ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Zero Cash D.I.Y. Awesome Interiors. Easy and Free! Anyone can do it!

Updated on June 3, 2020
Michael Nathan PhD profile image

Michael Nathan, Ph.D,. is an avant-garde Registered Architect and Interior Designer, in private practice. Professor and Amazon author.

Catchy title? Yes. Feasible? Oh yes! Now that I grabbed your attention, let’s see how it’s done. Specifically, how to approach interior design long-term and follow a strategic master plan. In order to be able to remake, refresh or remodel your own interiors, frequently, easily and free.

If you blindly follow interior design fads, which change every couple of years or so, you’ll definitely need the energy to constantly redo your space, time, as well as cash; plenty of cash to be exact. Simply because remaking, refreshing or remodeling your interiors, often, isn’t cheap. However, there’s good news for all of us who are sensible, and have a confident attitude when it comes to interiors (Believe it or not, some folks, need to constantly change their interiors as they’re insecure and feel compelled to assert their identity somehow…).

Rules and Tips

So, here we go. The conditions under which we can change relatively often our interiors, without spending a penny are the following:

  1. Conceive your home in its totality. Think of all the spaces (Living room or Great Room, Dining Room, Bedrooms, etc.).
  2. Whenever you buy accessories, choose items that can fit in multiple rooms of your home. Carpets, Persian rugs, mirrors, table lamps, floor lamps, picture frames, throw pillows, prints, paintings, screens, sculptural pieces, bibelot, etc., chosen should be versatile or multi-functional. Items should be selected based on whether these can be possibly rotated from room to room. This doesn’t imply neutrality or boredom. This requires both judgement and experience which will be gained in time.
  3. The same approach or philosophy applies to furniture. For example, a Bedroom night stand may serve as a Living Room side table. An armchair can easily serve its purpose and fit in different rooms. A free standing tripartite screen can be transported from the Great Room to the Bedroom, for more privacy. A simple wood stool without a back may also serve as a Bedroom night stand (“Π shaped” are the most versatile). You get an idea.
  4. When deciding to change your interior, it can be done by moving, eliminating or reorienting a couple of pieces, or many more; affecting the function and perception of the space. Are you going to just “play” with accessories or with furniture as well? Your decision may affect the mood or atmosphere of the whole space. For example, study closely the photograph. The corner depicted is in a Bedroom, however, the specific composition can easily fit and function in a Living Room. The constituent parts are an armchair in grey (a neutral color), a Persian (Ardabil) rug and a wood screen.
  5. Talking about “mood” or “atmosphere”, lighting should also be mentioned. No other move alone will influence the perception of your space at night so profoundly. Lighting can render a space soft, bright (even harsh if you overdo it), sensual, calming or dramatic. Prefer dimmers instead of ordinary light switches, so you can adjust the light level according to the function or the mood desired.
  6. Even a simple act of grouping prints or photographs you have on different walls into a single composition or “picture wall”, can have an interesting effect on your interior space. Keeping this in mind, try buying similar frames so you may possibly do this down the road.
  7. Should you have spare fabric, you can easily reupholster a simple chair yourself. There are plenty of simple videos to guide you (Note, if you had a chair reupholstered, ask the upholsterer to give you spare fabric to keep; you never know, you may need it).
  8. Last but not least, don’t ever buy a piece that’s bizarre or characteristic of a specific era, because you’re limiting your future options. Buying popular or common pieces that everyone else has, negates your individuality. Instead, do choose pieces that are unique or rare but also inexpensive. Prefer pieces that are timeless (Let’s clarify this: Not conservative or classical).

The Strategic Plan – Final Words

The idea is to spend the money once, in order to buy furniture and accessories that can be easily kept or reused for more than twenty years. Don’t let magazines, bloggers or friends dictate your own taste. In most cases, you know best. Think what suits you and your lifestyle best and proceed accordingly. Abiding by the above simple, logical rules, not only do you avoid impulsive buying that may cram a space but you may be happier as well with the result. And of course save money. So there you have it: This is how to proceed on a strategy and a master plan, approach your interiors D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself), and spend absolutely no money. Plain and simple.

Enjoy!

Michael Nathan, Ph.D. – Registered Architect and Professional Interior Designer


Versatile Corner Composition.

An armchair, a Persian (Ardabil) rug and a wood screen, forming a corner composition.
An armchair, a Persian (Ardabil) rug and a wood screen, forming a corner composition.

Accessories

Contemporary Marble Bibelot.
Contemporary Marble Bibelot.

© 2020 Michael Nathan PhD

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)