Top 3 Home Decorating Tips

This is a guest post by Friends of Pfister community contributor, Kim Rowley of HouseforKim.com

Decorating a new room or renovating an existing room can be exhausting, not to mention expensive.  Hopefully my little tips and tricks will save you some money as well as sanity.  I guarantee the undertaking will pay off when you stand and admire how beautiful your room looks when done.

Wall Coverings
Wallpapers and wall borders are a fad, so I don’t suggest using either of those.  You’ll thank me later when you try to remove them!  I suggest simply painting your walls two different colors that accent each other.  For instance, my bedroom has two walls that are rust red, while the other two are gray.  My main bathroom has three plum walls and one antique pink. My daughter’s walls are purple and lime green. You get the picture.

Courtesy of Lucyina

When picking out paint, be sure to bring home paint samples, as I guarantee that the colors will look different at home under natural light than they do at the store under artificial light.

If you don’t have a specific paint color in mind, ask your hardware store if they have any “oops” paint cans that are clearance priced.  I was able to grab quite a few gallons of paint for $5 per gallon that were either mistakenly colored, or were not picked up by the original customer.

Flooring
I suggest picking out a neutral color for your flooring since it is not near as easy to change as the wall colors.  Beiges and tans are staples.  Avoid white at all costs if you have small children.

My favorite carpet is a shag beige with colored flecks in it.  The color flecks tie into what ever the main color of the room is.  I’m partial to laminate or vinyl that looks like tile, as both are not only less expensive than tile, but also easier to clean.

I also highly suggest that you paint your walls before installing the new floor coverings, just in case you are a messy painter like myself.  I lay down old sheets when I paint, but accidents still seem to happen!

Furniture
Be sure to take your time and shop around for the perfect furniture and not make any impulse buys. And don’t be afraid to buy second-hand. I have bought living room furniture from classified ads that the owners said they never even sat in, so it was definitely “like new”.

Courtesy of Graphics Fairy DIY

When buying new furniture, it never hurts to ask the salesperson if they can discount the price at all, especially if you are buying more than one piece of furniture.  And always ask if they offer free delivery, or else you will need to factor that cost into the purchase price.

You may also want to see if the furniture store offers deferred billing or a buy now, pay later option if a large purchase is not in your budget.  Just be sure that they offer 0% interest and that you do indeed pay off the amount due within the promotional time frame or you will be stuck paying more than you bargained for.

Are you ready to redecorate now? Invite me over for tea when your new room is ready!

Carpet photo courtesy of Hardy Carpets