If you are a music fan and tinker with guitars, it would be nice to use the Beatles theme to decorate a room. Photo Courtesy: Maegan Tintari

 

With the recession tipped to go triple-dip, most home owners and tenants alike are keeping their heads down when it comes to home decor. The cheap charity-shop dining table and bargain-basement drapes will have to suffice another year as we strive to prioritize our expenses.

But just because the purse strings are kept tight, doesn’t mean you have to give up the idea of decorating your home altogether. It’s amazing what a bit of spray paint and some old jars can do to supe up your window sill. Start browsing the internet for DIY home decorating tips and you’ll find a plethora of blogs just waiting to inspire like ISpydiy.com and Designsponge.com . While there are loads of websites offering more eye candy than anything else, here are some pocket-friendly and above all practical tips, to get you started on your next interior design project.

 

Make a move

 

Photo Courtesy: iStockphoto

Here’s a tip that simply requires you to work with the materials already at your disposal and work up a bit of a sweat in the process. Merely reassessing and rearranging your existing furniture can revolutionize both how you perceive and use a space. Try ‘zoning’ a large space with strategic placement of tables or screens, or create a streamline through a smaller area by shifting sofas or shelving.

 

Book some DIY

 

Photo Courtesy: iStockphoto

Some skills are undeniably the preserve of the professional tradesperson, but there remains some handy work that is easily undertaken by anyone with patience and a bit of determination. From adding plaster cornices to distressing furniture, upholstering a set of second hand chairs or simply putting on a fresh coat of paint, doing it yourself is half the fun.

Use your local library and check out trusted guides from the likes of Reader’s Digest, which generally come good on their grand promises to make you able to tackle almost any DIY job you’d care to turn your hand to. Comprehensive rating magazines such as ‘Which?’ are also worth referring to before you make any equipment purchases.

 

In the frame

 

 

Beg, borrow or steal a selection of mismatched picture frames, the more ornate the better. Spray paint injects a speedy, foolproof dose of unifying colour- try glossy white or matt black finishes for effective results. Fill your frames with mirrors, inexpensive posters or prints, or the digital images that otherwise never leave your memory card. Simply hung empty, a collection of smaller frames acts like jewellery for a bare expanse of wall.

 

Reflected glory

 

 

Maximising light maximises your perception of space. Introducing mirrors makes a room appear larger and bounces every ounce of available light around, meaning cramped areas feel brighter and more spacious. It may be only an illusion but it’s a particularly effective one. Enhance the effect further by replacing plain light bulbs with those suited to the space – creating the effect of ‘soft candlelight’ or ‘daylight’ as appropriate, does wonders for the ambience of a room.

 

Light up a room

 

A beautiful DIY Owl Lamp made by Stacie of Indiana, USA – Photo Courtesy: Stacie

Trinket or jewel-laden chandeliers are no longer the preserve of the well-padded of pocket. The high street has hijacked the ‘statement lampshade’ market with great success, well-versed in a wide range of inexpensive, attractive options that can provide an excellent centrepiece and talking point. For a simpler statement that’s just as effective, globe-shaped paper shades and freestanding lanterns cost next to nothing and create a gorgeous glow in any room.

 

Colour on the cheap

 

Photo Courtesy: iStockphoto

Stick to a neutral colour for the bulk of a room. White and the dreaded magnolia are always the cheapest options, but are easily lifted by the purchase of a few tester pots of more interesting offerings used to pick out details and break up banality. Either mix and match contrasting colours within a room, or pick one and buy in a selection of tonal shades through your chosen hue’s spectrum.

 

Wallpaper – read all about it

 

 

If the wallpaper you love is pricey, don’t despair. Intricate designs look smart restricted to a single wall, or even used to highlight a smaller feature such as a recessed alcove or chimneybreast. Decide how much you can afford, and choose your placement accordingly. For completely unique wallpaper, scour charity shops for old maps, or paste up pages from a classic book or musical score. Don’t forget – all those designer papers take their inspiration from somewhere.

 

Celebrate your clutter

 

Photo Courtesy: iStockphoto

De-cluttering isn’t always a viable option and, indeed, it’s the possessions we’ve amassed that define us. By all means, pick and choose the prettiest and stash the rest, but don’t feel everything needs to be hidden away. Remember the key rule of displaying objects in odd numbers, then round up vases, boxes and crockery into mismatched groups. Hang favourite textiles on the wall or use as throws. People pay a fortune for ‘library’ wallpaper – why not just use real books?

 

Eye of a magpie

 

 

Consider the fine details. Steal style from friends’ homes, TV shows, museums and public buildings, even the catwalk. Buy cheap, standard-issue furniture and personalize it by distressing, repainting, or customising with decoupage. Replace bland handles with odd vintage ones or coloured Perspex ‘diamonds’. Mismatching doesn’t matter – indeed, it creates a bespoke, designer feel. The same goes for replacing a set of crockery or kitchen chairs. Sometimes, ‘odds’ are even better.

 

The element of surprise

 

 

Just because it says ‘bathroom unit’ doesn’t mean it won’t work in the kitchen. And vice versa, fruit and vegetable trolleys make great tidies for toiletries. Never be a slave to suggestion. It’s your home, and you know what works where. March to your own (off)beat. An ornate grandfather clock in the kitchen can surprise and delight; a utilitarian filing cabinet in a bedroom is practical and quirky; an antique chair next to a freestanding bath is eccentric, yet may actually become quite essential.

 

It’s the selection process and an ability to put things together that really sets a home apart. Expensive designer furniture and decorating services are just lazy ways to get someone else to put the style into your home. There’s no need to raid your bank account to fund your latest home decor project – the only place to raid in most cases is simply your imagination.

 

Reporting from London, William Masters is in-demand as a journalist able to cover a broad range of financial topics from international economics to personal finance. William recommends the guaranteed account by www.eccount.com, a leader in the field of companies specialising in helping people with debt. When he’s not busy putting his expertise at your service, William also enjoys a good glass of red wine and talking to his friends over a good, self-cooked meal.