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Redecorating small spaces with a small budget

533 views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  jen in co 
#1 ·
That's not hard right?


I've been wasting away my day watching HGTV/design channel today and as always am itching to do something to where I am at. I'm just barely moving in but have lived here more than once (i.e. can get permission for painting etc. much easier than as a "new" tenant).

I'm tired of my boring living space. It's always boring. I rarely have anything hanging on the walls and when I do it's small and choppy and random. I'm working on that. I found a ton of frames and am going through pictures of the kids to print. I want some awesome nature prints so will attempt to track some of those down as well. I want art. More modern but am generally in love with all of it. How to do that cheap? I don't paint and any attempts are actually a waste of money for me. I have some basic ideas I could pull off but any idea is welcome here.
I want to add oomph to my surroundings! I would love to create "fall/autumn" in my hosue ALL the time. I have a good base for that in various items I already have but *my* colors are dark red, deep oranges (rusty), and equally deep yellows. Think Vermont in the fall.


So show me your small spaces and tell me how you've done it. I need to get creative with storage as well. My kitchen has nothing for that so I'm needing to maximize that detail.

Ahh...the joys of small spaces. On the plus side decorating costs are less right?
 
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#2 ·
One thing that I just did, art-wise, that was pretty successful was... I had some nice, modern-designy stationary lying around and I bought cheap frames at goodwill and did an interesting picture collage. Picture collages are kind of genius because you can mix up sketches, photos, graphics and paintings/prints and cover a large area easily. Google picture collages and you will get tons of ideas.

You can get some really cool modern wallpaper and do just one wall or area so it's A) cheap and B) not overbearing.

Interesting cushions do wonders to liven up a room. If you are in any way handy with a sewing machine, you can do this yourself with free scraps of material you scrounge up.

I use my kids' artwork as serious decor alot. I hung a clothesline strategically in my living room and I hang up rotating watercolors and glitter-glue projects.

If you're not inclined to paint, maybe you could do other kinds of artwork to liven up your house. Small spaces--and kid-environments--benefit from hanging mobiles. You and your kids could make these out of recycled objects. Free stuff can become art. I got a free world map in the mail from Doctors without Borders and I mounted it myself on a pre-stretched canvas. Looks pretty cool.

Ikea also has some nice fine-art canvas prints that aren't too expensive.
 
#3 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by ZoshaMosha View Post
One thing that I just did, art-wise, that was pretty successful was... I had some nice, modern-designy stationary lying around and I bought cheap frames at goodwill and did an interesting picture collage. Picture collages are kind of genius because you can mix up sketches, photos, graphics and paintings/prints and cover a large area easily. Google picture collages and you will get tons of ideas.
I would love to see pics if it's not too much trouble
 
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