or that Aunt Mae gave you? Or the piece of lace you saved from your great grandmother’s wedding gown? Re-framing memories will mean much more to you and your loved ones than a print you bought at the framing shop.

Don’t limit yourself to just searching inside your house. Some of the most interesting pieces might be residing in your garden or shed. An old bench, a rusted aged iron gate can be worked into your d?cor with a little imagi

People often look at a limited budget as a handicap when it comes to designing your space. After all, if we have an unlimited amount of funds, we can be creative and get exactly the look we want. Right? Not necessarily.

Although money gives you freedom, it often times makes it more difficult to narrow our choices. Instead, we end up with a room full of pieces that just don’t work together. And worse yet, the room lacks personality and creativity because we’ve purchased everything all at once.

The premise then is to force yourself to work within parameters, even if you don’t have to. Give yourself a budget. Tell yourself you can only replace one or two pieces instead of the entire living room. Try and make do with what you already have and see what happens. Supplies of new furniture aren’t drying up tomorrow; you can always go out and buy everything you need so relax and take the challenge.

To get started, focus on one area where you want or need a new look. Pull everything out if you can and look at the room like you did when you first moved in. Have no preconceived notions about where items have always been; purposely place your furniture in a different place than where it was before.

Walk around your house. Are there any items you can borrow from another room that will work? It doesn’t cost a dime to try. Bring in pictures, chests, chairs from other areas. What if you put a color or texture on the wall? Would pieces look better or worse? How about the window coverings? Can you add shades or top treatments to achieve the look you want, or do you need to start from scratch?

Think how you can personalize your space. Are there unframed prints hiding in the closet from your last trip to Hawaii? How about that watercolor that Aunt Mae gave you? Or the piece of lace you saved from your great grandmother’s wedding gown? Re-framing memories will mean much more to you and your loved ones than a print you bought at the framing shop.

Don’t limit yourself to just searching inside your house. Some of the most interesting pieces might be residing in your garden or shed. An old bench, a rusted aged iron gate can be worked into your d?cor with a little imagin

ativity because we’ve purchased everything all at once.

The premise then is to force yourself to work within parameters, even if you don’t have to. Give yourself a budget. Tell yourself you can only replace one or two pieces instead of the entire living room. Try and make do with what you already have and see what happens. Supplies of new furniture aren’t drying up tomorrow; you can always go out and buy everything you need so relax and take the challenge.

To get started, focus on one area where you want or need a new look. Pull everything out if you can and look at the room like you did when you first moved in. Have no preconceived notions about where items have always been; purposely place your furniture in a different place than where it was before.

Walk around your house. Are there any items you can borrow from another room that will work? It doesn’t cost a dime to try. Bring in pictures, chests, chairs from other areas. What if you put a color or texture on the wall? Would pieces look better or worse? How about the window coverings? Can you add shades or top treatments to achieve the look you want, or do you need to start from scratch?

Think how you can personalize your space. Are there unframed prints hiding in the closet from your last trip to Hawaii? How about that watercolor that Aunt Mae gave you? Or the piece of lace you saved from your great grandmother’s wedding gown? Re-framing memories will mean much more to you and your loved ones than a print you bought at the framing shop.

Don’t limit yourself to just searching inside your house. Some of the most interesting pieces might be residing in your garden or shed. An old bench, a rusted aged iron gate can be worked into your d?cor with a little imagi

e the challenge.

To get started, focus on one area where you want or need a new look. Pull everything out if you can and look at the room like you did when you first moved in. Have no preconceived notions about where items have always been; purposely place your furniture in a different place than where it was before.

Walk around your house. Are there any items you can borrow from another room that will work? It doesn’t cost a dime to try. Bring in pictures, chests, chairs from other areas. What if you put a color or texture on the wall? Would pieces look better or worse? How about the window coverings? Can you add shades or top treatments to achieve the look you want, or do you need to start from scratch?

Think how you can personalize your space. Are there unframed prints hiding in the closet from your last trip to Hawaii? How about that watercolor that Aunt Mae gave you? Or the piece of lace you saved from your great grandmother’s wedding gown? Re-framing memories will mean much more to you and your loved ones than a print you bought at the framing shop.

Don’t limit yourself to just searching inside your house. Some of the most interesting pieces might be residing in your garden or shed. An old bench, a rusted aged iron gate can be worked into your d?cor with a little imagi

st a dime to try. Bring in pictures, chests, chairs from other areas. What if you put a color or texture on the wall? Would pieces look better or worse? How about the window coverings? Can you add shades or top treatments to achieve the look you want, or do you need to start from scratch?

Think how you can personalize your space. Are there unframed prints hiding in the closet from your last trip to Hawaii? How about that watercolor that Aunt Mae gave you? Or the piece of lace you saved from your great grandmother’s wedding gown? Re-framing memories will mean much more to you and your loved ones than a print you bought at the framing shop.

Don’t limit yourself to just searching inside your house. Some of the most interesting pieces might be residing in your garden or shed. An old bench, a rusted aged iron gate can be worked into your d?cor with a little imagi

or that Aunt Mae gave you? Or the piece of lace you saved from your great grandmother’s wedding gown? Re-framing memories will mean much more to you and your loved ones than a print you bought at the framing shop.

Don’t limit yourself to just searching inside your house. Some of the most interesting pieces might be residing in your garden or shed. An old bench, a rusted aged iron gate can be worked into your d?cor with a little imagination. Pieces can be stripped, painted, aged or taken apart to get the look you want. All that’s required is a little resourcefulness.

After you’ve assembled the pieces you can work with, visit a few antique shops, used furniture stores, used building supply, thrift stores and flea markets. Take your time and enjoy the process; you never know what you’ll find. Your first trip out may only result in an accessory or two, but it’s a start. On the other hand, you might get lucky and find “the piece” that makes the room. Or maybe you don’t find a thing you can use, but you get inspired to go in a different design direction altogether.

Visiting new furniture stores and garden shops is acceptable; just make it your last resort. Acquiring pieces from a multitude of sources makes for a much more interesting mix, especially if you’re after an eclectic or old world look. Even new furniture that has an aged look doesn’t give you the warmth of an old piece. Besides, exploring your options is fun and you never know when you’ll walk away with a treasure or a great design idea.

Wherever your inspiration comes from doesn’t matter. Nor is how much you spend important. A hundred or a hundred thousand isn’t the point; creating a space that you love and want to spend time in, is. So maximize your efforts and your creativity, and give yourself a challenge to create something that is uniquely you!