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 

Furniture Makeover!

For a while now I have been in two minds whether or not to paint some wooden furniture. I have been looking at Pinterest and Instagram as a source of inspiration and often wondered if it really is that simple to give furniture a new lease of life.

The bookcase I wanted to paint

I had three particular items in mind. First one was a huge mirror hanging on the wall in the hallway. I loved the size of the mirror but I wasn't keen on the orange pine frame. Next was my dining room table and chairs. I couldn't help but think they may look nicer painted cream. The final item was a bookcase I found and bought in an antique shop for just £10. Like the mirror, this was also orange pine. I have nothing against orange pine but it didn't match with the rest of my light pine furniture. 

I decided to go for it! I bought some runs of Rust-Oleum chalk paint in white and cream. I wanted to paint the mirror white to match the walls in the hallway. I began with the mirror. 

I used masking tape to protect the mirror edges

As It was raining, my husband carried the mirror (it's very heavy!) into the garage for me and I began the makeover. I used masking tape to protect the mirror edges as I painted the frame. I cleaned the frame with sugar soap before painting. I applied two coats of paint before lightly sanding it and then finished it with the wax. I must admit I was pretty surprised at how easy and quick the whole process was! Why had I not done this before?! 

The finished mirror hanging in the hallway

I couldn't wait to get started on the table and chairs. I decided to paint the chairs and table legs cream but keep the table top pine. I had actually seen a table like this that I wanted to save up for! Again I was very happy with the results. 

My 'new' table and chairs

I painted the bookcase cream too and once again it surprised me how quick it was to paint the item. 

The bookcase afterwards

I am thrilled with the results! I certaintly have caught the painting bug. Next on my list is my dresser. Watch this space! 

Have you given furniture a new lease of life with chalk paint? I would love to see pictures if you have. 

Pressing Flowers

When I was a little girl I used to spend hours picking baskets of flowers from the hedgerows during walks in the countryside. I also loved to walk around the garden collecting as many different types of flowers that I could find. Afterwards I would press them between pages of a heavy book or in a flower press. 

Most often these flowers lay forgotten about until one day I would come across them. I would then make cards and pictures for family. 

As I got older, my love for flowers only grew. I love having a garden and house full of flowers. 

I was delighted to discover a pretty wooden flower press from Laura Ashley and promptly ordered myself one. I could not wait for it to arrive! 

It did arrive quickly, so I chose some little flowers to press. You place them between pieces of blotting paper and cardboard and leave the flowers in the press for about a week. Larger flowers will take longer. 

I have a few ideas about what I would like to make with my pressed flowers. I've seen such pretty arrangements that have made a lovely framed picture. 

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.

The Summerhouse

I am not actually sure what to call this little room that joins onto our home. It was built with the property in the 1960's and I guess you could say it was an early type of conservatory made from wood. It reminds me of the summer houses you can get for the garden so that's what I'm calling it!

Words can not describe it!!

Basically it has 3 sides and a roof and was built over the kitchen window and back door. When we first moved in, the walls were damp, roof leaking and the carpet was filthy, thread bare and musty. 

Whilst my husband carried out other jobs, this room became my project and I decided to paint the walls white to make it lighter. I spent ages painting it, ripped up the carpet and put a tile effect floor down. The finished result? Hmmm. It looked nice for about a day! The damp was causing mould to grow. I was horrified. The glass windows were soaking wet every day. I was using my karcher window vac every half an hour! 

The damp was horrifying!

So, I spent many hours on the internet trying to find a solution. I read that vents could be installed to help with condensation and that the walls could be insulated and then covered with plaster board. 

So after much research, my husband re felted the roof and I sprayed dettol onto the wooden walls. Once it had dried out and the mould had disappeared before my eyes I began to paint it cream. I used Cuprinol garden shades in Country Cream. I used this paint on the wooden garden benches last year in the shade Willow and it's fantastic. Lovely to paint with and looks like it was painted yesterday. It's weatherproof for 4 years. I painted the outside of the building in Willow.

Already starting to look much better!

Once the walls were painted cream, I bought voiles in Ivory for the windows and made a window seat using two wooden blanket boxes. I thought that they would be useful for storing wellies in. I added seat pads and cushions to complete the look.

The voiles help to create a softened look and the wooden boxes that make the window seat are useful for storage

Finally, I found an off cut of a wooden effect floor which has finished it off lovely. I solved the wet window problem by using a dehumidifier! It's amazing how much water it collects over night. I love this little room now. It's so bright and clean and such a transformation!

Cushions, baskets and vases help to create a country feel

New wooden effect floor to complete the look

 
 Storage boxes make an ideal window seat 

I really can not get over the transformation! I love sitting on the window seat with a cup of tea looking out into the garden. When the weather is nice and warm I can have the doors wide open but it is also lovely to hear the sound of the rain beating down on the roof. Especially now as since the roof has been refelted it is actually waterproof! 

A Morning in the Kitchen

I do love cooking and baking in my little kitchen! I have an allergy to dairy products so I like to plan my meals in advance and cook in batches so I have some left over for the freezer.

I love this cute egg house my sister gave me. I do think plug sockets are ugly!

There are so many options these days for dairy free products and Pinterest has been a great source for information and inspiration. I do love cheese and always on the look out for dairy free alternatives. Please let me know if you can recommend any!

Here are a few pictures of meals and snacks I've made from the book Deliciously Ella.

Thinking ahead. Meal and snack planning in advance

I love having my equipment close to hand so I keep my food processor, juicer, blender and slow cooker on the kitchen work tops. My food processor is the Magimix mini plus and has been worth every penny. I use it nearly every day and it's fantastic for chopping veg and salad.

Preparing my morning smoothie

My blender was from Next and I make delicious smoothies and soups. I love the range of homeware in Next.

 My slow cooker was Next too and is perfect for meals for 1-2 people. If I'm batch cooking I use my large slow cooker. Ideal for filling the freezer! 

A Smashing Time!

I never liked the frosted window that was between the lounge and the kitchen. I suppose the point was to bring more light into the kitchen but as soon as I saw it, I knew it had to come out!

The frosted window and hardboard door in the lounge

I visualised French windows so I could open both doors in the summer and close them during the colder months. I knew I wanted wooden doors that I could wax or varnish, with obscured glass. 

I spent ages looking at different doors, waiting for offers and finally I ordered 2 lovely wooden ones, just like I pictured. Before my husband could hang them, he needed to take out the frosted window and wooden panel underneath it so we could work on the frame. The frame was painted with white gloss and I wanted to strip it back to the natural pine to match the doors. 

Dog and I were confined to outside whilst my husband put masking tape on the window before literally smashing it to pieces. I was watching through the kitchen window in great satisfaction. Once the glass had been cleared up, we could start stripping the frame back to natural wood. We used a heat gun to peel the many layers of gloss before sanding it. It looked really nice but we had a problem.

After the door and window was taken out

Trouble was, the frame was not built for French windows and we were left with a gaping big hole in the frame work. My husband threw some ideas around before realising that we needed to replace the door lining.

The door lining and frame was too bad to repair

After many visits to DIY stores, we realised we couldn't find a lining wide enough. A neighbour mentioned a local wood yard so we paid them a visit. The man in charge was so helpful and made us a custom lining to fit in the gap. Two days later it was ready for collection. 

My husband had never hung doors before and found videos on the Internet to be very helpful. After much measuring, sawing, plaining he finally hung the doors and fitted the hardware! I lightly sanded any rough edges and coated them with a clear varnish. 

The doors!

Of course, it didn't stop there! I wanted all the doors replaced. I chose another glass panelled door to go inbetween the hall and the lounge and then wooden panelled ones for the rest of the rooms. We're so happy with the result and proud of my husband for hanging them all and replacing all the linings and architrave.

It is so nice to have these doors 

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!