Get High Style in Home Decor on a Low Budget

When it comes to home decorating, it doesn't matter how much money is spent, but how wisely it's spent. In every home decorating situation, no matter what style is the goal, imagination and creativity are the most important assets.

With that in mind, here are some tips from frugal decorators on how to make the most of a tight home decorating budget.

Get It for Less: Both, skilled amateurs and gifted professionals say that the genuine satisfaction in home decorating comes from finding affordable solutions to annoying problems. Resourcefulness is the name of the game here, because few of us have unlimited funds, especially in these financially uncertain times. The objective here isn't to be Scrooge, but to make every penny count.

Begin by using inexpensive materials generously and expensive materials frugally. For example, matching sheets come in all kinds of colors and patterns, and they can be used in dozens of ways, from swag draperies to table coverings. Cotton sailcloth makes excellent slipcovers as well. Limit expensive fabrics to trims and accessories such as pillows.

When choosing between expensive materials and expensive labor, pick the labor, every time. A skilled crafts person can take those sheets we mentioned earlier and make them into curtains that look like a million dollars. The style is in the details, whether it's sewing a set of slipcovers for side chairs or painting faux finishes on the walls. Those are the touches that will make a room look fabulous.

Make the Most of It: Whatever the state of your furnishings, make the most of them, and then consider what else is needed. For example, a room can be transformed merely by rearranging the furniture. Or move those oval rugs from the bedroom into the living room, and put the square rugs in the bedroom. The result probably will improve the looks of both spaces. Do lots of experiments before going shopping.

At the same time, many contemporary homes lack the kind of architectural details found in high-end dwellings. Thanks to home improvement stores, these features can be added for a small price. Wood moldings come in a wide range of sizes and styles. They can be painted or stained and used to frame windows, doors, wallpaper panels or make a chair rail or a plate rail. Likewise, wallpaper border provides ornamental detail for the price of a few rolls. It can go at the top of walls to give a different dimension to a room. Or splurge on professional matting and framing for a large poster that captures your attention. This sophisticated addition can create a stunning focal point for any room.

Just Paint It: If nothing else, there's always paint. In fact, a good coat or two of paint is a decorator's secret weapon because paint can work such wonders in a room. What's more, paint's potential isn't limited to walls and ceilings; it works as well on floors and furniture.

Experiment with these tips, and you'll likely come up with a whole new batch of your own ideas. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but creativity is the fun of frugality!

Choose Home Decor to Suit Your Personal Style

Many homeowners plunge into decorating their domiciles without a clue as to what the end result ought to be. Too often this lack of planning leads to a hodgepodge of home furnishings, when a little thought would have created a beautiful and inviting home. When decorating your home, it is most important to consider what kind of design might best suit your home.

Urban dwellers often find that the contemporary style with its sleek, clean lines and bold colors best suits their modern apartments since they emphasize simplicity and spaciousness. On the other hand, those who dwell in buildings with some historic charm can draw inspiration from period designs.

One of the popular decor styles today is known as Steampunk, a design that mixes such Victorian features as lace doilies and fabrics in floral prints with lots of brass and artwork made with gears, cogs and keys representing the Industrial Age. In fact, many homeowners who favor Steampunk think of themselves as the "new antiquarians," straddling the present practical age with a bygone romantic era.

Another popular decor designs today that has stemmed from our increased consciousness of the environment is a trend known as Shabby Chic. This decor makes good use of the environmental movement by focusing on home furnishing elements that are re-purposed, reused and recycled. Secondhand stores are popular sources for this type of decor but the found items aren't refurbished to look new. Instead they are cherished for every nick and dent, symbols of today's effort toward home sustainability.

Some home decor styles are clearly influenced by their geography. The Pueblo style, for example, makes strong use of the adobe-brick building techniques of the American Southwest, combined with the strong geometric patterns and vivid primary colors of Native American art and fabrics. Add dashes of Spanish influence from colonial times and you have a truly distinctive decor.

These are just a few of the home decor options that you can use to turn a ho-hum home into a dazzling domicile.

African Home Decor Updates - Bamboo African Home Decor

African home decor has emerged as the premier interior design using earth friendly bamboo. I'll explore the many benefits and inroads fast growing tree continues to make in the home decor industry.

Thanks to modern processing methods, literally every room in your home can incorporate some form of decor using a bamboo theme. Whether it's bamboo wall decor, window covering, floors, or furniture, bamboo adds an exotic look to any home interior.

Bamboo home accents compliment  your decor, adding just the right touch of adventure and intrigue to any indoor or outdoor space. Like most African interior designs, bamboo is adaptable, versatile and timeless beauty. In addition, it requires a minimum of care to continue giving the indoor or outdoor area of your home that exotic look.

As an environmental asset bamboo sits at the top of the list of conservationist, ecologist and environmentalist. Why? Because it's the fastest growing tree on earth. That makes the popular plant plentiful, quickly replaceable, and highly green - environmentally. All qualities ecologists, conservationists, and environmentalists love.

Yes, with a growing demand for conservation and attention to the environment, bamboo interior related products continue to increase in popularity and demand. Bamboo continues at the forefront of the "green" building, room design, and home decor movement - including African interior accents and accessories.

To many African cultures bamboo is a symbol of adaptability, strength, and endurance, all qualities of a happy and abundant life. Bamboo furniture and other products continue to quietly replace furniture coming from trees that require decades to grow to maturity. The tree grows 10 to 20 times faster than the average hard wood trees used in today's expensive furniture and other products.

Bamboo trees conveniently grow near, around or next to areas of the world with some of the largest populations. This makes it a natural material for building and other home accessory uses, because of its fast growing ability.

Because of its timeless elements, bamboo home furnishings is economical. Why? Because the style last for years. So, you don't have to replace bamboo home decor as often as other home decor. In fact, many types of bamboo furniture and other home decor accessories beautify more with age, like a fine wine.

Interior designers continue to integrate more bamboo in African home decor projects from the front door to the backyard Why? Because of its functionality, value, and lasting style.

African interior design ideas can stretch to your windows. Interior temperature control, in addition to an African influenced theme can come from using bamboo window covering. For example, a bamboo shade can add a soothing texture and visual interest to your windows.

Including bamboo in your African room interior design plans can help you save money, add interest to any space in your home, and help the environment all at the same time. With today's technology and processing methods and techniques, bamboo continues to appear in more home decor products.

Do yourself, your wallet and the environment a favor and investigate the latest home decor accessories involving earth friendly bamboo for your African home decor needs.

Cottage Style Home Decorating: What's Your Favorite Cottage Style?

Cottage Style decorating can have many variations depending on personal taste, but one thing is certain--comfort, ease of living, and a welcoming feel take priority. The style lends itself well to small spaces, whether you live in a home, condo, or an apartment. My husband and I have decorated all 11 of our dwellings during our 25 years of marriage in several variations of Cottage Style and we have found it to be a flexible and affordable way to create a comforting and welcoming home.

What's your favorite Cottage Style?

Romantic: Think lots of colorful flowers on everything from upholstery to pictures, plates, and linens. Colors are often soft pastels of pink, peach, green, and rose, but can be more vibrant hues of gold and burgundy and deep green. Antique wooden furniture with soft curves is often mixed in with curvy wrought iron gates and beds. Furniture finishes can be original dark wood, or painted white or a favorite color.

Eclectic: Think artfully arranged collections of the owners, both in furniture and accessories. Treasured items purchased while on vacation, or at flea markets and art fairs are proudly displayed. Favorite colors of the owner are also used. Upon entering this home, it has a sense of "personal style."

Beachy: Easy-breezy! This one might include lots of white and blue, and maybe a touch of yellow or red. Furniture lines are often simple and a tad rustic in keeping with the casual lifestyle at the beach. Think white slipcovered sofas, blue striped pillows, painted wood floors with sisal rugs, Adirondack chairs, and of course, shells displayed in interesting containers.

Garden: Cottages often blend both indoors and outdoors for a comfortable "garden-y" look. Just do inside what your garden's doing outside! Think cabbage rose prints on linens, vines and leaves stenciled on a wall, birdhouses and trellis. Textures found in nature include furnishings in wicker, rattan, or twigs.

English: This cottage style is aristocratic--the result of the landed gentry scaling down after changing economic circumstances--a blend of the grand with the inviting. Think large armoires, floral camelback sofas with rolled arms, leather-bound books, and generational family photos. A faded look of age which includes Oriental rugs and tapestry footstools and chair seats is typical.

Shabby Chic: This style was started by Rachel Ashwell. It usually includes lots of white walls with pale pink, green, and robin's egg blue linens and accessories, quirky old chandeliers with crystals, white loose-fitting slipcovers, distressed painted furniture, with a touch of Old-World French style tossed in for charm.

Modern: Forget the cozy clutter. This one has furniture with modern simple lines but perhaps accented with a touch of softness and favorite colors in the throw pillows or textured throws on the sofa. A few carefully chosen and favorite accessories and art are present, but not overpowering.

Cabin/Camp: If a cozy retreat in the woods is your passion, then this is the Cottage Style for you. Knotty-pine walls and bookcases, berry red and forest green plaid blankets, twig furniture, and Native American artifacts like arrowheads are the hallmark of the camp cottage look.

Vintage: Generational family photos in black and white, lace curtains and tablecloths, family heirloom antique furniture, and aged floral draperies used for upholstery fabric make this Cottage Style. Collections might include old figurines, pottery, handkerchiefs, and jewelry.

French: This style blends tradition with a twist. Graceful curves on some furniture combines with other durable farmhouse furniture for a refined yet rustic look. Colors often include mustard and royal blue. Toile prints on fabrics and wallpaper are popular.

No matter which variation of Cottage Style is your favorite, by artfully arranging your personal things, you'll be on your way to your very own cozy, comfy Cottage Style home.

c2005 Kathryn Bechen. All rights reserved worldwide.

Home Decorating Trends and Colors for the Spring Season and Beyond

Spring is a beautiful time of year and a time for renewal. Let in the fresh air with this change of the season and the newest home decorating trends and colors.

The fashion industry has certainly been an inspiration and influence over the color and trends of home furnishings, but any color is fashionable with the personal self expression and confidence to make it work.

Besides, color boosts your mood and can create favorable first impressions!

Current home decorating trends this year of 2008 are reusable luxury with recyclable items giving new uses for vintage articles. The mixing of classic traditional styling with the newer contemporary and even the inclusion of some Lucite furniture pieces.

Incorporating these home decorating trends into your living spaces adds the uniqueness of your personal stamp to your decor.

Anything that is hand made, environment friendly and authentic, representing the earth using natural organic materials.

Start expecting to see less of the over scaled furniture which has been with us for a while to be replaced with a more streamlined silhouette and a "normal" scale.

What will be over scale? The fabrics will have large repeats on the upholstery and a dominance of graphic prints plus the use of natural materials like linen. Also, expect to see more outdoor fabric choices introduced.

Wallpaper is making a comeback and the use of metallic in paint color for the walls.

Look for accents and the use of silver finishes, mercury glass, mirrors, pottery and crystal.

A big color this year is pink and not just for little girls! Use pink in the darker raspberry tones and the pinky reds moving toward the coral shades.

Tone the raspberry with a rich neutral like chocolate brown, looks awesome.

Actually anything in the chocolate brown and espresso family but especially with a red-violet undertone, and in addition to the natural browns, earthy colors include the blues and greens.

Neutral grey in the quiet and clean tones of chalk, slate, charcoal and gray flannel will be evident. Grey is a great neutral back drop to the brighter accent color combinations used this year ( pair it with orange ) and is a softer approach to the black and white that is still quite strong.

Very dramatic and sophisticated, black and white rooms are quite stylish when one of the two colors dominates, and the black and white color palette successfully uses the bold patterns that are popular. An accent with red or pink will give it some punch or keep it subtle with taupe.

With an increasing awareness of important environmental causes, home decorating trends reflect eco-consciousness with the color green becoming the "new" refreshing neutral. Green is a natural and earthy color that definitely says spring, bringing the outdoors inside.

The peaceful green of ferns, palms, pine and sage blends well with any other color you choose, is very versatile and can be used in any part of the home with great success.

For femininity work it in with pinks, for a modern mix use it successfully with gray, or go earthy with chocolate brown.

Watch for many tones of water blues and sky blues with respect to home decorating trends that enhances the environmental movement. Metallic and denim blue and even lavender will all have a presence.

Home Decorating - What You Wish You Knew

Home decorating is an easy task but it requires careful planning. You need to consider a lot of factors so that the furnishings you put together will complement your room size, wall color, and shape. Here are few tips to enable you to get the most form your decorating efforts.

The first task is to determine your focal point. This place is considered the center of your decoration. It is the principal piece of furniture, object, or furnishing around which your decoration will revolve. Examples of focal points include fireplaces, room dividers and book shelves.

Once this point is located, the rest of the furnishings can come as you will now know what attracts the attention most in your room. The next activity is to choose a theme. What impression do you want your guests to have as they enter your living room? Do you want them to feel like they are in the countryside, in the home of a pop music celebrity, or that of a retro lover? The answer to this question will enable you select traditional, elegant, classic decor. You will accordingly choose rugs, lamps, colors and furniture that match your intended impression. You must note that the theme must be kept consistently throughout the room.

Flowers add special effects to the home. Live plants freshen up the atmosphere and artificial ones can make the place look lively. Choose tall vases with decorations at the base to make an elegant decor when placed at corners. Single sleek petalled flowers on the fireplace or bookshelf exude a fantastic appearance.

Rugs can add special glamour to rooms. You should choose the shape of your rug according to the shape of the room. Oval, circular or rectangular rugs will help in this way. Again, look at the pattern in the rug. If they are located at one point, then that part should be close to your focal point. If they are evenly distributed, then they can be spread across the room in any way. Also select your rug according to colors that will match your existing wall tones.

These decorating tips will enable you keep your home furnishings looking trendy and elegant. You can combine all or some of the suggestions in this guide depending on the effects you would like to create.

A Spark of Inspiration in Home Decor

It's easy to forget that decorating is an art form. As you go about filling your home with possessions, making compromises between beauty and function, and bowing to the limitations inherent in the space, it can be easy to let decorative considerations drop in favor of more direct pursuits.

However its important to remember that your entire life is a creative endeavor. Every move you make is precipitated by the fact that you are a unique individual. Your choices come from within you. This is as true of actions, as it is of movements and designs. When creating the atmosphere in your home, you are really setting the stage for the play of your life.

Part of being inspired to decorate, is finding something in life that really moves you. Once the spark of creativity is kindled, you can use the energy for just about any pursuit you desire.

However sometimes inspiration is elusive. Unfortunately, it can't be forced, and you shouldn't try, or you'll just end up having a negative experience, which will make it even harder to get excited about your decorating project. Instead take it easy, relax, and try to do things you enjoy which are related to home decorating.

One popular past time is to flip through catalogs from manufacturers of furnishings. You can also browse home décor websites to see what kinds of items are available. Browsing through pictures of others, decorated homes, is also a great way to spark some creativity in your own mind.

Ultimately any spark of creativity will come from within you. It's already there, waiting, you just have to find it and coax it out. It's a matter of understanding who you are, and what makes you passionate. This is not only the way to decorate your home, it's also really the best way to live your life.