Cheap and Modern Decorating

Decorating your home does not have to cost a fortune. It can be fairly inexpensive (as I have stated in a previous article - HERE). All you need is a good eye for detail and a willingness to take chances. Modern, or contemporary, decorating is often thought of as clean, crisp lines. The furnishings and accessories are often geometric and interesting to look at. A modern decorating style combines glass, chrome and wood for an overall great look. This style usually has less and uses open spaces as more of a decorating element.

To decorate in a cheap modern style you start with unique and unusual furnishings

• Choose light colored wood
• Look for eye catching designs
• Clean lines do not always mean straight lines
• Furniture placement is designed to create an intimate seating area
• Curved chairs or round tables or platform beds
• Vintage furnishings represent ties to the past and appreciation of form
• Putting an antique vase on a glass table can express the timelessness of design

Many items you can find at a flea market or thrift store. Purchasing these items at a lower price and repainting them or fixing them on your own is a lot cheaper then buying them at a large chain furniture store.

Next think of your color palette

• Colors need to be primarily neutral
• White is most often associated with modern decorating
• White walls open up and brighten rooms
• Cream and beige
• Add bold splashes of secondary colors with cushions, pillows, shades, rugs, vases, etc. to add a punch to the neutral tones
• Keep secondary colors to a minimum

To get cheap paint, go to your local hardware store that sells paint (Home Depot, Lowes, Sherwin Williams, etc) and see if they have any miss-mixed paints. These normally run a lot cheaper then the regular paints will.

Use Simplicity

• Rooms should feel uncluttered
• Accessories and artwork are used sparingly to accentuate each piece
• Use functionality
• Rooms should have items they need and can be easy to reach
• Kitchen should be functional and include a toaster, coffeepot and other important appliances
• Keep cabinets free of unnecessary items

Because you want your rooms to feel uncluttered there is no need to fill every shelf to it's max or make sure every table is covered with something. With modern decorating, remember, less is more.

Enhancing your decor and the mood of your room

• Choose rugs with geometric patterns and shapes that blend well
• Wooden floors
• Stone tiles
• Granite or slate counter tops

Instead of changing out the whole room, try to just change out a few little things such as rugs. In old houses you might be able to tear up the carpet and have an incredible real wood floor underneath that just needs a little refinishing. This would save a ton on laying new flooring.

Using Artwork

• Exhibit striking shapes or forms
• Use spotlights for visual impact
• Use frames that have straight bold lines that accentuate the picture

I like to have my kids draw pictures for me using bold colors and I hang them in the house using bold black frames. This always brings out the shapes and colors of their pictures a lot more. At my mom's house, she uses the spotlights on her Terry Redlin paintings.

Finishes

• Sleek, smooth and polished
• Chrome and stainless steel are common accents on furniture and in the kitchen
• Lacquered finish on kitchen cabinetry

Almost all appliances and hardware for sinks come in modern types. Stainless Steel is a huge hit in our kitchen with accents of dark copper hardware for the sinks and lighting.

Architecture

• Geometry and angular shapes – when light comes in the windows it creates an artistic statement and calls attention to the interior of the home