Admit it. You went a little overboard with your spending over the holidays and now things are a little tight. Just because your pockets aren't full doesn't mean that you décor has to suffer. You can create change in your home to freshen it up for the coming year without spending a cent. Here are some ideas for no-cost projects that will keep you busy during the cold months of winter.
Use leftover interior latex paint from past projects to create simple but effective changes to your décor. You can change the look of furniture by painting it in a new colour or enhancing it with a painted design or border. For example, that pine kitchen table that's showing some wear and tear might benefit from a new paint colour on the legs and a painted or stenciled border around the edge of the table surface. Paint the chair legs or seats while you're at it to give the entire suite a fresh new look. Aside from furniture, other paint-able surfaces in the home that can be updated with a bit of paint are areas like interior doors and trim, window trim, stair risers or a wooden floor. Paint a faux rug on a wooden floor or create a painted border around the entire room. You can also use small bits of paint to create focal walls. Paint the focal wall in wide horizontal bands or geometric designs to create some interest.
Family photographs are great but can look outdated as the year go by. Replace your family photos with more recent versions. Consider having them printed in black and white for an updated look. While all of the frames are off of the walls and tabletops, try a new arrangement when you put them back. Gallery style photos along a hallway can be stunning, just as one example.
Most of us do this at least once a year; rearrange your furniture. It's a no-cost way to make a huge change in the look of your room. Work it out on paper beforehand to save your back. In the bedroom try placing your bed on an angle to the corner or floating the bed in the middle of the room if there is enough space. Bring your living room/den furniture away from the perimeter of the room to create cosy conversation areas. Switch out furniture from other rooms to really mix things up.
Pull out your fabric leftovers and swatches and put them to good use. Cover your current toss cushions with fresh fabric in a new colour and pattern to update your living room. You don't have to sew to do this simple project. Purchase iron on stitchery to fuse the pieces together. Use the same fabric (or a coordinating remnant) in other areas of the room to bring the look together. Recover a lampshade or add a decorative hem to curtains, for example. Recover chair seats with durable fabric remnants. The colours don't even have to match if it's for an informal table. Mix and match coordinating fabrics and patterns for a casual, country look. Smaller fabric remnants can make great café curtains. Consider taking down the longer panels and replacing them with café curtains that will let more natural light into the room. Tea towels also make great café curtains and the edges are all ready hemmed. Use simple curtain ring clips to hang them from an inexpensive café rod or even a scrap piece of wooden dowel and a couple of cup hooks to mount the rod to the window frame.. Other items that can be updated with fabric and a little hot glue are things like picture frames, lamp bases, waste cans, wicker baskets or even cabinet door recessed panels.
Along with leftover fabric you may also have small lengths of decorative trim or ribbon that can be used to trim lamp shades, picture frames, roller shades or curtains. Consider using decorative buttons from old clothes, beads, sea shells etc. as accents on these items as well.
Need new artwork? If you don't have a budget for new wall decoration try using decorative dishes (like that large china platter you hardly ever use) as decorative accents. Simply line them up on an open shelf (with a trough or slip stop piece of wood to keep the plates from sliding off) with other items like fancy tea pots, cups and saucers. Smaller plates can be hung on the wall in a decorative display using plate hangers. Use some of those fabric remnants as artwork by stretching them over an existing frame that you're not using. Attach the remnant to the back of the frame using hot glue.
Cover small, sturdy gift boxes with fabric or wallpaper remnants to create decorative countertop storage solutions for cluttered areas of the home. These smaller storage boxes work well on the bedroom dresser to hold loose change or jewelry and in the bathroom for everyday essentials that are better stored out of sight. Speaking of wallpaper remnants, these can also be used to cover items like waste cans, photo frames, book jackets and to update furniture.
Sometimes just creating a new arrangement on a bookshelf or table top can do the trick. Try using scale to create drama and use odd numbers to add visual interest. Decorating doesn't have to cost a thing. You just need a little creative spark and some leftovers to get you going.
Connieoliver@shaw.ca
