Home Decorating on a Pretty Low Budget?
I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for older items. I have alot of brass vases, I love collecting candle holders, I adore the pictures by Waterhouse, brass beds, drapes not curtains that gently sweep the floor. Frames of our family, in contradiction, in black frames with the white inserts which give the impression of the picture either deeper or standing out of the frame, completely comfy lounges that arn’t big and bulky. Furnishings which need to be child friendly/proof…lol…
Childrens rooms. Girls, one who likes pink and princesses the other who leans slightly more in the direction of the gothic side. Boys, one who loves AFL, cricket and now golf. The other Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and small toys requiring imagination.
Finally, we live in a Housing Trust/Public Housing home but have pretty much free reign, we also have a limited budget.
Where would I begin? Any and all ideas: websites, stores, mags etc. Let me know please. I haven’t a clue! lol
Thankyou everyone. =)
I appreciate all the answers I’ve been given so far, there are some good ideas in there. What I’m mostly interested in though is where to begin looking for colour schemes, the sort of thing that will work well in a small home and with the type of things that I like, described (sort of…lol…) in the orginal question.
I’m a regular of op/bargin/2nd hand shops. We technically own two pieces of actual furniture that are new and three electronic/whitegood’s that are new. Everything else, pretty much 2nd hand. 
lol I would rather go for newer things though as for once we’ll actually have the money to do so. 2nd hand was has mostly always been our only option, not AN option unfortunately. I will be looking around at the 2nd hand stores still though. I love them. lol
Thanks again everyone, I’ve been going through the sites that have been mentioned and righting a ton of stuff down!
The best place to find things real cheap is at garage sales, on ebay, or craigslist. Craigslist works better than EBAY because the sellers are local and you won’t have to pay any shipping costs.
If you are looking for decorating ideas, go to a store like Pottery Barn or IKEA and buy one thing. That way you will be on the mailing list and you will have catalogs sent to you to get ideas from.
try http://www.bhg.com
they have great ideas for low budgets, even weekly newsletters on decorating
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I have bought/sold several items on http://www.craigslist.com
There is a billion different things on there most are just gently used and unique. We bought a bed for my daughter that was actually built by the person selling it (50bucks) It is very unique and has lots of storage.
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Why dont you try the local op-shops. You can pick up some great bargains. Also garage sales.The trading post is a great start.
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The best place to find things real cheap is at garage sales, on ebay, or craigslist. Craigslist works better than EBAY because the sellers are local and you won’t have to pay any shipping costs.
If you are looking for decorating ideas, go to a store like Pottery Barn or IKEA and buy one thing. That way you will be on the mailing list and you will have catalogs sent to you to get ideas from.
References :
You are going to have so much fun with this. Watch HGTV for decorating ideas. Decorating on a Dime is a wonderful show that will give you ideas. Don’t overwhelm yourself with all rooms at once. Go to thrift stores and garage sales. In thrift stores you will find a lot of the things you’ll need for the children’s rooms, like the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, etc. Go online with your daughter to get different gothic ideas that you both agree on. Go to a fabric department and get ideas from looking at fabric. Do you know how to sew? You can make your own curtains and even bedspreads for the children. Try using sheer panels from the thrift store to hang around the the little girls bed who wants the princess room. Go to Michael’s to get ideas on decorating. You can really do these things so cheaply, just use your imagination. Ask friends and store clerks for ideas. Once you get started it’ll be a blast. Good luck. You may find you have a great knack for decorating!
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You cannot believe what "treasures" can be found at second hand stores, donation centers and the like. Also there are decorating on a dime programs on tv that I learned so much from. Check your local listing for them. Yard sales are invaluable for cost effecient furnishings and decorations. Again, you could create a family hunt activity out of yard sales, each child hunting for items for his or her own room.
Have each child pitch in and come up with their desire of room and decoration colors. Change of paint color on the walls and closet doors does wonders for any room. (Hint: John could choose apple green paint for his walls and Mary could paint her closet doors that color so as to make the whole process more cost effective between the children.)
Twin size sheets come in all colors and are really inexpensive at Wal-Mart, Target Stores, etc., and are fabulous for covering tables and creating window decorations.
I’ve been using them for years to cover tables for Halloween, (black, purple, orange), Xmas green and dark red. There are also pinks, yellows, blues and Thnksgiving colors as well.
A hint about your collectibles: choose your favorites, make an interesting arrangement all different syles of candle holders or vases and arrange them in one area (don’t spread them thoughout the room or throughout your house). For instance have an arrangement of all different styled vases on a table with one picture and/or an arrangement of interesting candle holders on the fireplace or sidetable with a book you are reading.
Artificial plants, floor or shelf style, are very inexpensive and soften any atmosphere. Mirrors open up small spaces and play back the light in the room. There are very inexpensive small round mirrored pieces strung on nylon cording these days that are especially cute around bathroom mirrors or vanities. Lots are sold as sun catchers in the summertime.
Inexpensive posters bring color into kids’ rooms and each child could re-paint their own furnishings. Gohic could paint a blk headboard while princess paints a pink one.
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Lowest budget you can get, how about free.
Goto http://www.freecycle.org and join a group close to you. We have gotten some rally nice stuff from there. And it is all free. What you take out during the redecorating, offer it and let someone come and get it.
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