Budget home decorating ideas

Decorating your home doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate. Using a few simple items that you may already have, or can purchase inexpensively, can add beauty and interest to your rooms.

Items that you may not think will make a difference in the appearance in your rooms, can actually add a lot of flair. Some of those items include paint, wallpaper, pictures, plants, scarfs and pillows.

Paint can add a lot of interest to a room. Paint can be purchased inexpensively at departments stores like Walmart or Sears. Choose colors that will match and accentuate your furnishings. White walls are boring and add little appeal to a room, try selecting vibrant colors or soft pastels to bring a breath of fresh air to your rooms. You can also add wallpaper borders to any room to make the room look more lively and homey. Choose a border to coordinate with the paint color and the room's furnishings. To add a spectacular and sophisticated look to a room, try painting the top half of the wall a light pastel color and the bottom half of the wall a rich, darker color. Place a vibrant wallpaper border right down the middle of the wall, where the two colors meet.

Pictures are an important part of any home. Bare walls make a house look vacant and drab. Hang pictures, clocks or other items of interest on the walls to make your rooms more appealing. You can use pictures of family members or pictures of scenery or a combination of both. Arrange the pictures in a variety of positions. Try purchasing two matching collage frames, fill them with photos and hang one slightly higher on the wall than the other. This works well with mirrors as well. Mirrors are a great accessory for a small room, making it appear larger. You can hang mirrors on the wall or purchase a mirror on a stand.

Plants are a great way to accessorize any room. I recently took all of my live plants outdoors to water them and was surprised at how empty and plain the room looked with the plants gone. You can use live plants or silk plants in your home decorating. Use a variety of settings to display your plants. Old baskets, vases or decorative boxes can be used as plant holders for silk plant arrangements. Place some of your plants in plant stands, and others on top of wall units or shelves. Hanging plants and flowers are beautiful and elegant additions to any room.

Many people have an assortment of scarves in their linen closets. Take them out and display them! If you don't have scarves, they can usually be found at thrift stores or consignment shops for a small price. Drape a vibrant scarf over the tops of tables, dressers and other pieces of furniture. As a variation, use larger scarves or throws on the backs or over the arms of your chairs and sofas. Scarfs can add color and a touch of coziness to your home decor.

One last item you can use in your decorating is throw pillows. Throw pillows can be used in the bedroom, living room, or family room to add a touch of color and style. Use an assortment of colors, shapes and sizes for the most stunning effect. If you sew, you can even make pillows in the same or similar fabric as your furnishings. Purchase several large, over-stuffed pillows to prop against one another on the floor, this works well in any room that you have an empty space or corner that needs to be filled.

There are numerous ideas to be used for decorating your home when you are on a budget, these are just a few. With a little imagination and creativity, you can decorate your home, with items you already have....or can purchase inexpensively. The goal is to make your home a place that you feel comfortable and a place that looks attractive!