4 Decorating Tips for Home Improvement Projects

When you’re planning to decorate your home to give it a makeover, it helps to be prepared first. This allows you to take proper precautions to protect carpeting and floors during the decorating process. It’s also useful when on a tighter budget to use creativity and time rather than throwing more money at the problem.

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Here are four decorating tips for your next home improvement project.

1. Protect Your Floors During Painting and Plastering

Whether you have hardwood flooring or carpeting in place, don’t expect dust, wall debris or paint to not make its way to the floor. Even the most careful of decorators are going to get paint splashes, flecks of plaster embedded in the carpeting, and other debris flying about. It’s tough to get it out later and makes for extra work, which is completely unnecessary.

What you should invest in is flooring paper like Trimaco’s X-Paper, which is what the professionals use. It is thicker than builder’s paper, breathable to avoid heating the floor if it’s being cured, and prevents wetness from spills too. It’s a step above what you can usually find in a DIY store. Don’t start a new project without it.

2. Get Creative When on a Budget

When you have more time to consider your options and are on a tighter budget, let this spark your creativity. Instead of feeling restricted, allocate the budget where it’s most needed during a decoration or renovation project and find new ways to solve existing problems.

For instance, perhaps you’d like a piece of artwork on the living room wall or a custom paint finish but it’s pushing the boundaries of your finances. In which case, why not focus on emotions by putting up several affordable wall art frames filled with family photos or if you live alone, photo from your travels. This is better than having tiny photos on the mantlepiece that aren’t large enough to enjoy fully and the framed photos will act as a conversation starter too.

3, Use Textures to Create Different Tactile Sensations

Don’t just think about colors and fabrics when changing furnishings or linens.
Try to activate the senses. Choose interesting fabrics with textures that provide new sensations; not just arresting colors. Even small things like cushions on the sofa selected for their rugged textured feel contrast nicely with the sofa’s smooth surface.

Also, a rug on the floor can provide alternative sensations for your feet in the living room or family room too.

4. Look at Minimalism to Reduce Decorating Complexity

If you’re finding that a decorating project looks too time-consuming, consider focusing on reducing the number of pieces of furniture in each room. Using techniques from minimalism, it’s possible to simplify the task of decorating by doing more with less.

When freed up to focus on fewer items, this allows you to invest greater time in each room without getting frustrated by making slow progress. Similarly, keeping a simpler decorating color scheme avoids overcomplication that drags out a project too long.

The important thing with decorating is first, don’t damage anything you own. Protect floors using flooring paper and place cloth dust covers over the furniture too. Then, avoiding overdoing it is key to bring the decorating project to a successful conclusion.

7 Cheap Kitchen Renovation Ideas

Moving to another house doesn’t only require hiring the best moving company or Brooklyn movers; you still have to unload and unpack all of your moving boxes to make your house feel like home. This is an essential step to ensure that your entire household will be comfortable staying indoors. And being one of the most important areas of your house, you should start by renovating your kitchen. This is especially true if you’re an aspiring chef who wants to impress your guests and family with your cooking skills.

Contrary to popular belief, renovating your kitchen doesn’t have to cost an arm and leg. Sure, you might need to allot a certain amount of money, but this will become a worthy investment in the long run. To help you start off, here are some cheap kitchen renovation ideas to try out:

1.    Bring in the pattern.

Soft hues and pastel colors are common choices for a kitchen wall. These colors can easily complement any color you might have in your home. If you want your kitchen to be unique, opt to bring in a pattern. This means using wallpapers or decals on your kitchen walls instead of painting them with soft hues and pastel colors. You can also use printed rugs, hand towels, and silverware in your kitchen. Bringing in patterns to your kitchen will surely bring this area back to life!

2.    Hang floating shelves.

Regardless of your cooking skill, you will always need storage in your kitchen. You need to properly store all of your silverware, spices, and cooking utensils, just to name a few. Aside from using cabinets (which are usually built-in in every kitchen), consider adding floating shelves in your kitchen. This renovation idea will not only improve the functionality of your kitchen, but it can also improve its aesthetic value. Just make sure that you’re using a material that’s suitable to the strength of your kitchen walls.

3.    Add color with stools. 

Your kitchen will never be complete without seats. You’ll need to have chairs on your dining tables and countertops. If you want your kitchen to be as colorful as possible, invest in colorful stools which have contrasting colors to your overall theme. For example, if your kitchen has gray walls, look for stools in bright colors of green, blue, red, and yellow. Using these types of stools is like hitting two birds at the same time – you’ll improve the seating options in your kitchen while adding pops of colors.

4.    Use plates as wall décor.

Do you have any broken plates? Are you having second thoughts in throwing these out because of their sentimental value? Worry no more because you can still use these plates even when they’re already shattered – but this time, as decorations. Glue broken pieces together and hang these plates on your kitchen walls. If possible, use plates which have different sizes and designs. You’ll be surprised how this simple tip can make your kitchen luxurious and attractive.

5.    Invest in an expensive dining table. 

A dining table is essential in every kitchen. Every family will have to have an extendable dining table in order to eat comfortably. If you’re looking for a showstopper piece for your kitchen, invest in an expensive dining table. If you’re leaning towards this direction, make sure that you’re choosing a dining table which fits the overall theme of your kitchen and your budget, as well. You don’t want a single dining table to become the reason why you’ll face too many debts, right?

6.    Add in plants.

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know how beneficial plants are to your health and environment. Plants can improve air quality while being an excellent source of nutrients and minerals. For you to enjoy these benefits, add in different plants in your kitchen. You can add in small plants which fit in your countertops or bigger ones which can stand alone. When choosing which type of plant to have in your kitchen, always consider your lifestyle and schedule. Don’t have plants which will require daily watering when you’re available during the weekends.

7.    Improve lighting. 

You might not know it, but the amount and quality of lighting you get from your kitchen can affect the ambiance of the space. If your kitchen is too dark, don’t expect that you’ll be motivated to cook anything or your guests will stay here for long. If you don’t want any of these to happen, improve the lighting of your kitchen. Add in pendant lights or lights under the cabinet for added functionality and style.

Choose The Best

Cheap kitchen renovation ideas aren’t only limited to the information from this article. If you have the time and interest, you can do your own research online and get ready to be bombarded with several other options. To narrow down your search, determine what you really want in your kitchen and while you’re at it, don’t forget to let your creativity and personality shine, as well!