I sometimes think I’m afraid commitment. But then I realize that’s not really true. I’m just a fan of ‘refreshing your decor without spending any money’. HA!
What does that mean? It means I switch things up. I’m constantly on the hunt for the optimal feel in a room for a certain season. It’s not uncommon for our living room to go through four or five different layouts in one year. And I LOVE it.
Want proof? Check out this gallery of the evolution of that space! Holy Cannoli! (yummy….cannoli….)
I thought today I’d offer my top tips for you to Refresh Your Decor without Spending any Money!
This is what it looks like right now.
Here are my top tips for Refreshing Your Decor Without Spending Any Money.
Measure your large pieces first
I now know exactly how long and wide my couch is and how long each of my bookcases and shelving units are; but when you first start out, you’ll want to measure before moving anything 🙂 It will save you heart ache and back aches!
Check the light and the windows
Are there darker areas of the room? How does the light filter through the windows? Does the ceiling slope? The light in a room can make or break its feel and the layout. For example, I like putting my couch in front of the window during the fall and winter. Why? Because it closes the room in a teeny bit and makes it feel cozier, plus it acts a bit of a visual barrier to the street when the drapes are open and there are no leaves on our tree in the yard.
Shop Your House!
I can pretty much guarantee that you have a bevy of multi-use furniture in your home – it’s all in how you look at it and use it. That old dresser in the office? Paint it up and use it as a serving station in the living area for the holidays. Swap your living room coffee table with one from the family room or vice versa. Move your bedroom side tables to flank your couch. Switch things up! Worst case is – you hate it and you have to move it all back (I once moved an armoire down three flights of stairs, then back up three flights of stairs, then down two flights of stairs – I was kind of stabby. But I felt better in the end!)
And don’t feel guilty about actually swapping things out. If you are lucky enough to have a storage space that can accommodate a few pieces you love, but don’t want to see all the time, mix your furniture from season to season.
OR be like me and just keep buying things at flea markets and selling/donating/repurposing the stuff in your house 😀 hehe
Art is where you’ll find new balance and meaning
I’ve said it before – if you have no energy to move a couch, chair, armoire or whatever – just take all the art off the walls and start again. Over the course of about a month, I’ll just start a pile of art in a corner of a room. And then one day, I’ll hang it up – everything in a new spot. And instantly it will give the room a new life.
The beauty of all of this is that it doesn’t cost a single dime. Not one. Just man power and a little courage and willful blindness to nail holes in your walls. I’m actually proud of all the nail holes in my walls. I love that they represent that our house has a history with us and with our art and with the way the rooms have felt overtime.
So are you going to try it this week? Move things around? Refresh without spending any money? 🙂
– E
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