Decorating on a Dime

For this Frugal Friday, we are going to discuss Home Decor.

What you ask, do I know about Home Decor? Well, I have a home and it has a decor. Aforementioned decor is done almost solely by me, except my drapes were made by someone else. That job was too big for me. I know my limitations.

Anyway, the above facts are my credentials. Take 'em or leave 'em. It's all I got.

I'm a use what you have kind of decorator. I have stuff that we purchased in the 80's but my abode does not look very 80-ish. For one thing, no one here has big hair or bangs that hover above their forehead like a cement wall. Plus, I have painted walls and that is cheap and easy to change with the 'trend' of moment.

So what I like to do is called 'Purposeful Relocation' and 'Re-purposing Usefulness'. You are scratching your head right now, aren't you? What does that mean, MaryC? 

Well, it means taking perfectly good stuff that doesn't quite work anymore for one of two reasons; either it is no longer useful in it's intended purpose or it doesn't work in the location it is currently in. 

Purposeful relocation is when you move something, say a painting, to a new room or wall in order to give it a new life.

Re-purposing usefulness is when something is no longer useful where or how it is being used and you make it into or use it for something else. A couple of examples might be turning a boot into a planter (if you are into that Western look) or making a Hope Chest into a coffee table.

In these tough times, spiffing up the shelter doesn't have to go on the back burner. When I am bored with the way my home looks, I start by moving furniture around. Then I move wall art or rugs or knick-knacks to different areas. Amazingly, the house starts looking like a totally new place. 

In our family, we also share things. If I am tired of something on my walls, my daughter or my Mother-in-Law might like to use it for awhile. The RGH and I were really into Roosters for quite a long time. When we took a cabinet out of our kitchen, we lost a lot of storage space and some of the Roosters lost their homes to make room for more important items. Those Roosters found shelter in my daughter's kitchen where they are loved once more.

I am a 'wing it' type. I just move stuff until I like what I see. A friend of mine does a whole inventory thing with a little book and drawings of each room. She plots it all out on paper and then goes to town. Whatever works for you.

I encourage you to try this method of Interior Design. Don't be afraid to recruit a relative or friend who is particularly gifted in this area. You'll end up with a beautiful new look for no money. You can use what you saved for any number of things. Either way, you get something for nothing and as Martha would say "That's a Good Thing".

Happy Decorating!

Blessings,

Mary