Champagne Style on a Budget by Karen Millard

For those of us with more taste than money, attempts to decorate our homes on a budget can often be a frustrating exercise in making-do and doing without. We flip through the glossy pages of home decorating magazines and despair of ever living in anything with more charm than a shoe box. But the truth is, the principles of home decorating have always had more to do with expressing your personality through your own sense of style than with spending large amounts of money to make your home look like a picture in a magazine. 

Yet paradoxically, these very same magazines, featuring "little" 3000 square foot homes and "mere" $20,000 renovation budgets are the ideal place to start. As you study the photographs look, not at the big picture, but at the details. First, study how the owners have used color. Whether strong or muted, a well thought- out color scheme lends a touch of sophistication to the plainest walls, carpet and furniture. Not to mention saving you a bundle on trial and error paint! Note that a color scheme does not mean using only one or two colors that "match". It means using often up to five different colours in various intensities and proportions from room to room. Paint experts can usually tell you how to use a color wheel to determine which colors work successfully together. 

Look next for decorating themes. A theme will again unify the look of your home and prevent you making expensive mistakes. An item will either fit or it won't and you'll know which before you bring it home. Popular themes include the South Western look; the spare, clean, Ultra Modern look; or even the tried and true Eclectic look, which basically means a little bit of everything, on purpose! My sister-in-law loves all things Japanese, (despite her Croatian heritage!) and the colors, furnishings and accessories reflect her passion. You could even use color itself as your theme. My five year old son's room is decorated around a theme of primary colors. The effect is bright, bold and cheerful. 

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Continue browsing through your magazine and you'll soon see that the best looking homes are those that are filled, not with expensive art and antiques, (though if you've got 'em, by all means flaunt 'em!) but with frequent touches of the owners' personalities. One of the most often complimented little corners of my own home features a shelf upon which stands a cricket bat from my husband's schooldays in England and his team photograph, still in it's original, battered wood frame. Neither cost me a penny. A friend of mine framed two pictures her children painted in art class and hung them to great effect in her hallway. Since both were made with the same paints and both were of wild birds they fill the sophistication requirements of colour and theme and the frugality requirement of not having cost anything to produce except the frames. (Unless, of course, you count the cost of the art classes which they would have attended anyway!) 

You can also frame postcards, greeting cards and calendar pictures. Look in museum and gallery gift shops for the more "arty" ones. Look also in craft-supply stores. These can be a treasure trove of inexpensive, fashionable accessories. Birdhouses and miniature chairs are currently very popular and can be bought for only a few dollars each. 

Never be afraid to express your personality and don't be shy about looking in unusual places for decorating ideas. One of my favorite items is a repainted wooden sleigh, bought at a garage sale and now a container, in my den, for many of my paperbacks. Less predictable than a bookcase but just as efficient. And why spend a small fortune on a silk plant for your coffee table when a bowl of bright green apples can be just as decorative? Edible and replaceable too! 

One final, but important guideline for the frugal decorator: unless you have the money to follow along as they change, avoid expensive trends. Purchasing a few four dollar birdhouses is one thing. Painting your entire house in various shades of purple because the magazines are filled with pictures of purple houses is quite another. What happens next year when everyone moves to yellow? Or lime-green? 

Instead, try and identify your personal style. What colors soothe you? What colors invigorate you? In general, would you rather be soothed or invigorated? Do you prefer formal, informal or positively laid-back? What type of furnishings invite you to sit on them? Is your eye drawn to wood, vibrant color, or chrome? Once you've made these decisions you can decorate with the sense of security that comes from knowing your choices will be comfortable, stylish and long-lasting!