Interior design does not have to be extremely costly. Many designers are hired because of their ability to find and create reasonably priced solutions for a given space.
1. Salvage furniture you already own.
The most important thing is to salvage furniture you already have if possible. If you don’t mind the shape of your sofa buy a slip cover for it or have one custom made. A slip covers are great because you can remove them and wash them and they also cost far less than a new piece of furniture. Slip covers make it affordable to update the look of your space more often. Make sure the slip cover is machine washable and do not put it in the dryer. Even if the fabric doesn’t shrink the cotton thread can and you will never be able to get the slip cover back on.
2. Update your tables.
Try and salvage your coffee tables, end tables, and dining tables. You can revamp their look in a variety of ways. You can take them in to a furniture restoring shop and have an antiqued paint finish applied to them. You can also find industrial painting facilities that can spray paint them with a high gloss finish. Another option is having glass cut to fit your table tops. This can be expensive for dining tables but it is an affordable way to up date coffee tables and/or end tables. Take the cut glass and use painters tape to cover the bevelled edges then spray the glass with metallic spray paint on one side. Choose a high luster silver, bronze or gold spray paint. Once you have given the spray paint 24 hours to dry remove the painters tape from the edges and place the glass painted side down on the table. This is an affordable way to enhance items you already have without having to have them refinished and it is also a good way to add interest to new basic items.
3. Choose a feature item.
Successful designs usually combine high and low. Its a good idea to incorporate a more expensive feature item in your design. Purchase one amazing chair. Do not try and perfectly match furniture and avoid sets. By buying one expensive chair you have opportunity to save because you an purchase it on clearance because it is the last one left, or you can save by buying a floor model at a custom shop. Buy a chair with removable cushions. This way you can flip them if any accidents occur on the upholstery. When purchasing furniture think about how easy they would be to reapolster down the road (if the apolstery is less complex then the service of having it done will be more affordable). Go rich but go solid. By choosing a colour that you really love in a solid you can easily update the look of your furniture with patterned toss cushions on a more frequent basis. If your feature chair has a wooden frame or a woven frame with removable cushions choose whatever fabrics you like because they will be realitively affordable to change at a later date. Furniture with toss cushion style back cushions is great because you can keep the seat cushion as is and replace the back cushions with large pre-made tosses to create a more dramatic look.
4. Avoid literal symmetry in your space.
Avoid literal symmetry in a space. Instead create balance by using the visual weight of items. If you require a lot of seating do not put two sofas in a room. Instead use a sofa on one side, and a loveseat and club chair on the other.
5. Do not neglect lighting.
Never neglect lighting within a room. Lighting is worth spending a little extra on and it is a great way to create highs and lows withing a space. Keep a handle on your budget by buying lighting fictures at second hand shops. Ignore the colour and focus on the shape of the lamp. You can always replace the lampshade and spray paint the lamp with Tremclad in any colour you wish. Combine table lamps and tall freestanding lamps. If you have high ceilings you need to utilize the space so that the room does not feel weighed down. Mirrors and art are a must in spaces with high ceilings. You can make you own mirrors by purchasing mirrored acetate at art and craft stores and cutting it to fit inside picture frames. It will still look great while avoiding the high cost of decoratively framed mirrors. They also won’t be as heavy which can be helpful if you can not find a centered stud in your space.
6. Things to remember when designing your dining room.
If you have a limited budget and are purchasing a dining set try and go for a simpler lower priced table and focus your budget on chairs. Also consider refinishing the chairs you already have or slip covering them. A fun way to add interest to your dining set is picking up all different chairs at antique shops, flea markets, second hand stores and garage sales. Just make sure you commit to a height for the backs of the chairs, stay within an inch. Once you have acquired the number of chairs you want have them all repainted with an antique finish to unite them. This works well for eclectic spaces. Lighting is very important in the dining room. Lamps create fill light which gets rid of the shadows caused by lighting fixtures placed above the table. By creating more even lighting everyone will have the opportunity to look their best.
7. Purchase luxurious accents.
When redesigning your space think about purchasing accent furniture pieces like a console table in the living room and a side board or buffet in the dining room. These items add luxury while providing useful surfaces and increasing the number of opportunities for lighting. Consider putting lamps in your dining room. It will create more even lighting which will improve ambiance.
8. Leave room to accessorize.
If you are budge conscious for all of you big purchases you will be able to afford all of the final details that truly make a space sing. Choose accessories with a pop colour that compliments the space, whether it be canary yellow, turquoise, red etc. is up to you. Shallow floating shelves are a great way to provide opportunities for introducing more details without biting into your space. When purchasing accessories choose a variety of heights and purchase items to be grouped together in uneven numbers (either 3 or 5 depending on the size of the space and the scale of the items. Remember less is more focus on quality instead of quantity (after all you will have to move everything everytime you dust!).
9. Remember to combine textures.
Regardless of whether you are going modern, ecclectic, traditional, or country always try to layer textures within a space to create interest. Think about antiqued finishes, frosted glass, glass, chrome, suede, velvet, textured fabrics etc. Think about textures when purchasing both furniture and accessories.
