When you want to revamp your home on a tight budget  you may be wondering what to do. We all feel like a fresh start at the beginning of a new year and one sure method is to revamp your environment. It’s a more profound change than a new outfit and certainly lasts much longer than most resolutions! Unfortunately just at the time you’d most like to shake things up, the piggy bank is usually rather roomy after the revelling and generosity that go hand in hand with the silly season. Hopes are high and budgets are low. The good news is you don’t need to spend a fortune to get more out of your home’s interiors.

One effective trick to revamp your home is to create a sense of scale by using the full width and height of your rooms. You can highlight dimensions by leaning prints on high cabinets, building multiple book stacks high or using an oversized pendent.

Image reference    

Don’t relegate your beautiful pot plants to the floor-level. Elevate them by mounting them on surfaces to add height and make your greenery feel more opulent Use a mantle, buffet, picture rail, or bookshelf to create vignettes. All it takes is a themed collection of complementary items.

Image reference

Image reference

These arrangements of loved objects can be grouped according to colour, style or theme, and will present a striking feature. What may have been disparate objects in assorted locations around the house suddenly build a feature that will create a definite visual impact.

Image reference

Gallery walls are another example of bringing together existing items to make a dramatic impact. In most cases, we’ve all accumulated plenty of inspiring visuals although you may want to add a signature piece. It may simply be a matter of framing and arrangement to create a striking effect. Don’t be afraid to combine an eclectic collection and range of sizes. In many cases, even the most diverse images work together. From family photos to illustration, there are no hard and fast rules. The only consideration is your space’s style. Does your room suit more textured, subtle finishes or does your contemporary space need a high gloss print?

Image reference

Image reference

We’ve all done a spring clean and rearranged the existing furniture in a room, but why not break free from your traditional perception of where furniture should be placed? A quick swap can mix things up and give your space a new lease on life. Make your hall table a dresser, bring the spare chairs from the dining room into the bedroom for bedsides, or move the bookcases into the dining room from the study to give an opulent and cosy feel. Completely swap bedrooms, taking the colour palette from one room to another. You’ll be amazed by the difference.

Image reference

Image reference

A little spending on paint can go a long way. From flourishes and finesse, like painting parts of furniture and insides of bookshelves, to highlighting a key architectural feature, don’t feel limited to the classic idea of repainting a room. If you decide to take the plunge, consider changing atmosphere from airy to moody or vice versa. And of course, why focus on the walls? Perhaps a new colour and finish for the floor could reinvent the space.

Image reference

Image reference

Adding greenery not only provides more colour and fresh scents to a room; a space with well selected and arranged plants always provides a greater sense of wellbeing. Scale, colours, shape…there’s so much plants can offer.

Image reference

It may not be the time for more significant investments like new furniture, but it doesn’t take much to revamp your soft furnishings. Pillows and cushions can often be the most vibrant items in a room while the addition or removal of rug may change a room’s personality completely.

Image reference

Image reference

Image reference

Garnish, rearrange, re-colour, reinvent! A new look for a new year may be right in front of you. Time to open your mind to possibilities without opening your wallet. Want your home to have a fresh vibe for the New Year but money and time is thin? Here are some great simple changes you can make to feel a sense of new.

Designbx |  “7 quick ways to revamp your home on a budget”  | designbx.com

The post 7 quick ways to revamp your home on a budget appeared first on Designbx.

The cool bedrooms of famous monarchs are well within reach. To turn your drab bedroom into a boudoir starts with the essentials—those images that come to mind when you remember period pieces or the art of antiquity: the majestic four-poster with a large, extravagant bedhead that adds scale.

Image reference

Peach and plump!

Image reference

Buttons, studs, leather, mirror, this is pure Luxe!

Image reference

Come on folks; we’re spoiling ourselves here, so let’s do it properly. Can you ever have enough cushions? That’s a trick question of course. No self-respecting member of the nobility would settle for less than a small mountain of them, filled to excess with feathers.

Image reference

Image reference

Image reference

Cool bedrooms include layers of breathable bed linen. From the interior design styles of Coastal to Luxe, there’s a wonderfully excessive boudoir to fit most styles. The softness of Coastal is an obvious way to guarantee comfort (cotton, hemp and bamboo) while Luxe fabrics for cushions, bedheads, ottomans and window treatments offer a truly stately appeal.

Why not mix and match your linens to create depth…

Image reference

Image reference

In all cases, start by being bold, and that includes artwork, with special attention to frames. Similarly, the use of ornately framed mirrors helps to enlarge the space. As you decorate, treat each item like art, including a signature item of furniture—perhaps a large, luxurious armchair in a corner.

Bold in size and colour

In stark contrast, colour is the one factor that requires a more subdued approach. Make your bold statements with pattern, texture and scale instead. While classic boudoirs were lavish, they were not loud. Remember that this is a space where you need to truly feel relaxed. Lighting is crucial. Like your choices of colour, avoid anything that has a jarring or abrasive effect. Stylish pendent lights are an effective way of adding a Luxe interior design feel.

Image reference

Image reference

Organise the bits and bobs of your vanity area in crystal boxes and place creams in glass bottles. Along with Lucite make-up organisers, these garnishes add opulence while removing clutter. Having pampered your senses of touch and sight, don’t forget to add the right scents.

Flowers ignite the senses

Image reference

Image reference

Image reference

Fresh flowers provide the final touch, and give your boudoir a unique and changeable flourish that makes your bedroom feel like a hotel get-away. Why escape when you can spoil yourself at home?

The post Cool bedrooms: From Bedroom to Boudoirs appeared first on Designbx.

Pendant lights are an elegant way to achieve an enjoyable decorative experience. This lighting should be the focal point and fit properly into the space in terms of shape, size and style. Pendant lights come in a wide variety of designs, elegantly hanging above a kitchen table or taking center stage in the dining room. Check out our favourite samples and some useful tips for you.

Kitchen

Pendants in the kitchen area are mood-setters. Consider a pendant with a light diffuser, or use semi-opaque bulbs. Pendants should hang 12-20 inches below an 8-foot ceiling. For each additional foot of ceiling height, add 3 inches. For example, for a 9-foot ceiling, the pendant should hang 15-23 inches below. Pendants should be hung over work surfaces at a height that doesn’t block views across the kitchen.

Image reference

Image reference

Dining Room

A dining room pendant lighting gives atmosphere. The light should flatter the décor and make the best of it. It will take center stage and it must be updated and beautiful. It’s the perfect opportunity be bold and dare with colour and shape.

Image reference

Image reference

Image reference

Image reference

Image reference

Living Room

Pendant lights can make a room feel cozy, romantic or energetic with the twist or hit of a switch. The main light, should be set in such a way as not to create too much shadow. Use more than one pendant to divide the light and enhance a pleasant atmosphere.

Image reference

Image reference

Home office

With more and more people opting to work from home nowadays, there are a few integral things to consider when creating the layout – including your pendant lighting options. Hung from the ceiling, they can provide light just where you want it: on the desk and your paperwork, not on your screen.

Image reference

Image reference

30th October 2015 | The Designbx Team | Interiors- Pendant Perfection

The post Home lighting: Pendant Perfection appeared first on Designbx.