UGH! My whole house needs a make-over

[mom2boys]

The kitchen needs to be repainted/wallpapered & new flooring. Living room needs painting. Family room & living room need new sofas - at a minimum. Went to Ethan Allan yesterday & the "designer" offered to come out. I am afraid she would FAINT if she saw my current decor. Any suggestions on how to start?

P.S. Every $ we spend is another $ further from our next WDW vacation.

 

[binny]

first thing I would do is paint. You will get a whole new perspective on life when your walls are a pretty colour

You can do this really cheap. If youre daring you can go to Sears or any store that sells paint and ask if they have any mismatched paint. My girls room cost a total of $1.00 in paint yes that was ONE dollar!) I bought 2 gallons of paint one beige and one a nice periwinkle colour in the mismatched aisle and it was marked down after that. I only used half of each gallon so it was $1.00 worth of paint Usually you can buy paint that way for $3 to $4. a gallon, much cheaper than paying retail!!


Ethan Allen is expensive ( IMHO lol) have you thought about consignment shops for furniture? Ive found beautiful tables at a fraction of the cost. Also tis the season for yard sales YAY also a good way to find furniture ( and get rid of the stuff you dont want)!


The one place I *would* spend money is the flooring! Cant buy second hand ( ususally) and you want quality here. We're looking at Pergo-like flooring for our dining room and its pricey but it would make a big difference!


Good luck! Let us know how it goes!


ps if you want to see what I did in my girls room the pictures are at http://community.webshots.com/user/binny89

 

[Meriweather]

Ohhh......I'm going through the same thing!
I did get new bathroom flooring last spring (3 bathrooms), new family room sofas in Feb.
Now.....I'm going to do one room at a time, starting with the guest bedroom.
I have paint samples..........looking at the Disney paints Home Depot is now carrying. Great colors.
Then............going to do new bedspread, wall hangings and maybe a nightstand.
Hope to have 2-3 rooms done over the summer (money allowing).

Just about to order slipcovers from surefit for the living room furniture.

Good luck, have fun!

 

[tkyes]

Yep - start with paint. It can change a total room for a small amount of money. I agree about the mismatched paint. You can get some great paint at home depot for under $10.

Is there any furniture you can paint - light fixtures you can paint - etc. I took down an old brass light fixture, sprayed it red and replaced the clear globes with white ones, very retro and it only cost me $15.

Maybe slipcover your furniture until you can afford to replace it.

Keep your eyes peeled at thrift sales for stuff that can be fixed up with a little elbow grease!

Good luck

tamie