How to style a Room on a Budget

It is amazing how you can transform a room in your home regardless of your budget. My friends and family will tell you that I love a bargain and I'm always keeping my eye open for sales and offers. I like to change my home décor with the seasons as I think this keeps my home looking fresh and appealing.

For example, during those long winter months when the nights draw in early I like my home to feel all snug and cosy. In the summer however I like my home to feel bright and airy. So where do I begin to achieve this?

Spring/Summer Display

In the Winter

Let's start with cushions. I simply love decorating the sofa with cushions much to the amusement of my husband. I think he thought I was slightly crazy when I asked him to store my autumn/winter cushions in the attic! Last Autumn I bought two lovely cushions from Wilkinsons for £6 each. They had a picture on of a stag and I fell in love with them instantly. For £6 I had the cushion cover and pad but you can buy just the cushion covers if you wanted to. Sometimes though I do find the cushion covers to be the same price as a filled one! It's best to shop around. I saw cushions very similar to the ones I had bought for double the price elsewhere!

My Winter Cushion Covers ( I have since got rid of the throw as I was not happy with it!)

I didn't like my cushions on the sofa as these were old, tatty and faded so I got rid of these. I went through a stage a couple of years ago where I wanted to display every piece of decor I owned! My dresser was so cluttered and took forever to dust! I now like displaying only a few pieces as its not only easier to keep clean but it looks tidy too. I knew I wanted new cushions for the Spring/Summer season so I shopped around until I saw exactly what I wanted. This year I've introduced soft mauve colours into my home. I keep the walls neutral so I can change the colour of my decor to suit my mood. At the moment I love the softness of pastel shades. I found a gorgeous floral pattern at Next and treated myself to one cushion. I only wanted one as I didn't want the sofa to look too busy. Instead I bought 4 more cushions in a shade that would compliment my pretty one. I got these from Next and Sainsburys.

Cushions for Spring/Summer

As I looked around my lounge I noticed I had lots of candles on display that were all different colours. I had cream, pink, blue and even green. I rounded up every one and then selected a few cream coloured candles to keep out. The rest went in a cupboard to be used in the winter. I didn't actually have any mauve coloured candles or holders so I made it my mission to find some. Sainsburys came up on top for selling exactly what I wanted. I could have got carried away and bought loads of candles and holders but the last thing I wanted to do was clutter up my dresser and sideboard again! So I carefully selected a few pieces.

Pretty Candle Holders

My curtains in the lounge are cream and go with everything so these stay up all year round. I have a few neutral coloured jugs and glass vases that I like to display flowers in. During the Spring/Summer months I like to display cream/white flowers such as roses and stock. Aldi sell lovely flowers at such great prices. I always pop a bunch in my trolley as part of my weekly shop. Supermarkets tend to reduce flowers to silly prices in an evening too. I once had 4 bunches of flowers that should have cost £19 and I paid just 75p! They last for 10 days too!

Flowers Make a Pretty Display

I also have a few ornaments that I like to change with the seasons. Just before Christmas last year Sainsburys had a sale on and I bought these lovely wooden deer ornaments. I knew I wouldn't want to display these after the winter so they are boxed up in the attic, along with a canvas picture of a stag in the snow. I found a lovely canvas picture to replace my winter one with in Home Bargains!

The Family of Deer

Spring/Summer Décor

It is so tempting to display everything! I have found though that I have more compliments about my home if it's less cluttered so I guess less really is more! 

I hope you have found these tips useful. I would love to hear about any tips you have for styling a room on a budget.   

What Home Means

Home to me is a place that reflects upon who I am. It is full of my style and things that I like. It is a place were I can relax and unwind, be myself in. Where ever I go I always know that my home will be there waiting for me to return. It is mine. 

In my home and garden

The best thing about moving into a place that needed work doing to it meant that I could change things to my taste. I didn't have to put up with the brittle wallpaper, thread bare carpets, an old and battered kitchen, no garden. I could see passed all these things and know that I could create my dream home. 

I enjoy decorating my home with floral displays and pretty accessories

Okay, so I might not have the roses growing over the front door (yet!), I may not have the converted barn as a craft room, nor the sea view I yearn for but I do have everything else I want and could possibly need. Most importantly my home is filled with memories and loved ones. 

I like to collect mementos from days out, holidays and walks in the countryside. Wild flowers fill jugs and picture frames of my favourite places hang on the wall 

I feel so lucky that I have such a wonderful view to wake up to every morning. In the warmer months I enjoy a cup of tea on the patio overlooking the meadows. It is quiet and peaceful, only bird song can be heard. It is these simple pleasures that should not be taken for granted. 

A nesting box can be found hidden amongst the clematis in the garden 

Bathroom Makeover

I knew the bathroom needed working on as soon as I saw the avacado suite! It wasn't just about the colour either, the bath was in poor condition and was very deep and narrow. The pink and white patterned tiles were not to my taste and the room felt cold, dark and small. Unfortunately I do not have any before pictures of the bathroom!

We had several quotes to fit a new bathroom suite but all designers insisted it was not possible for us to tile the walls ourselves. Apparently it needed doing as soon as the old suite was taken out. We wanted to keep costs down so in the end bought a white suite from the DIY store and found a local plummer to fit it for us. 

It took 2 days in total and then we could get working on tiling. I say we but I mean my husband!

The work begins! I chose big cream tiles to make the room brighter

 I chose big cream tiles for the bathroom so the room would look nice and bright.

Keeping the décor natural meant that I could have a variety of colourful accsesories and change them as often as I wished. I have several sets of bath mats, towels and flannels. At the moment mauve is my favourite as it's soft and gentle looking and very Spring like.  

 

I picked some Cows Parsley but it did not last long in the bathroom. It looked really pretty though!

I think my husband did a fantastic job of the tiles, considering he had never done anything like this before.

The little jug is from B&Q! At only £4 I think it was a bargain.

The bathroom feels really nice now and it is so nice to unwind in the bath after a long busy day with a few candles lit.

Filling the House with Flowers

Don't you just love flowers?! I do enjoy filling my home full of them in pretty jugs, jars and vases.

I enjoy picking little posies from the garden too!

Flowers can brighten up any space, especially during those winter months when it's so cold outside and all you want to do is sit in front of the fire and light lots of candles!