Decorating on a budget

BY KATHY HAGOOD
FOR FLORIDA TODAY

            It starts with a small, dissatisfied feeling that continues to grow.

            The combination of furniture, artwork and accessories that used to please no longer does so. The surroundings seem stale.

            It’s time for a change, but who wants to spend the money redecorating?

            Fortunately creating a new look doesn’t have to be expensive. What homeowners lack in dollars, they can make up in creativity or good direction.

            A brand new décor scheme can be developed from what’s already in the home or with the strategic addition of just a few new pieces, according to area design professionals.

“You’ll be amazed what you can come up with if you let your imagination go wild and see the contents of your home with a fresh eye,” said Wendy LaPinta, owner of Beautyberries Fine Interiors on Merritt Island.

While homeowners with an artistic flair and the ability to think outside the box may be able to work magic by following a few tips, others will benefit from hiring an interior designer or decorator for a few hours of consultation.

“Even if you can only afford to hire an experienced professional for just one hour to look at your home and make suggestions, you’ll be amazed at how helpful the advice will be,” noted Roberta LeMoine, ASID, owner and principal interior designer at The Design Studio in Indian Harbour Beach.

Of course homeowners may also opt for more assistance if their budget allows.

            Mary Ann Balthaser, for example, wanted to freshen up her and her huband’s Rockledge home, but didn’t want to break the bank doing so. Because she’d heard LaPinta could work wonders with a home’s contents, Balthaser gave LaPinta a call.

            “Howard and I lived in the home for 27 years and raised two children there. It was really cluttered and I was tired of looking at it,” Mary Ann said.

            LaPinta spent three hours in Mary Ann’s home helping her reinvent the décor of three rooms, the living, dining and family rooms, while Mary Ann’s husband was at work.

            After looking over the contents of the home and beginning to come up with some ideas for a new arrangement of the contents, LaPinta and Mary Ann moved all the furnishings, accessories and artwork out of the three rooms.

            “By taking everything out, you’re starting with a blank slate,” LaPinta said.

            Having empty rooms is also the perfect opportunity for painting. Painting walls in a fresh color, whether a light neutral, pleasant pastel or deep jewel tone, is another low-cost way to add impact, LeMoine said.

            LeMoine recommends homeowners on a budget purchase a mid-grade paint that’s both long lasting and easy to clean. Low-grade paints typically require more coats for coverage and tend to be a false economy.

            The Balthasers had their walls freshened up with ivory paint.

While LaPinta and Mary Ann were redecorating, LaPinta helped her sort contents into what had to go, what needed to stay and what might be stored. Mary Ann had a number of collectibles she boxed up.

“Most of us have too many things in our home that we’ve collected over the years and it’s visually overwhelming. We need more open space in our décor,” LaPinta said.

Paring down the contents of the home is the easiest way to make a dramatic difference in visual impact, she said. Just thumb through any glossy interior design magazine to note how wall and floor space is used to frame furnishings.

After the contents were sorted LaPinta and Mary Ann brought selected pieces of furniture back in, often shifting them to new locations LaPinta recommended. Accessories were then added and were sometimes given new uses.

“Because this is my profession, I could quickly look at the pieces and visualize the best place for them. Homeowners with less certainty of their vision can try pieces here and there to see what looks best to them,” LaPinta said.

LaPinta laid out the Balthaser’s artwork on the floor to test out groupings before the artwork was hung. Hanging the pieces was one of the projects LePinta left for the Balthasers.

After just three hours of LaPinta’s time, the Balthauser home was transformed from the mundane to the magnificent.

Still LaPinta and Mary Ann wondered what Howard would think.

“He’s an engineer and he doesn’t like change, so I was a little worried,” she said.

But when Howard walked in, he was immediately impressed by what they’d done.  He spent a long time going from room to room noticing what had been changed to create a more attractive and comfortable look.

“I was really, really pleased,” he said.

The Balthasers continue to enjoy the home’s new look and their visitors often comment on their décor.

“If I had known what could be done with what we already had, I would have had this done years ago,” Mary Ann said.

While the Balthasers were lucky enough not to need to buy anything to create a new look, sometimes one or more purchases may be necessary. That’s when strategic thinking is important, especially if you want to save money, LeMoine said.

Having a plan keeps homeowners from buying items that are not in keeping with the look they are trying to create. Also, settling for an item because it’s a deal can be expensive in the long run.

“If you buy something for $75 and then replace it with something else that’s $75, when you were really in love with a $110 accessory in the first place, you aren’t helping yourself,” LeMoine said.

Rather than shopping for price, it’s best to shop for value.

 “You should always buy the best quality you can afford at the time,” LeMoine said.

An exception is for items, such as children’s bedding, that will soon be changed out.

Another false economy is taking on a do-it-yourself project you’re not truly capable of finishing correctly, LeMoine said. Details that make a job look finished add value to a home improvement project, especially for such things as tile and woodwork.

A good compromise is to do the less critical parts of the job, leaving the trickier parts to the skilled craftsperson.

Another money saver is to take on redecorating projects in stages, strategically adding new pieces over time.

“Most people, even those with higher incomes, don’t usually redecorate their house all at once,” she said. “It’s just too expensive to do that.”