6 Go big with accessories. Many tiny items make a place look cluttered and cheapy. Instead opt for overscale accessories like standing floor vases, plump floor cushions, pillar candles rather than tea-lights.
7 Use texture: Combine shiny, matte, soft and rough natural textures to add richness to a space. Sparkle always adds a dash of glamour.
8 Don't scrimp on the size of your area rug. Many nice rooms are ruined by the use of a postage-stamp sized rug. Can't find one big enough and don't want to spend the earth: go to a broadloom store and order a piece to be cut and bound (choose a sisal look-a-like in wool or sythetic fibre).
9 Do what I did - decorate with black and white. Just like with fashion, these colours (or non-colours) never look tired and combined can result in dramatic spaces that look like their total price tag was much higher that the actual cost.
10 Buy gutsy lamps. Lighting is often an after-thought when decorating on a budget but spindly, too-small lamps are a common faux-pas. Instead, layer your lighting (overhead, task, ambient), switch bulbs to halogen or natural daylight bulbs and buy lamps that have a sculptural appeal.
2 Comments
Thanks to Alexus for posting your note about the painted black chest of drawers - it gave me great ideas for refinishing a piece of furniture that I've been trying to figure out what to do with for awhile!
We saw a wonderful chest of drawers in a boutique in Stratford that was painted black with great glass knobs $745.00, and replicated it with black paint, glass knobs and italic stencils with the words Dance/Love/Opera/Paris one on each drawer in gold- total cost $35.00- it looks fabulous!