Publication Date: Friday, October 28, 2005
Redecorate, for free!
Redecorate, for free!
(October 28, 2005) Think outside the box -- or room -- when moving your things around
by Kit Davey
M any people don't believe it's possible to redecorate a home without spending much money. But if you have basic furnishings, the usual accumulation of knick-knacks and a willingness to experiment, you can give your home a fresh look -- for free.
You can revitalize your decor by eliminating stuff that doesn't work, maximizing what you already have and cleverly placing your accessories. Try some of the following:
Rearrange your existing furniture.
** Move out superfluous, cluttery, mismatching or soiled pieces.
** Create inviting groupings. Don't block the flow of traffic.
** Move furniture from one room to another. The dresser from your guest room could work as an entry table in the front hall. Try moving all your bookshelves into one area. Or, set up a small table in your bedroom as a vanity.
** Separate matching pieces. An extra dining room chair can be used at the desk in your den. A pair of dining chairs nestled around a circular table creates a cozy conversation area.
Use old things in a new way, such as:
** a ladder to display your quilts;
** your outdoor furniture inside, or your indoor furniture outside. Let your weathered garden bench grace your front hall, or take the old farmhouse table out to your tool shed and use it as a potting station.
** a stack of oversize books, a stack of fruit crates, a filing cabinet, a pedestal or a drum as an endtable;
** an old boot, a tea pot, a tea tin or a coffee mug as a planter;
** a door supported by saw horse legs and draped with a sheet as a table.
Rediscover things hidden in drawers, closets, attics and garages:
** Use a flower pot to put your pens in.
** Drape a table cloth between two hooks, over your curtains to create a simple valance.
** On a plate stand, prop a little painting, a small tray, a fan or a book open to a colorful illustration.
** Fill a basket with paperweights, perfume bottles or antique postcards.
** Display vases in the bathroom, on a bookshelf or bedside table.
** Put your collection on display: Hang your dolls on the wall, clear off one bookshelf and display your teacups.
Fix or beautify something ugly or broken.
** Strip or paint an old dresser. Add a stenciled motif.
** Slipcover your tired sofa.
** Recover old pillows with antique hankies, scarves, quilts or square of fabric from an old dress.
** Touch up chipped picture frames with a Sharpee pen or shoe polish.
** Drape fabric over a crate or file cabinet for an instant end table.
Find things in nature.
** Use a river stone as a door stop, a sculpture piece or paper weight.
** Fill a bowl with smooth beach pebbles.
** Place shells on your bathroom vanity.
** Bundle dried grasses together and place in a vase or stack several bundles in your fireplace.
** Fill a tea cup with homemade potpourri and place at your bedside.
Scrounge.
I'm not ashamed to admit that some of my favorite possessions were found in the street while on my daily walks. My neighbor threw out a leather suitcase that I cleaned up and decoupaged with travel images, and I found a wicker chair by the side of the road that I spray painted white.
** Ask local merchants if you can check out their dumpsters.
** Cruise for treasures on garbage pick up days.
Trade.
Hold a white-elephant party: Get together with family and friends and trade your knick knacks.
Borrow.
My mother has kindly lent me several paintings I could never have afforded to buy for myself. She knows they're safe and that I'd be happy to return them (if she begs and uses guilt!).
Kit Davey is a Redwood City-based interior designer who specializes in decorating using what you already own. E-mail her at KitDavey@aol.com, call her at (650) 367-7370; visit her Web site at AFreshLook.net.
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