Whether we are a landlord, the owner of a family home, rent a student flat or have just embarked on the property ladder, we all have times when our homes get us down and we'd love to make changes. Unfortunately we don't all have a sizeable savings in place to fall back on in case we get a whim to renovate or redecorate our properties. However, on a more optimistic note, we can all breathe new life into a home without having to re-mortgage, fall back on savings that don't really exist, or take out a loan with frighteningly high levels of interest.
Take a look at the following economically astute guide on how to breathe new life into a property.
Paint!
There is nothing quite like changing the colour of a room to dramatically alter its look. While the cost of paint varies fairly significantly, you can pick up quality paint for a reasonable paint. A one litre tin of paint can cover a whole wall, particularly if you use a trick they use of the continent - making paint go further by adding some water to it. In fact adding a couple of small cups of water to a tin of paint will not only make it go further but will also help the paint go on easier, meaning that even the most inexperienced of decorators amongst us can create an evenly painted room without having to call upon a decorator, saving us a large chunk of money.
Pay attention to the furniture
With the high street, 'big name' furniture stores promising us a new leather suite for 70% less, if we having got the finances in place, it's quite easy to become depressed by the furniture that's been stood in our homes for a decade or two too long.
The good news is that we don't have to head on down to the likes of DFS and sign up to pay back a sofa for the next five years. Second-hand furniture can often be the best quality, the most charming and rustic in appearance, and, of course, the most economical.
So forget the inflated marketing promises of the furniture 'big shots' and head on down to your nearest and most quirky second-hand furniture store.
Failing that, with some attention, creativity, fabric, a scraper and paint, you could cleverly revamp existing furniture by giving it an inventive makeover that your family and friends will barely recognise as being the same piece of furniture.
The garden
Gardens require face lifts as much as interiors. Again giving your outdoor space a much-needed makeover need not cost the earth. Painting fences or any wooden outdoor furniture you may have in your garden will make it appear instantly altered and refreshed.
Likewise, tidying the garden up by weeding, pruning, cutting, mowing and edging, will make your outdoor space look infinitely neater and more refined. Providing you do the work yourself, tidying up your garden won't cost you a penny.
Plant pots and hanging baskets don't cost too much and are a great way to add some instant colour, life, intrigue and glamour into your garden, without spending too much money.
So what are you waiting for, stop gazing miserably at the grossly dramatised, so-called furniture sales and flourishing gardens you think are beyond your means on Gardener's World, and start getting economically design-savvy.
This article was written by Gabrielle Pickard who writes on behalf of New i.d, an interior design company based in London. For more inspiring design ideas and tips, take a look at New i.d's online magazine at http://magazine.new-id.co.uk/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gabrielle_Pickard
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7957174
Take a look at the following economically astute guide on how to breathe new life into a property.
Paint!
There is nothing quite like changing the colour of a room to dramatically alter its look. While the cost of paint varies fairly significantly, you can pick up quality paint for a reasonable paint. A one litre tin of paint can cover a whole wall, particularly if you use a trick they use of the continent - making paint go further by adding some water to it. In fact adding a couple of small cups of water to a tin of paint will not only make it go further but will also help the paint go on easier, meaning that even the most inexperienced of decorators amongst us can create an evenly painted room without having to call upon a decorator, saving us a large chunk of money.
Pay attention to the furniture
With the high street, 'big name' furniture stores promising us a new leather suite for 70% less, if we having got the finances in place, it's quite easy to become depressed by the furniture that's been stood in our homes for a decade or two too long.
The good news is that we don't have to head on down to the likes of DFS and sign up to pay back a sofa for the next five years. Second-hand furniture can often be the best quality, the most charming and rustic in appearance, and, of course, the most economical.
So forget the inflated marketing promises of the furniture 'big shots' and head on down to your nearest and most quirky second-hand furniture store.
Failing that, with some attention, creativity, fabric, a scraper and paint, you could cleverly revamp existing furniture by giving it an inventive makeover that your family and friends will barely recognise as being the same piece of furniture.
The garden
Gardens require face lifts as much as interiors. Again giving your outdoor space a much-needed makeover need not cost the earth. Painting fences or any wooden outdoor furniture you may have in your garden will make it appear instantly altered and refreshed.
Likewise, tidying the garden up by weeding, pruning, cutting, mowing and edging, will make your outdoor space look infinitely neater and more refined. Providing you do the work yourself, tidying up your garden won't cost you a penny.
Plant pots and hanging baskets don't cost too much and are a great way to add some instant colour, life, intrigue and glamour into your garden, without spending too much money.
So what are you waiting for, stop gazing miserably at the grossly dramatised, so-called furniture sales and flourishing gardens you think are beyond your means on Gardener's World, and start getting economically design-savvy.
This article was written by Gabrielle Pickard who writes on behalf of New i.d, an interior design company based in London. For more inspiring design ideas and tips, take a look at New i.d's online magazine at http://magazine.new-id.co.uk/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gabrielle_Pickard
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7957174
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