9/28/17

When I Have No Real Time or Money to Decorate My House




How do you feel about decorating your house? Is it a priority? Do you make time for it?

I have had decorating on my brain lately. Sometimes I have long stretches where I just don't care. I'm content to do life in my space and not obsess over how it looks.

And then there are times when I CARE. I get the itch to change and improve things. My thoughts become obsessive. I think a large part of it is that it's a creative outlet. It's "play" and a break from the monotony of mothering taking care of the daily household stuff.

Rarely are any of us in a place to do a complete overhaul of a space. It is impractical for our lives, our time, and our finances.

Gradual improvements are more realistic for most all of us. It takes months and years to make a beautiful home. Patience. It's a process. Plus, I love an eclectic, collected look. We can't rush it.

I mentioned that we are renovating the main living area in our home. I'm dreaming of pillows and seating arrangements (finishing touches), but we don't have a ceiling. This is not the time to go hunting for a great piece of art. I need to hunker down, wait out the renovation, and save our money.

We all have limitations - time, money, new babies, sickness, general busyness. But even when it's just not the week to load up on throw pillows and candles and buy a new arm chair, we can still do a few little somethings. 

I have found a few totally FREE tricks to hold me over when I am overcome by my desires to decorate but because of life, I simply can't make it a real priority.

These are my 5 no-spend "decorating" tips that settle me down.

1- clean up

Sometimes a clean house is all I need. It's refreshing and calming.

2- get rid of something

My best example for this is when my mom encouraged me to get rid of a too-big-for-the-space coffee table that was dark and awkward. The room didn't need a new thing, it needed some sparseness. It was a revelation to me that getting rid of something can improve a room verses adding something.

Even getting rid of a load of kids toys can be such a rush.

3- ROY G. BIV your books

I love books when like colors are together. Rainbow books are my favorite. It makes such an impact.

4- rearrange

I rearrange furniture all the time. Sometimes I move it right back. But it is worth a try to experiment with different layouts. 

5- shop your own house

If you are trying to improve a particular space, sometimes you can "shop" your own house and find the perfect thing. Examples: moving art to better lighting, raiding your linen closet for a change of bedding, moving picture frames to a new shelf.
.....

All these things are free and can be done in a nap time. What are your thoughts?

new favorite podcast - How To Decorate

one of my favorite decorating and design books Design Mom....and this one too, The Nesting Place

Links are Amazon Affiliate links

10 comments:

  1. ooooh, your timing with this post is perfect!!! I was at a friend's new house today and came home discontented with my space and ready for something fresh! But yes, no time or money (or in my case, no time to work with my spouse - he is deeply involved in the decor around here, which can be very challenging to me).

    I did tidy up a bit today, but we're going into a very busy weekend and my heart is just sinking because I know the house is going to be chaos. But your 5 tips are so inspiring and now I'm looking around for something to DUMP - my friend's house was very sparse and it felt so clean and light.

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  2. I've used all your suggestions over the years--they work! I also patiently shop thrift stores and Craigslist praying to get just the right thing for very little. My patience really paid off one time when I got an Ethan Allen leather couch for just $75.00! I used a birthday gift of $100 from my Dad and had enough for a new curtain rod too. My favorites methods of decorating on zero funds are cleaning and decluttering.

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  3. Great tips. I love the idea of just cleaning a house! That always makes a big difference. I recently needed (nope, wanted) new curtains in a few rooms in my house. Have you ever looked into drop cloth curtains? Super cheap and stylish.

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  4. i love the roygbv your books idea. i just copied your idea in my home. love readong your blog. i know our fam is big, but id love to stay in touch. cousin emily collins

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