Your First Home

Do's and Dont's when Decorating on a Budget

Congratulations on your new home! Whether you’ve just bought your first home or signed the lease on your first apartment, it’s exciting to create a special place of your own. Just remember to take it slow. Interesting interiors are created in layers, evolving as things are added and removed over time.

To help you get started, we’ve collected the following ideas for affordable ambiance.

DO: Make a budget, either for the whole living space or by individual room. Then create a list of what you have, what you need, and what you’d like to upgrade.

DON’T: Feel as if you have to fill each room with furniture right away. Versatile pieces, such as Parsons chairs, can float between rooms—from dining, to home office, to the living room when you’re entertaining guests.


DO: Visit your local library for books on decorating and
style. While you’re there, be sure to check out the periodicals section and peruse the magazines. Make a photocopy of anything that grabs you.

DON’T: Accept any hand-me-down furnishings you don’t like. These unwanted dinosaurs won’t inspire your imagination the way empty rooms can. Live with the open space for a while and consider what type of atmosphere you’d like to create.

Double Duty. Dining chairs, like these
versatile Parsons chairs can be easily
moved from room to room as the needs of
your household change.

DO: Make a list of what a room will be used for and shop for furnishings that combine several of them. For example, a sofa table is the perfect height to use as a small bar or buffet when you entertain.

DO: Focus on finding a terrific looking bed to make the bedroom feel complete. Everything else—dressers, nightstands and chests—can be added over time. An eclectic mix will make your home cozy and unique.

DO: Bring unique style to your home by decorating with garden ornaments, architectural elements and old building parts. They’re often cheap, and always distinctive. Check your phone book for salvage yards and antique stores.

DO: Place a bookcase in the dining area to hold china and serving pieces. Later, when you upgrade to a china cabinet or sideboard, the bookcase can easily transition to another area of your home.

DO: Create your own artwork. Add a frame to anything—a leaf from the yard or a photo from last year’s wall calendar—and voila, it’s art. For inexpensive frames, look in discount stores for framed prints. Remove the back (needle-nosepliers are terrific for pulling out large staples)
and replace what they’ve framed with something of your own.

Fantastic Focal Point. A terrific looking bed can
make even a sparsely furnished bedroom feel
complete. An eclectic mix of other pieces can be
added over time, as your budget allows.

DO: Sell furnishings you don’t like at a consignment store or website, such as eBay or craigslist. Use the money you make for the furniture you really want.

DO: Choose a dining table that will give you choices later. When it’s time to redecorate or move to a larger home, you may find your smaller scale table, or table with a removable expansion leaf, is just right for the kitchen or another room.

DON’T: Limit your decorating scheme to the existing layout of electrical outlets or phone jacks. Paying to move these features to where you want them is an investment in convenience you’ll appreciate over and over again.

One final note, don’t try to make a room work too hard. Write down all of your brainstorms for a specific space, and then edit the list to one or two solid ideas. Sometimes the key to decorating is in what you remove, not what you add. And if you’re like most people, you’ll continue to fiddle with your rooms until the next time you move. Until then, enjoy your new home.


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