How to start remodeling and redesigning your beloved place without feeling that you’re spending a lot of money or exceeding your budget?
Here are 5 interior design tips that will keep you in your budget:
1. Make lists
Order and in-advance organization save a lot of time and money, and this is why.
Create your first list, an Excel table with your predefined budget. Take a paper and a pen, and think carefully how much money you really have and how much you are willing to spend. When you have a number – take 20% off and start planning. Why 20%? Later, when you start your shop tour, your eyes will open to new things, and new items will be added, or expensive ones will be purchased without being noticed.
After you defined your budget (minus 20%), you move on to the next list, which is actually a grocery list – what do you already have and what do you need to purchase.
- Which furniture/accessories/materials you already have and what is missing.
- Do you want to replace the whole living room set or only the couch? Do you like the couch and you only want nice cushions or some accessories? Maybe all you need is adding a lovely curtain that will make you feel more cozy in the same space?
- Think "Interior Design": What bothers you, what is the most significant item that when you alter it – the space will look new and designed. Do you want to renovate, break the walls or rearrange the inner plan of the space? Think of convenience, practicality, profit and loss – what is going to happen if you move stuff around.
- The third list is a list of your favorite shops (including online shops) and some inspiring Pinterest images.
2. Moving from writing to performing
After you know how much money you actually have, what you need to change and what is your desired final look & feel, you can move to the practical phase.
3. Item Picking
Pick several items that you don't want to forgo, such as professional contractor, your dream kitchen manufacturer or a perfect couch you noticed on a website. These will be your "ironclad decisions" – the ones that you're not willing to compromise.
As for the rest of your decisions – sometimes you may need to compromise or find creative ways of achieving the same result with reduced cost. For instance: instead of a brick wall you can use a cool wallpaper; instead of a costly bed you can purchase a clean and delicate wood bed and supplement it with unique bedside tables and interesting light fixtures.
4. Enjoy the process
Don't exhaust yourself with a 100-shop tour! It's confusing, repetitive, grueling and wastes your precious time. If you've got specific items on your mind, it is most likely that eventually you'll go back to those specific items, no matter how many shops you visit on your journey.
5. Trust your gut
If you like an item and you are confident that this item is the most suitable one for you – buy it. Don't consult too much. If you need reinforcements from others, it might be a sign that you need professional assistance.
If you cope with the challenge by yourself, keep in mind that accurate and proper lists solve many problems.
If you want to save money in the long run, take a professional to escort you in the process. An interior designer knows how to correctly build priorities that will last for a long time. Remember that if you buy an apartment or thoroughly renovate, the designer's costs are only a fraction of your general expenses.
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