Up-cycling is fashionable. This is great news for those who are living on a budget and have to be careful how they spend their money. Just because you’re hard up and need to make sure that every penny you spend is spent wisely, you don’t have to skimp on creativity and old furniture that’s crying out for a smart new makeover can be found everywhere.
Planning your decorating project
Once you’ve committed to decorating your
home, allocate a budget to your plan. You may want to throw away some items of
furniture that you detest but are wary about consigning these items to the
skip. You may find that your tastes change and you could want this furniture at
a later date. Instead of throwing these items away, why not source your nearest
self storage facility to keep currently unwanted items of furniture and other possessions safe?
Choose your paint wisely
You will want your paint to stretch as far
as possible and you won’t want it to start peeling the following year. You
don’t have to buy the most expensive paint on the market to achieve perfection.
Go to your local DIY store and ask for advice. Many shops will do a deal if you
buy over a certain quantity of paint, they’ll also mix up the colours for you
if you explain the effect that you’re trying to achieve with your paints.
Look after your brushes
Remember to clean your paintbrushes after
use; why waste money on new brushes simply because you haven’t bothered to look
after your existing ones? An article in TheDaily Mirror suggests that if you clean and freshen up any surfaces that
look faded or tarnished you may find that you don’t need to paint them at all.
Haunt second hand shops
Many charities have fantastic second hand
furniture sections. Instead of buying new wooden furniture, sharpen up your
upcycling skills. You’ll discover that after stripping away layers of old varnish
you’ll have a wonderful piece of furniture that you can paint, and then add
stencils or decoupage in order to create a refurbished item of furniture that’s
perfect for your decorating project.
Material remnants
If you’re trying to incorporate some new
cushion covers, lamp shades or other fabrics into your home, you will be able
to afford them by going to the remnant box of any good department store that
sells fabric. The remnants that you’ll find may be slightly damaged or simply
out of fashion. Simply create your own style with these unwanted pieces of
material. The MoneyAware website suggests that you can transform your bedroom by simply adding
some fabric to your bed’s headboard.
Even if you don’t have the largest budget
in the world, as long as you have ingenuity and the energy to shop around,
you’ll find that you can create a decor for your home which equals that of the
world’s most expensive and sought after interior designers.
This is a collaborative post.
