Big changes for less cash
Jimmy Mincin, jmincin@altoonamirror.comArticle Photos
Fact Box
Easy design tips
- Paint a room or paint the focal point wall an accent color if you don't want to paint the entire room, or if you want to use a vibrant color.
- Remove everything that is not essential in a room and bring back only a few of your accent pieces, accessories and side tables.
- Put an accent carpet under a coffee table with a couple of coordinated throw pillows to bring out the main colors and change the feeling of a living room.
- Hang a large piece of art work, 3-feet-by-4-feet or larger, in a focal spot.
Source: Cornelia Rutherford, owner, Marketing & Design Service, Altoona
In the midst of a woeful economy, it's nice to know that spicing up your home or apartment's interior doesn't have to burn a hole in your wallet.
"My advice to customers is, you can spruce up your interior inexpensively by adding simple accessories, such as decorative pillows, a new throw blanket over the sofa or a new rug," said Paulette Gresik, sales consultant at Wolf Furniture in Altoona. "Any of these items can add color and pizazz to your home without costing you a fortune."
Whether you're seeking to add flair or functionality to your living space, it's important to adhere to a couple of principles, she said: Create a color scheme of no more than two or three colors per room, and keep them in mind with every home furnishing purchase (a theme can enhance the appearance of your apartment and reflect cohesion and organization); and utilize wall space with mounting shelves, baskets and cabinets to allow for maximum floor space.
Gresik said a pair of decorative pillows at Wolf Furniture can run from $65 to $100, rugs can range from $200 to $2,000, and cherry-wood end tables can go from $299 to $400, depending on whether they have a solid or veneer top.
"As far as sofas, tables and lamps, you can do it all for under $2,000," she said.
But apartments and homes often call for different approaches, said Cornelia Rutherford, owner of Marketing & Design Service in Altoona.
"If it is your home, you're not restricted by a landlord's rules, so you have more freedom to do as you please," she said. "If you are renting, be sure to read the lease agreement."
If possible, painting is the quickest and cheapest way to make a dramatic change in a room, she noted.
"You can paint the focal point wall an accent color if you don't want to paint the entire room, or if you want to use a vibrant color and you think it will be too much for all four walls," she said. "If you're renting and want to add an accent color but aren't allowed to paint, you can use a bright-colored sheet slightly gathered or a bright quilt on an iron rod behind a bed or sofa to add the color."
Changing a hanging light in a focal-point spot, such as over the living room table or over a breakfast nook, also can change the entire style of a room, said Rutherford, a member of the American Society for Interior Designers.
"If you own your property, there are some very interesting hanging lights available for under $80 that are just a lamp shade over a hanging dome," she said. "These can look very modern and provide a softened light. If you're in an apartment, you may be able to change the shades on your existing light to give it a fresh new look. You can sometimes remove the glass shades and use clip-on fabric shades to change the look completely."
Removing all non-essentials from a room, while adding a few accent pieces, accessories or side tables can make a room look larger, she said, adding that an accent rug under the coffee table with a couple coordinated throw pillows can bring out the main colors, and change the entire feel of a living room.
And if you can't afford a whole new bed ensemble, do what four-star hotels are doing, she said: Get a quality white sheet with pillow shams to match to place over your under bedding, accent the bed with a few throw pillows, and voila, you have "a crisp, clean and contemporary look."
There also are inexpensive ways to decorate for art aficionados, said Conny Riggleman, owner of La Craft in Tyrone.
"I think you can hang pretty much anything on your wall," she said. "It's your home - you want to be comfortable in it."
To people like Riggleman, having just pictures hanging on the wall is a bit bland. She recommends adorning your walls with inexpensive items such as patterned blankets, framed seashells and flowers, decorative beads - anything you deem attractive.
"My daughter and I actually cleaned up an old runner sled and hung it on her bedroom wall," she said. "It's definitely different, but it looks pretty good."
Big sellers at her shop include silk flowers, lace tiebacks for curtains, wooden fish, miniature lights, yarn kits and beads - items that range from 25 cents to $5.99, she said.
"I have an older lady who comes in and buys different-colored teardrop beads and hangs them in her windows," she said. "(The beads) reflect the sunlight when it comes through."
Debbie Frick, owner of Creative Expressions Florist in Altoona, said adding live plants to an apartment or home's decor is a cost-effective way to provide color and aroma.
''Grouping plants on a table top in front of a window is an excellent way to minimize what you'll need as window decor,'' she said. "Also, there's nothing more air-purifying than a real plant. I have allergies, so for me, (having pure air in my house) means fewer doctor visits and less medication.''
The more basic the plant is, the more success you'll have in growing something, she said, citing bamboo, ivy, rubber, dracaena, croton, philodendron, cactus and spider plants as inexpensive and low-maintenance plants to start with (ranging from $10 to $24).
"A general decoration rule with plants is, you should always work in odd numbers - three or five plants," she said. "Working in twos just doesn't have that finished eye appeal."
Mirror Staff Writer Jimmy Mincin is at 946-7460.
