Decorating on a budget

Redecorating your home on a budget that won't allow for an interior decorator? If the annual rite of spring cleaning means giving your home a style boost this year, below are a few simple projects that put you in the decorator driver's seat while keeping bank balances in the black.

Colour your world
Painting is a fast and economical way to give your walls, floors or ceilings a facelift. While price isn't the barometer for quality, don't be too thrifty when purchasing paint for kitchens and bathrooms. Look for durable paint made specifically for these rooms, which are mold and mildew-resistant. Keep in mind that natural and artificial sources of light will play a role in how your colour appears on the wall, as sunlight, incandescent, fluorescent, recessed or spot lighting can enhance or drastically distort the colour. Before choosing your shade, view your swatches under the light in the room you intend to paint, during the day and night.

Let there be light
Lighting is the most overlooked way of transforming a space - it can be as easy as moving a lamp. The right lighting is not only functional, but can act as a powerful mood setter. Adding dimmers to a ceiling light fixture or floor lamp, for example, allow you to create and control mood and light levels. Larger spaces can be divided into smaller, intimate nooks by focusing light in particular areas. This way, you avoid using physical barriers and the room remains one integrated space. Try combinations of lighting, including track or spot lighting, recessed lighting, wall sconces, floor lamps and pendant lamps.

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Feel like you can barely squeeze through that hallway? Use mirrors to trick the eye. Installing mirrors along those walls can make that narrow passageway feel like double its width. In small rooms, mirrors placed opposite windows, open doorways or interesting objects make the space feel larger by providing depth and brightness, or giving the impression of a neighbouring room. See what optical illusions you can create with large, framed or unframed mirrors, or by grouping smaller, framed mirrors on a wall.