Wall Art Decorating

Everyone has greeting cards with beautiful designs that they just can’t bear to through away (I know I do!). One way to turn this “garbage” into décor is by using them for wall art! Make sure the cards are the same size and that they look good together. Then simply fasten them onto pieces of foam board that are the same size as each card to add depth. Attach each piece to a painted square piece of cardboard and mount to your wall!

You can also try framing beautiful pictures from magazines. Buy a wide frame with a smaller center and hang a few coordinating magazine cutouts side by side or arranged on your wall. It’s a great way to decorate your walls at almost no cost!

For minimal artistic effort and maximum effect, try framing a fabric. You can find beautiful pieces of extra fabric either lying around your house or at the clearance section of material stores (sometimes for only a dollar). As long as the colors and design are beautiful and tasteful, framing it will instantly turn it into art.

Calligraphy is a beautiful as wall art and Japanese calligraphy especially enhances a Zen decorating style. You can do basic calligraphy on your own with just a brush and black paint. Just look at some examples and try copying the images. You might need a little artistic talent for this one, but if you keep it simple it won’t take too long to pick up. You may even be able to create some calligraphy in Japanese!

A great place to look for wall art is your kitchen. Plates, coasters and even dish towels that just take up needless space can be hung on your wall and displayed. Framed dish towels make beautiful wall art. Dishes and coasters can be hung with a frame or on their own.

These room decorating ideas may be simple, but they can make your walls look beautiful and barely cost anything. So before spending a fortune of wall art try these fun and creative techniques.

Headboard Ideas

If you’re looking for a way to spice up your bedroom without spending a fortune, try making your own headboard.  Although this might seem pretty arduous at first, you can create your own unique headboard without being an expert of arts and crafts.

A headboard is a way to mark off the area behind the bed creating a more elegant and elaborate.  There are many possible creative headboard decorating ideas.  To start simple, you can try decorating a plain wooden headboard you already have.  You could also start with a metal screen or a large artist’s canvas.

If you’re starting with a headboard that you already have, try decorating it with wallpaper decals.  They come in all colors, styles and motifs so you can create a look that matches your general room decorating idea or theme.

You can also create a bold headboard with a simple metal panel or screen.  By painting the area behind the screen, you can create a funky and bold effect. Try using either bright or metallic colors behind your screen or paint a dark shade and add shiny spots or designs in a different color. You can also attach different accessories to the screen to add flair, like butterflies or beads.

An artist’s canvas is one of my favorite headboard ideas! There is so much to work with and a lot of room for creativity.  The great thing about canvases is they are the perfect shape for putting behind the bed and can be decorated in no time.  Try covering the canvas with a piece of fabric or a variety of coordinating arranged in a pattern (for example, you can mount them in a square shape in the center of the canvas).  Painting the wall behind the canvas accentuates the headboard, especially if the paint color matches the fabric you’ve used.

Adding a headboard adds a lot to your bedroom and can be done without breaking your budget.  So start decorating and give your bedroom a cheap and stylish upgrade!

Fabrics for Budget Dorm Room Decor‎

So you have no money to afford anything fancy. Well, the truth about dorm room ‎decorating is that a little creativity and a couple solid ideas will go a long way. Many ‎students will spend tons of money on useless items that are meant to make a boring space ‎into something personal, but decorating your dorm room can be done on a tight budget ‎just by picking up one very useful décor tool: fabric.‎

Here’s a method to the madness. The first step is to take a pencil and a piece of paper and ‎see if you can sketch a cube to approximate an empty room. The next step is to take a ‎good look around your dorm room and see how you can rearrange things to make it a bit ‎more like a living room space. Try to sketch out the different pieces of furniture into your ‎miniature room design (and don’t worry, it’s not meant to be a masterpiece). If you can ‎visualize a new room, you can create it. That’s the beauty of room decorating ideas.‎

Before you start moving anything around, take a trip down to your local fabric store ‎where they sell huge rolls of any type of material you can imagine. This is where you let ‎your imagination run wild. Look first and foremost for colors that match the current color ‎scheme of your dorm room in the event that the walls are not white.

Once you’ve settled on the colors you’re looking for, pay close attention to textures. A ‎large, soft, furry piece of material can transform any piece of furniture into something ‎warm and inviting. Brown and cream colors are great for a cozier feel. Pastels are good if ‎you’re looking for a cleaner, modern style. You can use different types of fabrics to cover ‎your bed, the floor, serve as a table cloth, a carpet, curtain, and anything else you may ‎have. Make your purchases wisely though since they charge by length.‎

The final step is to begin rearranging your room and experimenting with the fabrics you ‎bought. Fiddle around, change your mind, and don’t be afraid to adjust the lengths and ‎widths or find creative ways to hang things. The combined effect of a more inviting ‎furniture arrangement as well as the enhanced color and texture of the fabrics will be sure ‎to give your dorm room that much needed face-lift you were looking for, well within ‎your budget. ‎

Bedding Décor

It’s not always obvious that the way you decorate your bed has a major impact on the entire aura and appearance of your bedroom. Your choice of linens, pillows, pillow cases, duvet covers, bedspreads, bed skirts and comforters is actually essential when coming up with your specific room design. Different patterns, fabrics, and colors each make statements of their own and will affect the final look of your bedroom accordingly.

One way to make a bed the focal point of your room is by making it bold and loud. To do this, chose fabrics with bright colors and blunt designs. You don’t need to have a lot of “stuff” on your bed, but rather make it so that the bedding itself is noticeable. Another way to make a visual impact is by choosing white bedding and throwing on a few brightly colored pillows or fabrics. The contrast can help but demand your attention!

You might want to give your room a clean, simple, toned down look. By sticking to tans, pale blues and grays your bed will exude a serene energy and have a natural, organic character. Keep to simple basic designs and keep extra pillows to a minimum.

To create an elegant look, try using a bed skirt. Bed skirts hang from your mattress to the floor adding loads of style (and hiding whatever’s underneath)! I personally love using one or two embroidered throw pillows that reflect my own style. Whatever you do, don’t skimp on the bedding décor when creating your beautiful bedroom!

Bedroom Theme

Choosing a theme is so much fun and is something you can do in all your rooms. A theme can be absolutely anything you like, think is beautiful, or that reflects your hobbies and interests. It can be anything from city sleek, trendy, Middle Eastern, retro, Hollywood-glam, Zen industrial and even butterflies. When it comes to themes, there are absolutely endless room decorating ideas out there!

When decorating according to a theme, every inch of your bedroom must be considered, including the floor, walls and ceiling. You also need to identify the colors, patterns, types of fabrics, furniture, accessories and lighting that will give you the particular look you are going for. You will need to do a bit of brainstorming and researching but it is worth it if you want your bedroom theme to turn out just right.

The following is an example that you can follow when coming up with your own bedroom theme!

Example: Zen Decorating Theme

• Colors: Stick to neutral, organic shades like tan, green, blue and white. Use these colors in walls, fabrics, accessories, furniture etc.
• Furniture: Japanese-style low platform bed, simple nightstand out of Asian hardwood, dresser with Chinese handles, perhaps out of wood from government controlled forests or something “zen” like that
• Ceiling: White ceiling, make sure not to have a bright light coming from the ceiling onto the bed
• Floor: Tatami Bamboo mat or woven rug,
• Walls: Hang watercolor and calligraphy paintings
• Bedding: Simple, high quality, tightly woven, tan or white
• Lighting: Paper lanterns, bamboo lamps paper blinds over the windows
• Accessories: Candles, stones, plants and maybe a small fountain. Accessories should be kept minimal, uncluttered and related to nature.

Just keep to these basic instructions and your bedroom will have a beautiful theme in no time.

Creative Decorating Ideas

When it comes to room decorating, we are always searching for new ways to make ordinary parts of our home look new and exciting. Getting ideas from super creative people is one to get you thinking out of the box. Below are a few pictures of some of the most creative room decorating ideas I’ve seen on the web!

This beautiful tea-cup chandelier is a really creative and adorable lighting fixture. Though it might not be so easy to “do-it-yourself” without the proper wiring skills, using household items in unique ways is something anyone can do. Plates, cups, silverware and bowls are not only for food but can also add a touch or decor to any room.

This funky bedroom is not only stunning, but it also breaks the barriers of regular room design. The “dresser” is located in the middle of the room on wheels and gives the impression of being a bunch or randomly stacked boxes. This room contains unique shapes and modern edges that give it a contemporary appeal that is definitely one-of-a-kind.

The ordinary boundries of the sink have definitely been overstepped with this incredible sink/fish tank. This original and extremely cool design embodies the idea that no household item, product or appliance has to be limited to standard definitions. Each area of your house can embody things you love and find beautiful, even if you can’t afford a mini aquarium in your bathroom!

Although this may look like regular colorful wall decor, it’s more than meets the eye. This wall paper is actually “scratch and sniff”! Not only does it give your room a sparkle or decor, but it doubles as air freshener adding a nice scent to your home (well…at least if you scratch it!). Hey- what kids wouldn’t love this?

I hope this helped you find some creative decorating inspiration! Dream away!

Small Room Furniture

For those of us living in a bustling metropolis on a tight budget, a large apartment or house is but a faraway dream. If you’re like me and you the feeling of space in a room, you’ll want to maximize every inch you’ve got!

When decorating your small space, arranging furniture needs to be done thoughtfully. Putting different pieces together properly can make your room seem larger than it is.

There are different opinions out there regarding what size furniture you should use for small space decorating. Although you may want to avoid wide, bulky pieces tall furnishings can actually give your walls the illusion of height. Accessories such as plants, vases, bowls and lamps can be placed on top of high bookcases, shelves or other tall pieces to make them seem higher than they are.

When it comes to the couch, try to find one with legs, so that it doesn’t sit directly on the ground. By having visual space underneath your furniture, the eye is drawn underneath increasing the perceived room space. The extra space under a couch can also be a great place for extra storage containers! Just make sure they are always pushed towards the back.

To make your room seem larger, try using backless bookshelves that let light pass through. Another trick is to paint your bookshelves the same color as the wall. It makes them seem almost as though they’ve disappeared into the background.

Just like when you are decorating any room in your house, make sure to have a focal point and keep furniture to scale.

And of course, the more multi-functional your furniture is the better. Always go for pieces with built in storage space whenever possible. Nothing makes a small room seem smaller than extra clutter!

For more small room decorating ideas, check out Lighting for Small Room Decorating