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Decorating on a budget

Last Updated 07 June 2012, 13:02 IST

 You can re-decorate your home without spending too much. Simple changes such as new cushions or colourful accessories can do the trick.

Summer is giving way to the rainy season and you are itching to redecorate. However, the economy being in the state it is, you don’t want to stretch your budget too much. What can you do to brighten your home without exactly breaking the bank?

For starters, change does not have to be expensive. Let’s look at the drawing room first. Often, it is something as simple as changing the cushions in your home.

A sofa, which has been a fixture in your room and has irritated you with its plainness, can suddenly appear bright with a casual addition of comfortable cushions in floral or other prints. The same can be said of pillows.

The importance of clutter control cannot be over-emphasised. Chaos can be controlled with the help of cheap (read inexpensive not tacky or gaudy) divided trays or baskets. Little objects which create a messy look when lying around can be stored in these trays and arranged strategically to actually look artistic.

Flaunt your frames is advice I never tire of. While pictures lying all over the place have somewhat lessened with the use of digital cameras, the value of displaying a favourite picture in a dignified, not necessarily expensive, frame cannot be overstated.

Your dining room and kitchen lend themselves really well to inexpensive decor. For example, brightly coloured pots for your indoor plants will make your plants go green with envy. If you have a green thumb and have several indoor plants, investing in a few coloured pots will go a long way in making them decorative.

Likewise, fruits can be set to ripen at your dining table in a centre-piece which will be available for just a few rupees but will make your table look really classy.

If you are heading to your office area, the suggestion is to ‘bring back the blotter.’ Blotter, what is a blotter? you might ask. This is going to be a question on everyone’s mind.


Ask an old-timer in your family and s/he will love to enlighten you about these rectangular cloth sheets with a cardboard backing, which served to keep correspondence neat while using a fountain pen. They usually come with pockets along the sides.

They are wonderful for keeping your bills, receipts, cheque books and other papers organised while adding a dimension of colour to the room.

Let’s also consider how to soften a sterile bathroom. Most decor specialists advise that the bathroom should not have the “ick” factor. This does not mean your bathroom is dirty.

Even having all your bath needs all over the sink is considered “icky.” The general tendency is to go overboard and remove all signs of one’s personality.


This is not necessary; it makes the bathroom sterile. So, how does one soften this?  It is very simple. Just use classy accessories to store your toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, etc.
Resort to such small inexpensive changes to give your home a whole new look and feel. You don’t have to break the bank, really!

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(Published 07 June 2012, 13:02 IST)

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