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No-Money Decorating for Every Room

Great decorating doesn't have to cost a fortune -- in fact it doesn't have to cost anything! Use these FREE decorating solutions to give your space a whole new look.

By Veronica Toney



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beige living room with pastel accents; green and blue sheer curtains
1/26
Curtain Call

    Problem: You have low ceilings

    Solution: Fake a high ceiling with strategically placed window treatments. Make a room seem taller by installing the curtain rod above the window frame. Draperies should graze the bottom of the window sill or the floor.

2/26
Pile On the Pillows

    Problem: The room doesn't feel inviting

    Solution: Nothing is cozier than a pile of pillows. Gather pillows from around the room or house and arrange them on one sofa to add comfort and color. Choose pillows that have different patterns in complementary colors for a perfectly mismatched look.

3/26
Splashes of Color

    Problem: Bland built-ins

    Solution: Add punch to a window seat with a colorful throw. Need help choosing a color? Look for a predominant color on the dust jackets or spines of the books in your shelving and repeat it in your throw.

4/26
Mirror, Mirror

    Problem: You can't put holes in your walls

    Solution: Skip the drama of a hammer and nails and prop framed mirrors against a wall. A large mirror serves many functions in a room. With a beautiful frame it becomes impactful art. When angled against the wall, it tricks the mind into thinking the ceiling line is even higher than it is. When it reflects light, it brightens the space and provides the illusion of an extra window.

5/26
Up Close and Personal

    Problem: Furniture lines every wall

    Solution: Nobody likes a wallflower, especially when it comes to furniture. Moving furniture away from the wall and into groupings makes a room seem larger and encourages conversation.

6/26
Fruit Sensations

    Problem: Not enough accessories

    Solution: Don't let your refrigerator have all the fun! Put colorful fruit on display in glass jars or footed glass bowls. Choose the long-lasting fruits of the season for a colorful, affordable, and delicious display. Oranges, lemons, and limes add a refreshing touch to spring or summer decorating. Apples are a great choice for fall or winter.

7/26
Color Theory

    Problem: Boring mantel

    Solution: Conquer a blank mantel with color. Choosing one common color -- such as yellow -- gives unrelated objects a unifying theme. Shop your house for items in the same color family. Pitchers, plates, books, and pottery come together to make this interesting grouping.

8/26
Increase Your Odds

    Problem: Blah displays

    Solution: Odd-number groupings are more interesting than evens. Display frames or objects in threes or fives for an eye-pleasing arrangement.

9/26
Pretty Piles

    Problem: You're a sentimental fool

    Solution: Greeting cards are little pieces of artwork. Make a no-cost display from all the birthday and holiday greetings you've collected by tossing them into a decorative bowl. For an added bonus, when you're having a bad day just pull a card from the bowl and read for an instant boost.

10/26
Book It!

    Problem: Stacks and stacks of books in the living room

    Solution: Put your books to use. Turn a stack of books into a side table by placing a tray on top. When it's time to read just pull a book from the stack.

11/26
Natural Beauty

    Problem: Standard-issue accessories

    Solution: Why spend lots of money on accents when you can find beautiful pieces just by stepping out your front door? Tall birch tree limbs become art when propped against the wall. These homeowners even turned one into a floor lamp by using a lamp kit and adding a shade. Also consider driftwood branches, twigs in tall vases, or bowls of rocks and shells.

12/26
Focused Design

    Problem: No focal point in the room

    Solution: If your room is lacking a natural attention grabber, such as a fireplace or television, create one. Pair a mirror and console table to create a point of interest on your far wall.

13/26
Good with Accents

    Problem: Uncomfortable dining chairs

    Solution: Enhance your dining experience with accent pillows. Colorful pillows add comfort to the seat or backrest -- and add a splash of color and pattern to the dining room.

14/26
Quick and Easy

    Problem: Plain upholstery

    Solution: Dress up plain chairs by adding a colorful scarf or fabric runner. This is an easy way to add color to a room. You can change it on a whim or with the seasons.

15/26
Table Tricks

    Problem: Tiny table

    Solution: If your dining table is too small for a lot of accents, add just a little elegance with a table runner. Use a pretty patterned fabric scrap, retired window treatment panel, or an oversize scarf.

16/26
Water Works

    Problem: Old glassware

    Solution: Don't throw out old glassware just because the rest of the set has broken. Mismatched drinking glasses make beautiful vases. Group glasses together for a creative centerpiece.

17/26
Creative Collage

    Problem: Your refrigerator door is overflowing

    Solution: Liberate the front of your refrigerator with a corkboard. Fill the board with pages torn from your favorite magazine, postcards, children's artwork, and photographs. This doesn't require any special arranging; just keep adding images until the board is full.

18/26
Thrifty Headboard

    Problem: Outdated headboard

    Solution: Add interest to a cold, old headboard by draping a panel of pretty fabric over it. Cut to size and tuck the ends under the mattress to help it stay in place.

19/26
Quick Canopy

    Problem: Angles in the eaves

    Solution: Let a curtain panel or an old sheet act as a makeshift canopy or tester. Find fabric in a pattern or color you like and use curtain rods to attach it to the wall. Hanging the panel from the ceiling accentuates the architecture of the attic room.

20/26
Bedazzled Wall Art

    Problem: Tangled jewelry

    Solution: You use your jewelry to dress up your outfit. Now use it to dress up your walls. Turn the tangle of jewelry in your jewelry box into artwork. Use frames or shadow boxes to group pieces together. Not only will your walls sparkle, but you'll be more likely to wear pieces because you see them on a regular basis.

21/26
Window Dressings

    Problem: No tiebacks

    Solution: Tame unruly curtains with scarves or ribbon. Using a scarf as a tie-back adds color and interest to your window treatments.

22/26
The Write Stuff

    Problem: Plain white window treatments

    Solution: Customize window treatments with text. Print letters in your favorite font and transfer them to the window shade by tracing the letters with a fabric marker. This technique also works with simple clip art illustrations.

23/26
Form and Function

    Problem: No room for baking pans

    Solution: Fill empty kitchen walls with cooking essentials. Pots, pans, baking supplies, and utensils make great wall art when hung in multiples. Bonus: These supplies are easy to find when cooking.

24/26
On a Roll

    Problem: No towel rack

    Solution: A wine rack makes a perfect storage place for rolled towels in the bathroom. Not only are the towels easy to reach, but they become instant decoration. So choose towels in multiple colors for a beautiful display.

25/26
Bathroom Basics

    Problem: Your bathroom lacks accents

    Solution: Towels are a bathroom necessity. But with clever arranging they can also become a bathroom accessory. Choose towels in multiple colors and layer them to add splashes of color. Show off other bathroom essentials, such as soaps and lotions, for fun and functional decorating.

26/26
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Comments (35)
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sherriljacks wrote:

Would LOVE to know where to purchase draperies and/or fabric in slide 15...PLEASE. Anybody? I've been looking for THE drapes for a number of years...thanks sooo much.

1/5/2012 04:31:39 PM Report Abuse
nickkey_shae wrote:

ABOSOLUTELY love the purple mirrors

12/22/2011 10:06:25 AM Report Abuse
nickkey_shae wrote:

I like how they have the curtains acoming from above the window. I makes the window seem larger than it is. Nice idea

12/22/2011 10:04:51 AM Report Abuse
lunaoftheskies wrote:

Some of these ideas are really cute. Some are rather impractical, however, if you have young children

10/2/2011 04:34:42 PM Report Abuse
sandradolman9 wrote:

Any idea where the rattan coffee table in slide #12 can be purchased?

9/19/2011 11:38:07 PM Report Abuse
ap59 wrote:

Regarding picture #2 - The seating says "Go away and don't try to sit here, you'll mess up my image." Pillows DO bring color and texture to a room, but too many spoil the welcoming feel most people want. There are many other ways to bring in the color & texture.

6/2/2011 04:31:15 PM Report Abuse
panther58784 wrote:

The wine rack for towels is not inexpensive. The rack looks identical to one I got at Pier 1 and each layer is sold separately. And each layer was $10 -- during a sale. About $15 each otherwise. The photo shows 5 of them.

6/1/2011 03:45:08 PM Report Abuse
denisehalvorson wrote:

I think the room in picture 1 is 8ft. Look closely. The curtain ends at the window sill -- not at the floor. Look at the top of the mantle and then look at the where the ceiling starts. It's in proportion to an 8ft room. The room was probably shot from a low vantage point to emphasize what happens when you hang a curtain higher than the top of the window. In which case, the illusion has served its purpose!

2/13/2011 11:41:40 AM Report Abuse
jeaneyl wrote:

To hang the pans on the wall you can find a hook that will fit into the holes that most pans have. If they don't a drill would help out. I believe you can find command hooks that are small enough to hold most of them.

1/26/2011 12:17:50 PM Report Abuse
teeterbom wrote:

Slide 23- how do you hang those muffin tins? Command strips wouldn't work b/c then you couldn't use the tins. I really want to do this, but need to know how....

1/26/2011 11:30:03 AM Report Abuse
kmay2 wrote:

Of course, you have to look at the ideas with your house in mind. Apply what will work, and leave the rest. I love looking at the color combos, too.

1/26/2011 11:21:07 AM Report Abuse
margaret_chan_1 wrote:

many good ideas! well done !

1/26/2011 01:44:20 AM Report Abuse
mrshiggie wrote:

Slide # 11. Wolld love to know the paint supplier as well as the color!

1/25/2011 04:01:44 PM Report Abuse
larryross6494 wrote:

I keep logging on to look at the "new" decorating ideas that you send each week in your newsletters, but you keep recycling the same pictures of the same rooms over and over and over again!!

1/25/2011 02:08:54 PM Report Abuse
vickicotie wrote:

slide #1...good idea to hang curtains higher but isn't it interesting that they show a room with high 10 ft ceilings instead of regular 8 foot ones?

1/25/2011 02:01:08 PM Report Abuse
gn2hvn wrote:

I would be interested in seeing what a "high" ceiling looks like since this "low" ceiling already looks quite tall. Who is the photo editor?

1/25/2011 01:55:59 PM Report Abuse
mksbathome wrote:

hmmm well some of these are cute, but come on really! Pillows are expensive. The book idea is sort of interesting, except pulling out a book will wreck the whole thing, and you risk damaging good books. Draperies are expensive too. And I noticed that the 'high cieling idea' is kind of mute, considering that the cielings in that picture are already high. So most of these are a) impractical and b) not no-money.

1/25/2011 11:46:40 AM Report Abuse
foqia_zafar wrote:

Awesome ~

1/24/2011 06:09:29 AM Report Abuse
palmbeachsands wrote:

Fantastic ideas here for the budget minded .. great reference material for the home. Well done BHG.

1/9/2011 03:50:25 AM Report Abuse
davidsjames wrote:

Congratulations BHG for updating your website!! I'm happy I can go from the first to last slide and it not take forever!! I would lose patience and log off. I only had this problem with your site. Now I will visit this site more often!!

8/15/2010 11:42:27 PM Report Abuse
superscrounger1 wrote:

Displaying fruit is not a problem if you use the ones they recommend (oranges and pomegranites also have lasting power. Grapes, plums, etc. are problematic. I have fruit sitting out all the time? And who puts the display in the sun? Use your common sense!

7/22/2010 10:41:08 AM Report Abuse
jodibug771 wrote:

Any idea what the wall color is?

7/20/2010 09:52:41 AM Report Abuse
Feetie13 wrote:

Love the 'Bedazzled Wall Art' !!!

7/10/2010 10:15:08 AM Report Abuse
Feetie13 wrote:

I have a basket of Christmas cards out during the holidays; never thought of doing it otherwise...I like it!

7/10/2010 10:12:22 AM Report Abuse
lovingbears wrote:

I have used the "comfy pillows" look, but,as noted, when guests came, the chairs were "in use". I had to go remove the pillows and throw them behind the couch or on the floor, which was rather embarrassing to have to "rearrange" to make it usable. It really does look great but is unfortunately,not livable. Even with less pillows, unless it is just 1 guest, you have to rearrange them, or the guests end up holding them on their laps, etc, which is not my idea of making a guest feel welcome.

7/7/2010 09:26:04 PM Report Abuse
siona07 wrote:

You could solve the "rotting fruit" problem by buying plastic fake fruit. I have some apples and lemons and limes in my dining room in a glass bowel. I've had them for a while and they don't rot! But this wouldn't be free! You'd have to buy them!

7/7/2010 09:46:47 AM Report Abuse
manger04 wrote:

Where can I purchase the crystal chandelier pictured over the table?

6/22/2010 09:39:04 AM Report Abuse
mary k green wrote:

Where can I find the coffee table in slide 1? Love it!

6/22/2010 09:37:49 AM Report Abuse
beverly.salbin2107836 wrote:

If you don't have bathroom counter space you can hang an expandable wine rack on the bathroom wall and use it for hand towels. I've done this and it look great.

5/11/2010 10:17:08 AM Report Abuse
msaxc1 wrote:

Not only do all those pillows stop guest from sitting comfortably but they are also a nightmare if you have young children or grandchildren coming to visit otherwise as Linda said if your just going for looks and not usage god for it.

4/2/2010 02:39:04 PM Report Abuse
Linda In St Paul MN wrote:

The room with all the pillows on the sofa is off-putting to a visitor. There is nowhere to sit. One doe not go into someonelse's house and start re-arranging things. If you only want a room for looks and not for use go at it.

4/1/2010 11:55:03 AM Report Abuse
Laurpud wrote:

I LOVE the books as a side table idea, very cute! BTW, the rack is only to store towels before they're used.

3/31/2010 11:52:56 AM Report Abuse
dhmoninger wrote:

I would think that towels rolled up like this wouldn't dry after they are used. They do look good up until that point.

3/31/2010 11:26:47 AM Report Abuse
zeppdust wrote:

love this

1/8/2010 05:37:51 PM Report Abuse
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