Let's talk home decor and the attitude of plenty

**PrairieRose** · 02-13-2006, 12:50 PM

I was reading somewhere the other day, might have been from a link that a member posted but I can't remember for sure...., about how when you let your home environment go in tough times that you begin to feel that you have less than you actually do. I think that this is also true with home decor and creating a warm, inviting place for your family. With that said, I'm not advocating that those of us on a tight budget go out and BUY lots of new stuff for our homes but I was hoping we could discuss ways to create this warm, homey feeling for little or absolutely no money. When we as homemakers (including all homemakers, sahm and working women and men) feel good about our homes life seems richer. For me, I love to burn a candle and have the house really straightened up and clean. Those 2 things make a huge difference to me.

What makes the most difference for you?

**FrugalMomof3** · 02-13-2006, 02:01 PM

I agree, a clean home or straightened up one makes me feel much better, if I shop for home decor items I check the thrift shops first, most often my mother is giving away some stuff cause she wants to de-clutter and I take them on instead of her throwing them away.

~Tracy~

**Darlene** · 02-13-2006, 03:08 PM

I think our fireplace makes our house a home. Takes alot of work to get the wood ready for it but it's so worth it. The glow and heat just make the house cozy. Nice blanket to curl up with on the sofa looks nice and warms you too.

**thrifty gal** · 02-13-2006, 03:11 PM

I love for my home to be clean, picked up, a candle burning, and warm. When my home is warm and toasty through the winter and I can sit on the couch and read a book, I feel we have plenty.

**KimSecret** · 02-13-2006, 03:22 PM

I got rid of a LOT of things when we remodeled the house. My home has the bare minimin as far as decor, but I still keep my candles

A clean, good smelling home with no clutter is very inviting to me, yet still "homey."

I think some frugal ways to spruce up would be nice big candles, some throw rugs, some warm and toasty throws over the back of the couch or chair.
Magazines or pretty hardback books on a coffee or end table, a pretty bowl of healthy fruit on the dining table, updated or even old pics of family on the wall or end tables.

**canadian gardener** · 02-14-2006, 10:27 AM

Clean, orderly, and with a touch of colour here and there. That speaks luxury and home spa living kind of.

There is a new trend called hotel chic, and it's all about the spare elements and clean lines, and clean countertops, and horizontal spaces in a room combined with simple but good feeling cotton sheets, cotton towels, and clean orderly space.

**homesteadmamma** · 02-14-2006, 10:36 AM

Interesting topic Lisa because I'm really looking at changing the look of my home and all that's in it. I love color so I'd have to say some nice throw rugs, some quilts and flowers. I'm changing my thinking a bit so that I'm not always looking at thrift stores for items I want.

I like candles so I'm going to start buying the best. I might only have one or two, however they will smell nice and be in pretty containers.

I'm changing all my baking ware over to Pampered Chef. I may have to do it a bit at a time, however I love the new cranberry colors they have and want to add color to my kitchen.

I also want to start buying fresh cut flowers again. I did that when I first moved here and loved it. Our florist went out of business, however there is one in the next town over.

For me less is more so I'm looking at every room to see what can be gone and how I can change it to make it have a more homey atmosphere. I think of the Victorian age and although they had way more stuff than I'd ever have, their homes were inviting and warm (at least in my books).

**alabamagirl** · 02-14-2006, 01:24 PM

Great thread idea!

I plan on taking my house room by room when I retire this Spring and doing some fairly expensive decorating.

I plan to start with painting the walls. I also need to do all those little repairs - recaulk in bathrooms, filling in small puncture holes in walls, etc. I'll also refinish my grandmother's old dining room suite she gave me and reupholster the seat cushions.

I'd like to plant cutting flowers to have to set out in the rooms. That, plus keeping everything uber-organized and neat.

I agree a fire going is so cozy. For some reason, I'm paranoid about burning candles and fire! I seldom use them except occasionally at dinner.

I want to find ways to incorporate things my family have given me in the past - afghans, photos, and art that I never have used or put up because they didn't match my color scheme, etc.

I look forward to hearing everyone else's ideas too.

**pkellyc** · 02-14-2006, 01:39 PM

I liked to keep things clean when we had hard times. When I didn’t have money to replace my kitchen floor I would wash it on my hands and knees and wax it to a spotless shine. I rearranged what I did have. Who says my china cabinet has to have china in it? I would put in knick-knacks, glass ware, crystal bowls, depression glass ect.. Mixing and matching whatever I had that looked good together. If I only had one comforter for my bed I would buy a reversible wash it and flip it for the seasons. I would sew slipcovers for my throw pillows taking them on and off as the mood struck me for different looks.
I brought nature in by using big pots of grass that I planted in the winter they looked great on my tables. In the fall a big bowl of apples sat on my table. Pinecones in a basket look great next to the fireplace. Fall leaves preserved with wax paper. A vase of forced blooming forsythia, snipped from the outdoors is a wonderful reminder that spring is here. A scarf used as a table runner or a place mat under a lamp. Candles are always nice. If you don't have money to buy new, melt down your stubs and make tin can types. Balls of soap made from slivers for the bathroom. What we lacked in money we made up for in creativity and effort.
I made custom draperies for a living for about 8 years and have been in many beautiful decorator homes. But the homes I liked the best were not always the most expensive. I just think that everyones home should be personal, comfortable and individual to that persons taste.

**alabamagirl** · 02-14-2006, 02:44 PM

Great ideas!

ummmm..... my earlier post should have read I am doing INEXPENSIVE decorating - not expensive!

**PrairieRose** · 02-15-2006, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by alabamagirl
Great ideas!

ummmm..... my earlier post should have read I am doing INEXPENSIVE decorating - not expensive!

I understand...you just washed that keyboard and can't do a thing with it! Happens to me all the time.

If you don't care for burning candles and love the smells of them...you can always get a nice candle and a candle warmer. It's "almost" the same thing and it lasts a very long time (the candle does) that way.

**midwestgal** · 03-02-2006, 07:49 PM

I love to look at catalogs from the "Pottery Barn, Renovation Hardware, Ikea, or Crate and Barrel." No, I don't do this to order something, but to get ideas for decorating. It seems that sometimes a person could spend a fortune on furnishings but still not have the right decorating touch. For example, in a recent Pottery Barn catalog, they had an antique green Ball canning jar (with lid) filled with seashells sitting on an end table with a simple lamp and books. In another photo, they had another Ball jar filled with marbles on a library shelf. So now I'm going to be on the look-out for jars like this at estate or garage sales. I also see a lot of uses for baskets in these catalogs to corral toys, towels, bath items etc. Baskets always show up at the thrift stores or at garage sales. I guess my point is that sometimes it is those special little touches that don't even cost much that make a room really cozy.

**McD** · 03-02-2006, 09:06 PM

Some of the small things I've done around my apartment are using baskets to store bath towels, and I have a basket sitting on top of my bathroom counter filled with mine and dh's toiletries etc. We have a few candles sitting around, but we go for quality, not quantity and we use Yankee Candles. Something that worked for us in our kitchen was to sit out a few cookie jars that match our dishes, but use them to hold utensils, etc. It kind of holds the room together and is functional.

**miss_thrifty** · 03-29-2006, 02:50 PM

Well i find that as long as everything is tidy and and once a week decluttering starting from top to bottom with the kids (usuallt saturdays). This made me feel that even though i didint have new things always around me, i would have clean house and time with kids .
I usually got second hand leftovers wreaths, cut them in two, glue on some cheap fake floweres and dried out stuff me and the kids found outside, painted some of them gold or white with small paint brush. Its miraculous what little things in the spring with little money make u feel sooo good.
Sometimes i get mix match sheet sets from inlaws ans make new pillow cases, table cloths, bakings to new comforters to cheer up certain rooms.
Just having a cup of tea and the end of the day, when the kids are all gone to bed, time by myself, watching tv or and old vcr movie usually mushy stuff, makes u feel nothing during that week or day isnt that bad.