Is anyone as into those television design shows as much as I am? I love watching designers transform a place in a day or two. And who doesn’t love to imagine along with the participants what interesting things could be done in their own home? The one problem is, well, unlike Trading Spaces, I personally don’t have $1,000 to spend redecorating my living room. And, maybe some of you are more adept at carpentry than I am, but I can’t exactly cut my own wood at home.
So, what to do if you want to get the looks they have on the TV shows, but you want to them cheaper and without cutting and sawing? Actually, you just have to use a little ingenuity. Your advantage: time. You don’t have to finish making over a room in a couple of days. Instead you can work on it piece by piece over time until the room is complete. That’s how you’ll save your money. You’ll be able to do projects that they just don’t have time for in a day or two. Here’s the first piece of advice to get you started….
Tip #1: Rework existing pieces.
For those of us that don’t have a saw at home, making our own furniture is really out of the question. Still, chances are that you have some furniture at home that is in good condition but is just not that attractive anymore. Otherwise, you can find a used piece at a thrift store or yard sale. There are a lot of things that can be done to make old furniture new again. A new coat of varnish or stain, some fresh paint, new handles or knobs, or even some wallpaper can transform a piece of furniture.
In addition, consider using an old piece of furniture in a new way. Maybe you could remove the sliding keyboard tray from a desk to turn it into a vanity for the bedroom. Or perhaps you could move a dresser from a bedroom into the dining room to hold dishes or table lines.
There are simple ways that you can transform existing pieces into something new. This is one of the best ways to save a lot of money, since furniture is the biggest cost in a room. Be creative, and you can save a lot of money on making over your home.