Decorate On The Cheap: Adding Elements

Last week, in this post, we walked you through the elements of creating a clean slate to start decorating.

Starting with great bones is the key, but then you need to add in the key design elements that will make your space look great. Furniture, accessories, and art are the parts of your house that turn it into a true home. Knowing how to add these on a budget is the best way to create a spectacular space. Take a look!

• You can never have too many lamps. Notice a well decorated space in a magazine or television show. They’re rarely using only overhead lighting to illuminate the space. Interior designers use accent lamps, floor lamps, and wall sconces to layer lighting throughout a space. Buy pairs of inexpensive matching lamps to mix with single lamps to create a professionally decorated and well-lit space.

• Treat windows like the pros. Hang your curtains high and wide. Don’t hang curtain rods level with the window frame. Hang it approximately 6 inches wider than the facing and 6 inches higher. This draws the eye upwards and makes windows and rooms look beautiful and expansive! IKEA makes inexpensive curtains that are long enough to brush the floor when hung high. Buy some inexpensive hem tape to iron on and tailor your curtain lengths.

• Trays are a secret weapon. Creating an arrangement on a tray is a sophisticated way to make a coffee table look professionally curated. A stack of books, a candle, and a photo look infinitely more high-end on a tray. Grab an inexpensive tray or use a cool old mirror in a different way.

• The rule of Threes. Having an uneven number of items in a display is a great way to create visual balance. Groups of three are the way decorators make spaces look well-curated. Using balance along with groupings of three is a great way to create spaces that look balanced.

• Think scale. When buying pieces of furniture or accessories, keep in mind the scale of your room. A small space looks silly with oversized and overstuffed furniture, while a large space swallows up minuscule and dainty pieces. Don’t blow your décor budget on items that don’t work well in your space. Find furniture stores with great return policies and be discerning with your choices.

• Think outside the rug store box. Rugs are an important way to make a room look well decorated. Finding rugs that are large enough to touch all of the furniture in an arrangement is an important way to make a space look well designed. Large rugs can be expensive. Outdoor rugs are inexpensive and durable ways to add texture to a space.

• Layer textures. A room without texture looks amateur. Layer different fabrics and materials together to make your space custom. Toss a throw blanket over the corner of your couch to make it look cozy and add in a new texture. Mix metal and woods together to keep a space from getting stale.

• Think like a gallery. A gallery wall is a great and inexpensive way to display items you love in an impactful way. While you may not be able to afford a large scale piece of art for your wall, you can piece together smaller art pieces, photos, and even hang plates or decorative items for maximum impact on the cheap.

  
  

With these tips, you can create a space you’ll be happy to be proud to show off. It doesn’t take much money to make your home look great! Try the tips from this series to decorate a home you’ll love!

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