How to Spruce Up Home Furnishing On A Budget

In the current economic climate everyone has to be careful about how they spend their money.  Choosing home furnishings is one area where it’s easy to look at cutting back expenditure by going for the cheapest furniture for their home.    Many articles claim that choosing cheap and flat packed could prove to be a false economy in the long run – but then they are usually from the manufacturers of the more expensive stores and outlets who want to sell you their stuff!   However much you do spend, it’s important to choose home furnishings that can at least cope with the anticipated level of day to day usage.  That’s obviously going to vary, depending on whether you’ve got kids or pets at home or if there’s just the two of you because the children have finally flown the nest, taking some of your stuff  with them to get their new house started.

Maybe the family has grown and what you’ve got isn’t big enough any more or you’ve recently redecorated and everything is looking a bit jaded.  The age and décor of your home will also dictate style to a large extent.  Owners of period homes (Victorian or Edwardian) are heavily into “shabby chic” which is inspired by the classic Louis style French antique furniture.  Aside from buying new, there is the option of trawling the charity shops and second hand stores, many of which do offer a surprisingly large range of furniture items.

Spruce Up What You’ve Got

If you’d rather not buy at all, then resurrect what you’ve got.    If you already have furniture that suits the mood, rather than get rid of it – tart it up!   Almost any furniture can be given a new lease of life by simply stripping down and painting white or liming.  White painted furniture of any description exudes a feeling of slightly ruffled elegance and this look works in almost every room in an appropriate house.  It needn’t be antique items that benefit from this simple treatment.  Pine and mdf pieces can also be given this lightly distressed effect to create a sense of renaissance decadence on the cheap!  Provided your existing furniture is still structurally sound, it can also be rejuvenated with the myriad of wood dyes, treatments, fabrics and finishes available out there.  These are relatively inexpensive but do take a lot of time and effort to achieve the desired result – but it’s somehow very satisfying in the long run.

Make a Silk Purse Out of A Sow’s Ear

If you do buy and you have to buy cheap from places like IKEA, you are not limited to simply sticking with what you’ve got!  These MDF and particle board creations may not be as robust as the more expensive alternatives, but using proprietary wood glue when you construct them, rather than the little sachets of white gunk that comes with them, generally assures that they’ll stay together for a little longer at least!  Gluing the receptacles for screws, although not usually part of the instructions for assembly, will also help keep the thing rigid.  Once assembled, you can put lipstick on the pig by adding your own design tweaks.  There are entire websites dedicated to how people tarted up IKEA furniture, sometimes to the extent that the original is no longer recognisable!  Many have used mirrored or ceramic tiles.  These are readily available in easily handled mosaic strips and sheets that can simply be stuck on to add a touch of Hollywood glitz or a contemporary twist.   Mirrored furniture is perfect for small rooms and gives the illusion of space and distance.   It can also make a room appear brighter, especially when there is a lack of natural day light from windows.

This article was written  by Allan Bisset after discussions with a company called QualityFurniture4U which specialises in living room furniture and dining room furniture from a variety of sources including some that are recycled.