement the display of shells, coral or nature elements you have found. Greens and browns connect with an earthy feel to them, whereas blues and whites are refreshing like water and sky.
Paints, Patterns and Pictures
These three P’s can go a long way when it comes to creating that wow factor in your home and gives you the creative space to be as simple or as extravagant as you dare. Paint is always a great way to refresh a room and give it a needed boost but if budget or time is tight, you can still have fun with colour.
For a subtle ‘pop’ of colour that doesn’t take too much effort (or paint!), tint the sides of your door. Painting the sides of a dresser also works the same way and can add a nice touch of detail without going over the top. For the illusion of higher ceilings and to get s creative with paint, half painted walls can be ideal. Leave a third of the top of the room the original colour (or a paler colour than what your painting the rest with), and tint the remaining wall with a brighter tint.
For patterns, experimenting with wallpaper can get those creative juices flowing and give your home a little personality. By wallpaper, I don’t mean the out-dated flower patterns or tiny pink polka dots you remember from your grandmother’s home – the traditional 70’s style wallpaper has undergone a revolution and been replaced by bigger, bolder and more textured designs. They are loaded with strong colours and can add depth and warmth to any area.
But, if you’re not feeling that adventurous and your renting a property you can’t paint – you can still show your walls some love. A display of memories, photos of friends and family, secluded destinations and big bright canvases is enough to make anyone feel happy. It also revitalises the home. You don’t have to go all out and purchase heaps of expensive photo frames though to show off your happy snaps, instead get creative with wire and clips or pegs. For those old picture frames you want to throw out, find a new use for them and make a novel chalkboard to hang in the kitchen – these can look great if you have some vintage looking frames.
Dress Up Your Windows
Windows are an essential design element of your home and give you the versatility to make changes according to your style and mood. They also play an important role in the functionality of your home, from temperature to security so choosing blinds or curtains that reflect your personality but work in favour of a function is ideal.
Window dressings that allow a balance of natural light encourages healthy living in the home. Like plants, we grow vigorously when placed in a naturally lit room so flooding your house with a dose of vitamin c will not only make your home’s interior glow but yours too.
The amount of natural light that comes into your home should be well balanced with privacy and energy efficient priorities though. The effects of UV light can be damaging to your furniture and finishes as well by fading colours so choosing window dressings that can help protect from the heat will make your things last longer.
The decision to choose from curtains or blinds in your home really depends on personal taste. Whilst some rooms work better with blinds, like kitchens and bathrooms due to safety and maintenance requirements, others can be best suited with curtains or a combination of both.
Unused Fireplaces
Older style homes are beautiful in their own right, but when they have a fireplace it adds something a little more spectacular. But, you don’t have to have a fireplace that works to look great – dressing an unused one up with delicate designs gives its placement an enchanted quality.
An array of lit candles inside the fireplace can give it the glow and warmth we associate fireplaces with, or to keep the nature theme mentioned above a display of green potted plants with some space in between can look spectacular. To create the illusion of a dense forest, fill the fireplace with birch logs. Pile one log directly on top of one another in the fireplace opening (you can use a crate for support). If you want to add some colour to the living area, show off a collection of unused vases– warm reds and natural browns can still stick with the fireplace theme.
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