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Your Style, Your Budget
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By BatSheva Vaknin
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Your Style, Your Budget By BatSheva Vaknin
Tired of ogling the latest styles in brand name home furnishingstores and catalogues, only to find that the price of one littlecoffee table equals more than half your monthly salary? Don't bediscouraged -- with a little ingenuity, your home can be asbeautiful and stylish as a Hollywood celebrity's, for just afraction of the cost.
* Start with the walls. It's easy to forget that sometimes justadding a fresh coat of paint or changing the color of your wallscan give your living room, bedroom, or dining room a brand newlook and feel.
Wallpapering is another way to jazz up a room -- but don'tbreak your budget hiring a contractor. Consider wallpaperingjust one wall, or only wallpapering borders.
* Create atmosphere with Light. Don't overlook the power of alamp. The right lighting can transform any room. Forgo overheadlighting for lamps, and stay away from halogen unless it fitsinto your modern decorative scheme.
Wall sconces are another great way to add a stylish touch toany room. Look for the type that lends itself to easy,self-installation.
* Accessorize. Another inexpensive way to create a designerlook is to buy a few key accessories, like silk pillows,chenille throw blankets, and fresh-smelling candles. Choose anelegant centerpiece for your dining room table or coffee table,like floating white candles, fresh flowers, or a ceramic orglass fruit bowl.
Pictures, photos, prints and paintings can be hung around aroom to create whatever look or feel you desire. Shop fleamarkets and thrift stores for prints and interestingphotographs, or go to a discount store for frames and hang someof your own creations.
* Buy furniture that won't break the bank. Shop smart forcouches, lamps, tables, entertainment centers, and more. Estatesales, consignment stores, flea markets, junk and thrift storescan be gold mines for second hand but stylish furniture.
If you don't want second hand, shop clearance sales or online.Online furniture stores can be treasure troves for good deals,since they generally have little overhead and therefore don'tpass those costs on to you, the consumer.
* Can't afford a new couch? If you are somewhat handy with asewing machine, use discounted fabric or beautiful sheets to sewyourself a couch cover. Still have energy? Create more cheap butbeautiful "new" furniture by sewing upholstery covers for yourarmchairs or dining room chair seat cushions.
If you can't sew, buy a shabby chic slipcover or tuck in alarge beautiful sheet or blanket for a homemade slipcover.Finally, consider simply rearranging your furniture -- finding adifferent wall to put your couch against can create a whole newlook for your living room.
Use any or all of these tips to achieve the style you want at alow, low cost. Amaze your friends and family with your stylishhome, then dazzle them with the shoestring budget you had towork with. Go ahead! It's your home and you deserve the bestwithout having to spend the most. Please find the originalarticle and more information about this subject athttp://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=YourStyleYourBudget When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writinghelpful and insightful articles like the one you just read forwww.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and shortstories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.
If you would like to publish this article on your own site,please feel free to do so. Please let us know the URL of theposted article by emailing the URL to article@homeandliving.com. All we ask is that you include the whole article, withoutchanges, including the link to the original article location,author information, this disclaimer and the following link. Findgreat home furniture online at www.homeandliving.com...
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