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Change your decorations each season
Most days I love my home and feel satisfied that it looks as good as my current budgetary and time requirements permit. Unfortunately, this sentiment is short lived and every few months I become bored with my space. I am not sure if this is due to my surplus of monthly home decor magazines, too much Home and Garden TV, my regular home decor shopping trips or just my need for change, but every season I am plagued with the desire to re-decorate! Keeping up with the latest design trends and colors can be an expensive task, however, there are lots of inexpensive ways to give your home that seasonal ‘new look’ without spending a lot of money.
Here are my top decorating-on-a-budget tips for bringing some new life into your space!
Change your cushions. Using fabric is one of the best ways to bring the latest colors, textures and patterns into your home. Better yet, rather than buying new cushions you should look for cushion covers or sew them yourself! Cushion covers are typically less expensive to purchase than the full cushion and are easier to store.
Buy different colored candles. Candles area a great inexpensive decor item that are available in every color and are also easy to store.
Use different colored soaps or handcreams in the bathroom. (Especially in the guest bathroom where they will get more attention!)
Decorate with seasonal flowers or greenery. I tend to use fake flowers and plants as they don’t need to be replaced as often and can be used year after year. (I am also incapable of caring for a plant!)
Change your table or floor coverings. It is amazing the impact a new table cloth, table runner or floor mat can have.
Use seasonal accent accessories. In the spring and summer you can use fake fruits (apples, lemons, limes etc) shells and pieces of colored glass. In the fall you can choose from pine cones, river rocks, wicker and wood balls etc.
Finally, regardless of the latest decor trends, pick the items and colors that you like and put you in the right seasonal mood!
Please post your comments and let me know your tips!
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September 25th, 2006 at 6:58 am
I’m just starting to change out some decorative items with the seasons. So far I’ve kept most of the changes to the family room and sunroom. My downstairs floor plan is very open and the sunroom, family room, kitchen, and breakfast area is one big open area.
Here’s a list of the items I’m changing out:
–Valances in the family room and sunroom. (the only have windows in that area of the downstairs) I’ve found some great material on the $1.00 a yard table at Walmart and made them myself.
–Art work on the wall on both sides of the fireplace (the feature wall) I have a 3 rack plate rack on on one side and space for 2, 12X16, canvases on the other side. For the summer I took 3, 8X10, canvas boards, covered the fronts with a lite layer of batting and then covered them with different pieces of broad cloth and on the other side I covered 2, 12X16, canvas boards with more broad cloth and put them in frames, under glass, on the other side. For the fall I stretched my own 8X10 frames with canvas, painted them with a golden brown wash and them cut out some pattern from a piece of leftover fabric and decopouged it to the canvases. On the other wall I stretched 2, 12X16 canvas, painted them with a russet color wash, and glued on potpourri on both canvas in the shape of a tree.
–A wall hanging on the wall at the entrance to the sunroom. For the summer I used a piece of cloth, all 4 sides hemed, and hung it on a dowel with a rope hanger(that I made with jute). For the fall I used another piece of fabric in fall colors.
–I collect vases and I’ve sorted my collection out into the four seasons and use them for mantel decor of as a decoraive item on the hearth.
–I took different sizes of pillows and made envelope style covers for them to change out. For the summer I used the same fabrics I used on my artwork. For the fall I used different fleeces in browns and golds and just a couple in a pattern.
–Change the mantel arrangement.
– Throws on the couch. A light weight quilt in pale colors for the summer and I made my throw for the fall out of a light weight fleece throw I bought for a $1.00 and a left over piece of the faux suede. The fleece is choclate and the suede is a gold colored tan.
To sum it up, most of my changes are on the feature wall (artwork on either side of the fireplace and the mantel) and the sofa.
Most of the fabric was bought for $1.00 a yard including the canvas I stretched (I primed it with Kiltz instead of gesso) So far, I’ve spent less than $50.00 for each season.
Love your site!!
Karen Bost