Posts tagged ‘budget’

April 22nd, 2012

Decorating With Pattern Outdoors

Decorating with pattern indoors is so simple and easy. The same thing goes with color. Outdoors though it’s a whole different story. Usually if you’re on a budget you’re stuck with cement. I think going with more of a natural stone look opens up your color palette and also patterns.

I was looking through all of the different patterns that are available at System Pavers. My favorite pattern is actually the herringbone look. I’ve seen it plenty on indoor flooring and it’s nice to see it outdoors too. Plus it’s a classic take on the chevron pattern that’s so popular on fabric too. Even subtle differences like getting a tumbled look on your patio pavers makes a big difference because this is on such a large surface.

You can also get a free consultation through the same basic process. As someone who spends a lot of time looking at interior design magazines and TV shows it’s difficult to show me new and innovative ideas for landscaping. This site definitely accomplishes that though.

The other cool thing about this site is that you can get a free rendering so you know more about how the paving stone is going to look on your specific driveway. You just have to submit a simple form to get it for free. Focusing on pavers makes a driveway, patio, or walkway so much more interesting than just using concrete stabs.

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February 27th, 2012

Makeover in a Day

One thing that I don’t like about budget decorating is that it takes a long time to complete the process. Either you have to save up for several months until you can afford to do the project all at once or instead you may just have to add in little pieces at a time. This means you don’t get the dramatic reveal that you would on a TV show. Whiel this is budget friendly I’ve been trying to find a way around it. I’ve been storing up everything I need for my bathroom makeover piece by piece. I’ll have everything I need for it in a few months and then I’ll be able to do the whole project at once.

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January 16th, 2012

Real Homes

With a lot of decor magazines I’m just used to seeing the same thing over and over. I was so excited to check out the site for the Real Homes magazine for a couple of reasons. First, it’s based in the United Kingdom so I see a totally different design perspective than what I’m used to in the United States. I’ve found a lot of the color palettes are the same. Some of the wording is different like they say holiday homes when I’d say vacation homes but all of the ideas are still applicable.

The other thing I love is the concept behind the magazine. It’s so simple but I haven’t seen anything like it before. Just like the title says these are real homes. There are stories of real people going through real renovation projects. Usually everything in design magazines is beyond my budget or diy skills. I also found out about some new products and got the answer to”why choose HomeAway?”. If you want a fresh take on design then check out Real Homes.

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January 13th, 2012

My Biggest Investment

For me my biggest investment in my home was my mattress. At first I was more tempted to spend money on cute furniture. However, I figured a good night’s sleep would make the biggest difference in my life so I had to get it right.

I usually would rather stay at home and shop online than in a store. It also makes it easier to find a mattress sale. Then I have time to think about my budget without being pressured and I can do proper research. This is where Coast to Coast Mattress comes in. You don’t have to worry about paying extra for shipping because it’s free. If you need advice then you can communicate with a sleep specialist for free. The Mattress Advisor is like an online test where you fill in your mattress needs and then are shown coordinating products.

Another thing that makes shopping so easy at this site is that there is a quality scale next to each mattress. It shows whether it qualifies as good, better, or best. There’s also a customer rating option. To get an idea of all the available options first I like to sort by size and then look for a queen mattress sale. They have all the name brands like Sealy and Serta. If you want a Simmons mattress sale then they have that too.

So if you only have room in your budget for one big expense then make it your mattress. DIY projects can be used for furniture but you just can’t make up for a bad mattress.

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January 5th, 2012

Time for a Change

The best and worst thing about living in an apartment is that I can’t make huge changes. However, it’s nice to not have renovations on my mind and as part of my budget. The maintenance is usually someone else’s problem so there’s another plus.

My big decorating project this year is that I’d like a new color scheme in both of my bathrooms. I also want to add some wall decals. I want mural versions that cost about $50-$70 but I think it will help with the fact that I don’t have any natural light in either of these spaces. I would love to be able to have gray walls. However, since I already own all of my furniture that I need for this small space I also can’t bring gray in there either. Since I started out with mostly browns using gray throw pillows or art doesn’t make sense. However, the bathrooms are blank slates where jut new shower curtains, art, towels, and toothbrush holders, along with bath mats is my only chance to finally get this trendy color in my home. I just don’t know if doing the same scheme in two bathrooms will be too similar. I could pick up different accent colors I guess but I still want gray to be the feature. Any ideas on how to accomplish this?

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