I need decorating ideas for my first apartment!?

Question

I have a pretty good idea for decorating... but I need simple, CHEAP diy type stuff. The cheaper the better... seriously! My apartment is big and I am running out of ideas!

Answer 1

my roommate and i won the decorating award for our college dorm. this was 50s. room was white. we bought chartreuse bedspreads, chartreuse placemats for our built-in dresser. we found a long lite-weight denim material with blues and chartreuse stripes. since we had venetian blinds, we ran the the material thru rings at each end of the double windows and the length went to floor. no hemming.

my fav is one i found in arc digest 10 years ago. white mediterranean house/w view of agean sea. living-dining was on 2nd floor--no windows-just balcony out to the sea.

white linen clothes to floor, white linen sofa covers/w white lace shawl throw.

table was set with white linen cloth. dishes were white/w gold circle on rim/w matching gold tableware-white milk glass for pitchers, etc.

glassware was either clear/w gold trim or ?. too long ago. and of course, the blue sea became part of the picture. i've always wanted to live in that house. but i live in texas where we barely have enough water for household use. but my walls are white and mostly use white or clear dishes and cups.

most professional decorators begin with a colorful area rug, a colorful material, or colorful walls. the rest of the scheme coordinates with those colors.

good luck. send me a pic on my 360 when you finish. i love this sort of stuff! i also love wall murals that can add plants, oceans, sunsets or just about anything you want..

go to garage sales for household items like dishes, rugs, pictures, material, etc. check goodwill stores resale items.

for heaven's sake, don't go into debt for a lot of expensive furniture. there are many furniture items like at wallmart that can be put together easily. they look pretty nice, too. sit on cans and barrells and buy 1 piece at a time. you will save about $14,000 in interest over about 10 years if you pay cash. if you charge, it will take you 40 years at minimum payment to pay your debt.

Answer 2

The success of any decorating scheme depends on how well it suits all the members of your family. To create a décor that you will be happy with, think about what you want and also what you don’t want.

It’s a good idea to know what you have before you begun to change things. As you begin to pull your design ideas together, think about your preference and what will work in your home.

Color can work wonders... it can change the look of a room and change your feeling about the room. You can start by looking through magazines, and catalogs. Give yourself plenty of time, it will take longer than you think, and your ideas will develop as you go.

Gathering samples is a great way to begin. If you are starting with a color, your samples might include fabric, paint chips, wallpaper, carpet, wood, stone, and tile.

Knowing what you can spend on a project will give you a clearer idea of what you can achieve. If you’ll on a limited budget, mark off those things that will make the most difference, such as a new wall color and a new sofa.

You can set the mood of a room in lots of ways, such as lights, and furnishings. There are no hard or fast rules or must-do sequence for this process.

Answer 3

Don't overdo it.
A little bit goes a long way. It is important to be cautious of how far you pursue a fashion. For example, faux animal prints have been hot for several seasons. A few inexpensive faux animal print pillows will capture that look tastefully without breaking the bank. On the other hand, a faux animal print upholstered couch, pillows and area rug are too much of a good thing. Plus, it is much easier and less expensive to invest in pillows than in reupholstering a couch.

Be creative.
Follow the easiest, most inexpensive avenue. For example, lemon yellow is an accent color in this year's new color palette. You can incorporate it by buying a bag of lemons at your grocery store. Place the lemons in a bowl and place it on your coffee or dining table. Voila!

Don't go crazy with paint.
If aquatic blue is the latest "in" color, do not paint your entire house interior in this color. Although painting is probably the most inexpensive decorating project and yields the most impact, it is time consuming. Start by painting one room or buy some pillows or a vase in the new color instead of painting everything

Here's what's hot:
Tropical color palette: lush leaf greens and aquatic blues with punches of bright pink and corals or lemon yellow
Chunkier, heavier, more primitive furniture
Dark wood, bamboo and whitewashed metal furniture
Tailored slipcovers
Sisal rugs
Influences from Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Africa
Brushed gold, pewter and tarnished copper
Silver is becoming more popular than gold

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Check the second hand shops and flea markets for art, trinkets,etc. And you can buy cheap paint at lowe's and home depot that was mixed and the customer refused it because it wasn't "exactly" the right color. I have purchased gallons for about 5 bucks a piece. There is usually a shelf near where the tints are added.

Answer 5

Trading Spaces on TLC had cheap cute ideas. Look them up online and you can get some DIY great ideas.

Answer 6

go to the dollar store. They have everthing cheaper. Towels, nick nacks, curtians, pictures, household items, etc...And they are great for at holidays for holiday decorations. As for furniture search to see if anyone is having an Estate auction in your area. I have gotten some really cheap items at Auctions!

Answer 7

you have alot of good suggestions here already...

but if you go through magazines, cut out your favorite pictures room by room to find out what style you like. (traditional, contemporary, county, etc.) I really like the Pottery Barn Catalog for ideas - if you like that style. Target and Walmart really copy alot of their ideas and sell them for way less. Also - shop the clearance sections when you find a style you like. Don't forget resale shops and garage sales...some people's junk are anothers treasures. Good luck in your new home.

Answer 8

well get a theme that you like...if you like stars out at night place little white lights around the edges of the ceiling...and while you eat..you turn them on and you think you are dining outside...under the stars...and you can get some artificial trees and decorate them too you can do so much...find table a cloth for your table and make it look like an outide restuarant deck..somthing cute just for you...

Answer 9

Got one word for ya... paint. Paint is the key. It's cheap, it's easy to do yourself and it makes a HUGE difference. Also, yardsales are great too... you can get some really great stuff if you look hard enough.

Answer 10

for every wall, paint it a bold color and get a cheap but pretty "chandalier" at walmart(its pink, i saw it a couple of days ago). for the paint, get about a gallon or so for each wall from home depot.