How To Decorate A Small Bedroom On A Budget

How To Decorate A Small Bedroom On A Budget

It need not cost an absolute fortune to give your home a fabulous new look from top-to-bottom. Take a look at these ideas for decorating on a budget.

WONDERFUL WALLS

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Painting is the most cost-effective way of making a stunning change. 'White is always stylish, and the cheaper whites often have less 'brilliant white' pigment in them, so they are just slightly softer,' says Liz Bauwens, co-author of Upcycled Chic and Modern Hacks, from CICO Books, £19.99. 'If you've got a large area to paint, it's a great budget choice.'

Neil Ogilvie, chief executive officer at the Painting and Decorating Association, estimates it should cost around £150 to £200 to cover walls, ceilings and woodwork in a typical three-bedroomed house using Dulux white emulsion and satinwood. This includes two coats of emulsion for the walls. Dulux Pure brilliant white emulsion, £20 for 10L – (to cover the entire whole house will take approx. 35 litres of paint). For the woodwork you will need undercoat, Fortress Trade Professional white primer and undercoat, £25, and Dulux Once Pure satinwood white emulsion, £22 for 2.5L, (x 2) – this will cover the hall and stairs, living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, main bedroom and two smaller bedrooms.

If you prefer to use colour, the cost for paint will be higher but if you shop around to find a good deal it's still affordable and should cost around £300 to £350. Valspar, for example, have a wide range of colours to choose from with walls and ceilings paint from £34.98 for 5L, and wood & metal paint from £25.98 for 2.5L.

To add an element of pattern, wallpaper is the obvious choice and it's possible to find stylish prints at great value prices. Wallpaper Direct is a good place to start your search. The Arthouse brand starts at £10.99 per roll with Wallpaper Direct's own Albany papers also from £10.99. With an average living room measuring 5m x 5m requiring around ten rolls, this would set you back approximately £110, with an entire house wallpapered for around £700 to £900.

ON THE FLOOR

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Nothing is more depressing than frayed and stained carpet. If the floorboards beneath are good, the least expensive option is to sand them down and paint or stain the wood. Stairs and hallways can be laid with a runner. The Rug House's Purple Striped stair carpet runner, 80 cm wide, is £13 a metre. However, if you want to re-carpet your whole house, look for 'landlord specials' at warehouses or online. While you won't find top-spec pure wool floorcoverings in this bracket, you should find a real bargain. At The Discount Carpet Outlet, a 'full house deal' of 70 sq m of stain-resistant carpet costs just £445, including underlay, grippers and fitting.

It's possible to find 100% wool carpet at less than £15 per sq m. Take a look at the Auckland Berber collection from Carpetright, which comes in a range of neutral shades. To carpet an entire house at this price you could expect to pay around £2,700, including underlay at £4.99 per sq m.

But it's worth bearing in mind that carpet-fitting is a job best left to the professionals!

WINDOW DRESSING

2-pack linen curtains, £49.99, H&M

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For simply stylish and inexpensive blinds, shopping at Ikea is hard to beat. The plain white Tupplur block-out blind, costs from £14. The quality of made-to-measure curtains varies enormously and if you want to block out the light and gain complete privacy look for lined versions. George at Asda have a selection of plain and patterned designs with different headings costing from £22. A more sheer effect can be achieved with Linen curtains, 120cm x 250cm, from H&M, £49.99. For an opulent feel, always allow curtains to drop generously to the floor. Finally, look again at some of your soft furnishings, you may be able to give them a new lease of life. 'Linen sheets and throws can be upcycled as window treatments and they look stunning,' says Alexandra Campbell, co-author of Upcycled Chic and Modern Hacks.

An effective way to create 'wow factor' with a new lighting scheme is to play with contrast. Pared back, industrial style pendants can look great in a boldly coloured room, while a chandelier in a kitchen creates an element of surprise and glamour – Dunelm has a selection of both styles starting from around £25. To alter the mood follow Nigella Lawson's example by draping fairy lights all year-round along mirrors, fireplaces and shelves – they cost only a few pounds and really brighten up a space. Always use a qualified electrician to undertake wiring work.

TIPS FOR A GREAT VALUE UPDATE

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• Rather than stripping off existing tiles and re-tiling the bathroom or kitchen, smarten up the grout with a grouting pen and reseal around baths and showers – visit Wilko for inexpensive products. 'Or you could choose bin ends of more expensive tiles and just use as a border or splashback,' says Alexandra Campbell, co-author of Upcycled Chic and Modern Hacks.
• If you have an older property, cornices, coving, architraves and ceiling roses bring instant sophistication and can cost just a few pounds, try Coving Direct.
• Maximise light in the hallway by placing a large mirror strategically to double proportions. Charity shops, secondhand stores/markets and salvage yards are great places to look, and you may find a bargain for around £20. Alternatively, use mirror tiles, widely available at DIY stores, and achieve the look for even less.
• For an instant kitchen transformation, paint the cabinet doors. 'Paint companies, such as Farrow & Ball, Papers & Paints, Annie Sloan and Fired Earth, have lovely subtle shades,' says Liz Bauwens, co-author of Upcycled Chic and Modern Hacks. 'They also tend to have a high intensity of pigment, and a different chemical base, so the overall effect is distinctive. You won't be using much paint, so the slightly higher cost per pot will repay dividends in terms of the final effect.' Swap battered worktops for solid wood – beech or scrubbed pine. Try your local timber merchant or discount kitchen supplier for offcuts at less than specialist worktop companies. Replace worn doorknobs – check eBay for interesting finds.

SAVE MONEY GETTING THE JOB DONE

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• Some further education colleges run schemes giving apprentice decorators and builders experience in the community for free or reduced rates. Enquire to see if this happens in your area.

• Set up a 'skills swap' – could you babysit, garden or write a CV for a friend who can paint your walls, sand your floors or regrout your bathroom? Why not use social media to ask who could do what?

• Try your local superstore, such as You Can Do It at B&Q, for free classes on upskilling your DIY.

• YouTube and Videojug have invaluable online tutorials in everything from tiling to upholstery.

• Investigate your local freecycle site, where unwanted goods are offered for free. Although practical skills as such are not usually advertised, it's a great way of getting involved in the 'not-for-profit' movement.

• When bargaining for items such as furniture, work-tops etc, always offer to pay cash.

• Think about asking a friend or neighbour to share materials such as paint, so you can negotiate a bulk-buy discount.

• If family and friends are throwing things out, ask them to donate. When shopping, ask for roll-ends of cloth, clearance tiles etc.

• Subscribe to email newsletters so you are first in when stores are holding sales or clearance events.

Words: Jayne Dowle

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How To Decorate A Small Bedroom On A Budget

Source: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/renovate/finance/news/a273/how-to-decorate-for-less/

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