Wooden dreams

Starting with a plan is always better, as it will give you a fair idea on the kind of furniture you need, the style and the colours you‘re looking for. Budget decorating is all about getting good deals and discounts, so look at garage sales, advertisements and furniture exhibitions where you have a wider range to choose from and very likely to get good deals all under one roof, without pulling a leg muscle. You can also try auctions and warehouses, as you may find something novel and some interesting conversational pieces. If you aren’t looking at buying furniture, then disguise your furniture by changing the loose covers to a more vibrant colour matching the general colour theme, or use a floor length tablecloth for a forgettable piece of furniture and showcase it in a different light.

Play with your furniture and arrange it in different places to get a new feel and look. Balance your room by placing heavy pieces of furniture, like a bookcase or a cabinet, across from one another as it helps in maintaining a proportion and keeps the room from looking asymmetrical. Arrange your couches in the living room in a ‘U’ or an ‘L’, as this will shape a room. If your living room is long, then try moving the couches in a U-shape to make it seem more intimate and makes the room seem ‘full’.

If you’re entertaining family or friends, move the furniture against the walls as this creates space in the centre for easy movement for your entertaining and socialising. Another trick is to use multifunctional furniture to free up space such as a pine chest for a coffee table and conveniently doubles up as storage space for linen.

‘Material’istic

The ubiquitous fabric is a beautiful contribution to any part of the house and effortlessly captures the eye of a person as they walk into the room. Extremely versatile, they can match any creative purpose that can be imagined. A fabric rich in zardozi or zari work that match the décor can be used as a wall covering, creating a dramatic look. The pallu or even the border of an old kanjeevaram sari can be reused around a home to give a home that rich look. Some ideas could include the kanjeevaram sandwiched between two glass panes, coupled with wood, which can be used as a wardrobe door or it could be simply hung on a wall with like-coloured traditional pictures or as a stand alone to highlight it. A kanjeevaram border along the four edges of a coffee table and protected with a pane of glass is a sure conversation starter. Your old saris or dupattas can be re-used as cushion covers or as curtains for a more distinct and idiosyncratic style. Use your imagination to create more physical and visual comfort along with a more personalised touch.

Cushions make pretty embellishments and enlivens a neutral coloured sofa. Try using unexpected colour combinations for a surprisingly cheerful effect and mix in an eclectic range of fabrics and colours. For a more festive look, glue or sew on an assortment of sequins, stones and beads or stencilled and cut fabrics to make patchwork cushions. Floor cushions and bean bags can provide extra seating in a more casual setting. Carpets and rugs are relatively inexpensive and can turn a room around, adding personality and colour to the general mood of the décor. Set at an angle from the furniture, it has a charming appeal to it. Rugs also serve as protection from dirt and scrapes. An inexpensive muslin cloth from your local thrift shop twisted and draped over a pelmet creates a sense of drama while providing a frame to your window.

Painted strokes

Budget decorating requires painting to update and breathe life into a room. Repainting could be one of the easiest way to refresh your home, as it completely changes the look of a room and makes your space seem bright. Warm colours like reds, gold and browns give the feeling of comfort and warmth and can be used as accents, or to create a cosy ambience a softer version of these colours can be used. Experiment with new colours, going in for shocking colours like red to make an impact, or choose colours by combing colours of the same family in the colour chart together to fall in with a harmonious sense, such as blue and green. Contrasting colours like red and green give a vivid, flamboyant and invigorating look. To make your wall appear more unique and appealing, paint one focal wall with stripes to give it a vibrant look, changing the room boring to striking. Vertical stripes make the ceiling appear higher, while horizontal stripes make the room seem wider. For a more subtle approach, try painting the wall between two objects such as a bookshelf and a side table with wide vertical stripes. Paint the ceiling a few shades lighter than the wall colour to make the room appear bigger, and composed.

And then there was light

Lighting plays an important role for creating a sense of warmth as well as highlighting your newly decorated home. Incandescent lights create a soft and warm ambience, and florescent lamps, which are more energy efficient, disperse a more natural light. Focus lights can be used to highlight an object d’art. Lamps are more visually appealing and creates a warm glow. Attractive floor lamps provides soft light for the entire room and a table lamp provides concentrated light for working, all while maintaining a classy and elegant look. Buying new shades for the old lamp is a more viable option. You can go in for something different, both design as well as material wise, but do keep the décor in mind while purchasing a new shade.

Candles are a brilliant way to create a homely and familiar ambience, both relaxing and comfortable. Candles can be made or bought and customised by softening the wax by blowing a hair dryer on it and pressing small sequences, beads or even leaves, and these can be placed in strategic places all around the home like the fireplace mantle, end tables or window ledges, or to aesthetically enhance its use, place some floating candles in a large wooden or terracotta basin half-filled with water interspersed with flower petals.

Potpourri

Picture perfect: Artworks can say a lot about your personality, and the various textures and colours that are now available add dimension and depth to an otherwise plain wall, giving the room individuality. Commission a local art student to paint something for you. It wont cost you as much and will look great. Frames can be bought at thrift stores or outlets, or can be made with materials from the local stationery store, dried flowers, tiles, paints, old buttons, broken bangles and glass and a huge chunk of your imagination. Try using different materials for the frames to make it more interesting. Displaying favourite photographs of family and friends on one wall gives it a personalised touch and makes it more special, invoking memories of wonderful times well spent. It’s also a great conversational piece. Instead of just paintings and photographs, frame things that are close to your heart such as your wedding invitation coupled with photographs of the wedding and a trip taken together, movie stubs from your first date, old authentic maps or even decorative plates of different designs and sizes.

Think out of the box: A bookcase gives an impression of height, fill up an awkward space and also act as a partition. The cubby-holes can also hold an assortment of knickknacks to make it seem more interesting.

Eclectic collections: Instead of hiding your hobby collections inside boxes, tucked somewhere in the recess of your cupboard, proudly bring it out and give it a place of honour in your home. Right from stamps and dolls, vintage records and wine bottles to terracotta Ganesh idols to brass figurines, attractively package it and coalesce it with the décor.

Naturally beautiful: Small potted indoor plants, strategically placed, make a world of a difference to the décor. They not only bring in freshness, but also adds colour to the surrounding. If you don’t have a green thumb, choose artificial plants as an alternative. They look just as good, minus the maintenance. Fresh flowers also refreshes a room. Use ordinary garden flowers and place them in everyday items like bowls and mugs and place them all over the house. Arrange the flowers in such a way that it brings out its natural beauty.

The scent of a home: Use scents and fragrances to make your home seem inviting. The scent of your home is quite important and this can be achieved with minimum amount of money. Buy some of your favourite potpourri oils and use it according to your moods, as some oils also have therapeutic properties. One of the easiest ways to diffuse the scent is by rubbing some oil onto a light bulb. The heat from the bulb releases the fragrance. If you love the smell of cinnamon, simmer some cinnamon sticks along with some apple peels in the kitchen for about an hour. You can also try this with citrus fruit peels for a citrus scent.

But most importantly keep your home spic and span especially the windows to make your home seem brighter, fresher and larger.