5 Low Budget Designer Tips

	Make use of your furniture, be creative with lighting.

By Karen

You are probably all familiar with the hit television series on TLC called Trading Spaces. If not, it is the show where 2 sets of neighbors, swap keys for 2 days to transform 2 rooms with a budget of only $1,000 each. With the help of interior designers and a handy carpenter, participants put there home, furniture and belongings in the hands of daring professionals and their inexperienced friends for a major transformation on a very small budget.

Unfortunately, most of us will not appear on Trading Spaces or one of the knock-off shows proliferating the airways these days, but we can make our own low budget major transformations with a little sweat equity and creativity. You just have to know how to steal from the experts and use your imagination to repurpose those ideas. To help you get started, here are a few observations I’ve seen the Trading Spaces design experts incorporate into almost all of their room makeovers.

1. Incorporate Color

One of the biggest changes to a room involves a simple color change. In order to choose a color, you must first decide what type of feel you want in the room. For example, if you want to warm up your family room and make it feel more cozy, then chose red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow or yellow-green hues. However, if you want to create a more relaxing, quiet atmosphere or make a room look bigger, chose cool colors like violet, blue, indigo and shades in between.

When choosing a color, stick to colors you are drawn to, and use the 60-30-10 rule as seen on HGTV. The largest areas are the walls, and will take up 60% of the color in the room. The window treatments, rugs or upholstery will be 30 percent and accents, such as books, lamps, pillows or throws will be 10 percent.

2. Use Fabrics

Fabrics can add feeling, warmth and coolness to any room with the right combination. Use fabrics to reupholster your furniture, in window treatments and on pillows. For example, if you chose a simple fabric for your sofa, use a bolder or more complex fabric in the pillows and depending on your style, for the window treatments. Also, mix and match textures to create a casual or more elegant feel.

In order to choose a fabric, determine what style you are trying to achieve, traditional, contemporary or transitional. Once you do that, use the dominant color in the room as your focal point for choosing your main fabric. Then, choose the dominant color in the fabric as a focal point for blending in other fabrics. Before committing to a particular fabric, get swatches. Bring them home and see how they look against your furnishings, lighting and room color.

3. Make Full Use of Your Furniture

Furniture can be very expensive to purchase, so if you have some sturdy pieces, you can give them new life by re-upholstering, slip covering or refinishing them. In fact, you may even be able to build some one of kind pieces with some plywood, glass or other materials that you can get at a fraction of the cost of purchasing it. Paint or stain is always a great way to give your furniture new life and there are different types like crackle paint that can create a unique texture and style.

Also, re-evaluate the placement of your furniture. Remember, when you walk into a room, you need to establish a focal point. Do you have a fireplace in your family room? That is usually a great place to start. Create a conversation area around the fireplace bordered by a throw rug. If it is a bedroom, make sure your headboard is saying something when you walk into the room. Once you find your focal point, you are well on your way to achieving your major transformation.

4. Change the Lighting

If you haven’t noticed, Trading Spaces designers hate ceiling fans and usually remove them. The main reason is that they usually add nothing to the room décor. Instead, locate overhead lighting fixtures that add to the feel and theme of the room. Are you going for an Asian theme? Find a lantern. Alternatively, are you aiming for a sleek, retro feel? Find a round disco ball and add colorful lights.

Seek out new table lamps. Overhead lighting is usually dull and unflattering to the room. Well placed lamps with complimentary shades provide mood lighting that will work better for your room. And remember, just because a lamp comes with a particular lamp shade doesn’t mean it will work for your room. You may have to purchase a more suitable one for your décor. Just make sure that whatever shade you buy, it fits correctly on the lamp and does not show the light bulb mechanisms.

Also, incorporate candlelight and wall sconces for another nice touch. And, if you don’t have too much room in your budget for purchasing lamps, buy a lamp kit and make one yourself.

5. Integrate Rugs, Art and Accents

The finishing touches are in the details so spend a little dough on rugs, artwork and decorative accents to spice up your room.

Rugs create separate areas within a room, and can be placed over wood, tile or existing carpet. You can use one big rug or several smaller ones depending on the size of your room. Some stores will even let you bring a rug home on spec before purchasing. Whatever you do, bring your swatches with you to ensure you are mixing and matching correctly.

Fill up your walls with artwork, photos or original pieces you create yourself. Frame them nicely and put them on display. One idea I loved from Trading Spaces was a framed picture of the homeowners’ children cropped, enlarged and placed over the fireplace.

Lastly, decorative accents are a great way to add the final touches to a room. Books, flowers, candles, trays and more are perfect ways to create ambiance and add a punch of color to a room. If you love bright red, but are scared to incorporate a red sofa, let you area accents make the statement.

Overall, get emotional about your makeover. Be Daring. Be Different. Be Confident. In short, experiment. With a little research and a lot of sweat, you can create a whole new room without the expense of a designer, carpenter and high end merchandise.

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