There's no denying it – the new year is well on its way and it's not uncommon during this time to experience mid-winter decor fatigue. Your fantasies may run to whole rooms of elegant new furnishings, fabulous carpets and stunning window treatments – but your post-holiday budget puts it out of the question. Is there anything you can do to put a fresh face on the old place, without taking a part-time job to pay for it?
According to Toronto decorator Margie Doyle-White, there are all kinds of ingenious ways to rev up your home without sending your credit card into overdrive. Margie will be hosting the new showDesigned To Sell debuting this fall on W Network. The show's premise? Margie will take homes for sale and redecorate them spectacularly, often leading to quicker sales and higher returns – while spending as little money as possible. Many of her budget-friendly makeover tips work just as well for a home you want to stay in, too. Here are a few of her favourites.
- Sometimes all that's wrong with a sofa is the fabric. Buy fabric from a discount fabric outlet and have a new slipcover made. If you're good with a sewing machine and a tape measure, you can even make it yourself; there are several books on the market that contain instructions on cutting and sewing slipcovers, such as The Reader's Digest Complete Book of Home Decorating. You can also buy ready-made slipcovers that require only tucking and tying.
- A large quilt or duvet cover sometimes makes a good slipcover; tie a length of decorative cord or ribbon around the base of the sofa to keep the fabric in place. Or drape a smaller-size cover artfully on the diagonal,over the back and seats.
- Have your sofa, chairs and rugs professionally cleaned; often that's all they need to look bright again. While you're at it, have the windows washed (or wash them yourself).
- Paint is one of the most economical ways to transform a room, and one of the easiest home projects to tackle yourself. Try one of the new washable flat paints for a truly elegant look.
- Create a family photo gallery: have the local photo store reprint a selection of your favourite family photos in black and white and frame them in inexpensive, identical frames with white mats.
- Frame cards, swatches of fabric, or squares of wallpaper in small, identical frames. A stylist's trick is to hang them in groups of three or five.
- Replace all of your lampshades.
- Shop at building centres and department stores for deals on area rugs and accessories. Bed linens and towels are often on sale this time of year.
- Two sheets sewn together on the sides and bottom make a great duvet cover, for a fraction of the cost of a store-bought one. Seam them together along the sides and bottom; if desired, add Velcro tape to close the bottom.
- Buy two lengths of fabric twice the height of your window; finish edges with a sewing machine or use iron-on hemming tape. Drape them over a curtain rod and tie back with ribbon.
- Make an instant Roman blind by finishing the edges of a piece of fabric cut to fit the top half of your window and attaching it at the top with Stickum picture-hangers.
- Get rid of the clutter – it's amazing what a difference it makes to a room to merely edit out excess tchotchkes and even furnishings.
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