Appreciate what you have. We can all daydream about our ideal kitchens (mine would include a fireplace and French doors to a private garden), but there is something to be said for accepting and enjoying things as they are. If you find yourself thinking negatively about your own kitchen, make a point of stopping and naming three things about it that you love.
Make liberal use of fresh flowers and potted herbs. There is no room I can think of that can't be improved by the addition of freshly cut flowers and living plants. Make a weekly habit of picking up a bouquet or going out to the garden to cut flowers. Keep costs down by dividing a single market bouquet into one main arrangement plus a number of smaller ones in bud vases.
Have breakfast (or at least coffee) in bed. If breakfast in bed sounds unrealistic, set yourself up for success by planning to have coffee in bed instead. Set up a tray the night before with your favorite coffee cup, a napkin and a bud vase. In the morning, bring the tray and a carafe of coffee and hurry back to bed
Make DIY art. Have lovely handwriting? Pick up a prepared canvas and supplies at your local art store, and get painting! A simple repeated phrase, like the "I love you" shown here, would work well as a DIY project. Be sure to write out the text in pencil first, then paint over it to avoid mistakes — or use letter stencils instead.
A big gesture like a wooden barn door adds a country touch.
Let in the light. Bathed in natural light and with quilts and long sofas, this space is inviting.
The blues and greens added to this simple kitchen create a deliberate and intimate kitchen without overpowering. The key is light, breezy, and subtle.
The textured white throughout provides a quiet but fascinating canvas for the touches of cool blues and greens within this area.
Rustic Tennessee potting shed. Houzzers loved the dreamy, rustic feel of this potting shed. It's set amid rural woods, and recycled wood pallet walls give the space the worn-in look and feel of a barn.
Jazz up case goods with new hardware. Give an old sideboard or hutch a minifacelift by changing up the knobs and pulls. Tip: If you have leftover wall paint, consider painting a freestanding shelf or a china cabinet the same color to give it a built-in look.
Roll in a bar cart. Expand serving and storage space without spending major cash. Bar carts are the ultimate multitaskers — they morph from party buffet to cocktail station to decorative display without breaking a sweat.
Set your space aglow with candlelight. Candles make even the humblest space look elegant, and they cost next to nothing. Fashion a set of hurricanes out of everyday jars or vessels, with pillar candles embedded in sand, rock salt, pebbles or another fire-safe material.
Swap out chair fabric. If your chairs have upholstered seats that are screwed into the frames (check the bottoms to see), it's a snap to cover them with new fabric.
Install an eye-catching light fixture. Old-school chandelier not doing it for you? Replace it with a showy model that won't stress your bank account. The Ikea Maskros Pendant Light in this dining room became a classic almost as soon as it hit the U.S. market, but also check out more options, next
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Spice up plain china with colorful accents. If you're bored with your wedding china or the basic white dishware you bought in your salad days, there's no need to box it up and start from scratch. Layer in plates, cups, goblets and other pieces in bold, fun colors to give the old standbys a new spin. Here, sprightly majolica updates a group of simple serving pieces
The opposite end of the space features a compact pedestal sink and mirror-mounted sconces that free up wall area. A serene white-on-white palette helps the room to feel more expansive.
Large scale can work in wee spaces, as this bath demonstrates. Instead of installing a shower only, the homeowner took a more confident tack: squeezing in a freestanding tub that enhances the room's cottage overtones. The tall, narrow window elongates the wall visually and makes the ceiling appear higher.
Don't forget the wastebasket. It's not the most glamorous element, but you've gotta have one. The good news: There are so many attractive options nowadays that there's no reason to settle for a utilitarian model.
Add an eye-catching mirror. The right mirror can turn an everyday bath into a showplace. It's a major element of the decor, so pick one that sets the tone you're after.
Enhance curb appeal with key details. Have you noticed a theme? Embrace the details. They are the budget decorator's best friend. When it comes to curb appeal, try painting (rather than replacing) the front door, freshening up trim (rather than painting the whole house) and adding potted flowers, new house numbers, and fresh chair or bench cushions.
Save on window coverings. Surprisingly, drapes and blinds can add up to be one of the most expensive purchases in decorating your home. If you need to cover lots of windows, save your pennies by choosing off-the-rack curtains (hem them yourself) and simple matchstick blinds.
Upgrade outdated light fixtures. Many can be found for well under $200, and the difference that beautiful lighting makes in a home is immense. Go for simple shapes and useful details, like a diffuser covering the bottom of a pendant light (as in the one from West Elm shown here), which shades your eyes from the bare bulb when you're seated underneath.
Do swap out kitchen and bath faucets. Sleek new faucets can upgrade the entire room, and big-box stores often have great-looking options at a low cost.
Paint or refinish cabinets rather than replace them. Kitchen cabinetry is one of the biggest-ticket items in a kitchen remodel, so unless your current cabinets are completely beyond repair, make do and mend them. You can't go wrong with black or white, and new knobs and bin pulls will give the cabinets a completely different look for a few extra bucks.
Think about functionality first. Fancy appliance upgrades can wait if what you have works. Focus your budget on essential big-ticket projects as needed, and after that on beautifying projects that will give you the most bang for your buck.
White quilts. Vintage creamy white quilts and coverlets have a fresh, homespun feel that can fit in anywhere, from the most modern space to a home more rustic and cozier. Vintage textiles tend to be delicate, so clean them gently.
Wallpaper scraps. If you find a partially used roll of wallpaper with a pattern you love, snap it up! Just because it's not enough to paper an entire wall doesn't mean you can't still have fun with it — paper the back of a cupboard or bookcase, line your stair risers or cover the drawer fronts of an old dresser.
Picture frames. Old picture frames with good shapes and details can be easily repainted to match whatever scheme you wish. No glass in the frame? Use it to frame a corkboard instead or hang it on the wall and tape a picture in the middle for a fun, eclectic look.
Salvaged windows. Beautifully shaped windows can make a magnificent statement simply leaned against the wall atop a dresser or console table.
Old suitcases. Use nice old hard cases to store linens, children's books or dress-up clothes; stack them up and use them as a side table; or just pile them up in the corner as a decorative accent.
Cozy rustic. Raw, unfinished wood is key to this look, but you don't need to splurge on a big piece to make it work. Use a plain wood slice (find it in a crafts store) as a tray to hold bedside necessities, repurpose a wood stump as a table or bring in a few rustic wooden boxes as bedroom storage. Create warmth with cozy patchwork quilts, wool blankets
minimalism is having what you love, but not a bit more than you can maintain. How that looks in your home may differ from how it looks in mine. It comes down to creating the home you long for. Life, like art, is all about removing and editing to make room for what you truly want and need.
Q