Creative Cheap Ways to Decorate a Place? (Hacking Furniture for Alternative Use)

Hi Jen:
Have you looked into shopping at thrift stores?
J. a thought.
D.

*Thrift stores and garage sales are your friends. :)
*You can buy cheap furniture (make sure in good shape) & paint them to
work FOR you in your room.
*A divider is a good thing to separate areas in a room (like living room).
*Watch HGTV "Design on a Dime).
*IKEA can be good for some select, space saving itmes. Look online first.
*Use pieces that do bouble duty: cushioned trunks for seating AND storage and blankets
*a bookshelf can be good but buy a small, slim one (Ikea good for this)
*use a large trunk for storage AND coffee table in lvg rm
*2 floor lamps are great
*for the playroom w/windows on all sides: put the slim bookshelves in btwn windows and cushioned turnks under windows for storage & seating
* Craigslist is good for inexpsensive furniture, tables, seating etc. (J. be
careful when going to look at or p/u stuff: tell someone where you will be, have cell phone and try not to go at night. not to scare you. J. to be
cautious. :)
*bean bags for seating in playroom (cheap & comfy) $17 @ Walmart
*I use a small sofa in family room as a divider (bins of toys behind)
*cheap wrought iron wall hangings for over doorways & odd wall
spaces
*used to use one huge, oversized pillow for laying on to watch TV comfortably then stuck in hall closet when not using
* We have a high entertainment center so I used the top for my decorative
pieces as we don't have much in the way of coffee or end tables (more
room in the middle to horseplay etc)
* I had a few tiny floating shelves on wall to showcase a few knicknacks. they are lightweight and OUT OF THE WAY! :)
* a pretty throw adds color, throw over bk of couch & can use when cold
* hang a few big light weight pictures for color & style
*I put a slim desk (for laptop & to write bills w/lamp) behind a couch to
hide it yet guests could put their drinks there too
*large area rugs can change a room's look & feel (bought mine cheap at DD's $25-$30). Love them.
*cute curtain rods & cheap floor length curtains for privacy & color (cheap
at Big Lots)
Get creative, look 4 cheap deals everywhere and have fun!

We used freecycle, craigslist and Garage sale items for creating the foundation and then used(okay paint companies close your eyes) some of the paint card samples to make art and decorate the things we got in colors we liked and purchased spray adhesives and a sealer to make them look finished. We also found a place that uses crates made from wood and asked for some. We made a table, base for my childs bed with storage underneath and a coffee table. Good luck

When your doing this think function on everything. I would if the living room is small skip a big couch and go with a love seat and chairs. the coffee table can be a trunk which doubles as storage for toys and or extra blankets and pillows. you can find old trunks at second hand stores and newer ones made to look old at places like walmart and target. in your daughters bedroom (you don't say how old she is but I always put sliding bins under the beds for toys etc. that way they can pull them out to play but slide under at bedtime. I had a daybed for a long time which we totally skipped the under part and used that as toy space in one of the kids rooms. if your daughter is young she won't need a big closet space so you can slide her dresser in their and it gives you more play room. The biggest tip I can give you is to go to thrift stores before purchasing anything else. you can find such great deals.

I would check out www.hgtv.com.

You will find loads of ideas for how to make your small space feel and look bigger. There are so many wonderful inexpensive ideas out there. You could possibly find furniture on Craigs list. Sometimes people are giving things away, you J. need to find a way to get that item to you.

Paint and hidden storage are your friends.

Take everything you can off the floor. Keep counter tops cleared and not cluttered. Pair it down to only 1 large item on there if you can.

I found some leather looking folding ottoman cubes for $20 dollars each and a retangular shaped one for $40. They look great and hide a multitude of sins.

Keep your life simple. Only have the things you need. Define clearly what that is and keep your items down to that. Think about what things can serve double duty when possible.

Live a luxurious, simple, fantastic, uncluttered life. Your daughter and you will love what the kind of life you will live without all of the trappings of stuff that clutters our miinds and time.

I know this wasn't specific but if you had any specific questions I would be glad to help you. I'm currently decorating our new home and I love to inspire others.

Search on ebay for "ikea expedit" - you might find a great deal on used stuff. Craigslist, garage sales, dollar stores and thrift stores are your best bet.
And, the best thing you can do is think outside the box. An old plain faced door can be used as a desk (the door handle hole works great for computer plugs) or cut down for a table or cut into strips for shelving. A fancier ornate door can be used as a headboard. Bargain bin fabrics can be used for window coverings or table covers. A really hideous table can always be covered up! If you don't need to cover the windows in the playroom, hang a cord around the top of the room - either draped or straight - with colorful fun clothespins and hang your daughters artwork around the room. And cheap furniture looking a little ragged can always be painted a fun color!
In my youngest daughter's room, she had a trundle so she didn't need the dust ruffle that went with her bedding set, so I turned them into window toppings that matched her comforter!
In my oldest daughter's room, we picked up a piece of fabric that we hemmed and J. hung floor to ceiling on either side of the windows for decoration and then sewed a matching pillow cover for the bed to tie it in.
In my son's room, he didn't want a dust ruffle, but I needed to cover up the ugly box spring, so I J. used a solid color coordinating fitted sheet.
Good luck and have fun!

Have you seen the Ikea hackers blog? Some cool ideas on there.

Its hard to give "decorating" ideas when we don't know your taste or the layout but if it were M., I would start hitting up all the thrift stores in the area. I have found solid wood furniture for unbelievable prices. You can also google things like "storage for small areas" and see what comes up to give you some ideas. Good luck!

appartmenttherapy.com has tons of great ideas!