Q: I have a very small budget but a very big desire to redecorate my bedroom. My husband is challenging me to do it for just a few hundred dollars, and I could use some help.A: (Bea Pila) Let me share some ideas that I use in my own home -- the way I look at it, it's cheaper to change your bedding than it is to change your husband!
- In bedrooms it's especially important to focus on textures that create a comfortable setting. Fabrics are a great way to do this. The first tip I have for anyone who's trying to decorate on a budget is, check out your local discount fabric stores. You can get terrific bargains there -- and your finds will be a great starting point for the redecorating project! (In fact, in a minute I'll give you some redecorating tips that require fabric and no sewing!)
- Let's start with the bed. You probably already know that sheets come in a variety of thread counts (the number of threads per square inch); the higher the count, the softer the fabric. I recommend sheets with a 300-thread count -- that's the highest grade you can go without having to iron. Those with 600 threads per square inch are luxuriously soft and silky, but they can need to be ironed and can also be quite expensive.
- I like to use a neutral-color coverlet to give me more decorating options. Then I can add loads of pillows in a variety of fabrics and textures to create just about any look I wish. I think you should always keep your sleeping pillows exposed and ready to be used, not zipped away in shams or tucked under the bedspread. Besides, they make a perfect base, on top of which you can arrange your more showy decorator pillows!
- I use a professionally made bolster on top of my sleeping pillows and behind the smaller pillows, but you can make one with much the same look very inexpensively. Simply get a bolster form (they cost about $20), a yard or so of decorator fabric (we use raw silk in our demo -- you can splurge if you buy it at the discount fabric store) and a couple of decorative tassels on cords. Just fold the fabric, wrap the pillow in it, starting at the raw edge, and tie a cord at each end. You can also use a sarong (some of them even have fringe on the ends), tied with a length of raffia for a tropical look.
- Throw pillows can be a big splurge -- or you can find some very attractive and affordable styles at discount stores. They can be successfully mixed with your more expensive ones.
- For the bench at the foot of my bed, I found a pretty shawl to use as a throw that's just the right size! You can also use a table runner to "reupholster" a bench!
- Another super-easy way to transform a bedroom is with paint. Paint only one wall in an accent color -- you can change it as easily as you change your mind!
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