In the previous post of How to Decorate Your Home On a Budget, I have discussed dreamscaping, types of styles, color schemes, windows, flooring and some practical considerations. Now I will discuss about putting Artworks and Fen Shui to give the perfect finishing touch. 

Decorate Your Home On a Budget-Art

Artwork is the finishing touches that set off the design of each room. You may already have artwork that you would like to hang on the walls or display on tabletops or shelves, such as family pictures.

To dress them up to fit the décor, choose frames that match the style and colors you are focused on.

Natural wood frames are beautiful are beautiful for country or seaside styles. Metal, black or brightly colored frames set contemporary styles off to perfection. Then, darker finished wood frames, gold frames and wrought iron frames are a great choice for more traditional styles

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Artwork should balance a room. With this in mind, both sizing and style are important to consider.

For example, an 8×10 pictured hung on a large wall over the couch would look small and incomplete.

On the other hand, a grouping of pictures, shelves and candle sconces could look gorgeous, or one large picture or painting is a great choice as well.

An artwork of a red-neck hummingbird hovering over red flowers or a social butterfly with majestic colors will add calmness to the room.

If you do not have artwork for a space, you can always make your own by getting blocks of Styrofoam or pieces of plywood and covering them with fabric in colors that match the rest of your décor for inexpensive, yet beautiful effects.

You can also use scrap lattices and paint them to hang in larger areas, and dress them up with smaller pictures.

When you stop to think about it, there are many ways to dress up wall space, such as hanging a wool blanket in the bedroom of a country style home, or hanging pots and pans or potholders in the kitchen. Become an artist and see what you can create that best fits your style.

Decorate Your Home On a Budget – Room by Room Feng Shui

Throughout the previous parts of this post, you have learned a great deal about how to create a beautifully functional and comfortable home. You have also already learned about some of the most important Feng Shui principles and you may not have even realized it. Here is a video to show some of the basics of Feng Shui :

For example, having a clutter free and organized home is the foundation for good Feng Shui. If you have never heard of this ancient Chinese art, it is more than 3,000 years old, yet more relevant than ever. At its most basic form, it is a study of how to use the five elements of earth strategically in order to create the most beneficial flow of energy in your living spaces.

The elements of earth, wind, water, fire and metal are all considered, with an emphasis on where and how they are used in each room for the best results.

For instance, using fountains in particular rooms in your home in order to bring the element of water into it is something you would consider when adding Feng Shui principles to some rooms in your home.

The fountain can either be a Natural Slate Tabletop Fountain or Table Fountain with Candles .

If you are interested in creating the best health, luck and prosperity for you and your loved ones, then you will be thrilled with how using Feng Shui in your home décor planning will help you do that.

Living Room:

To add Feng Shui principles to your living room, you will want to start with your couch. It is important to place this piece of furniture against a solid wall in order to make sure you are supported in life.

Other furniture, such as chairs or love-seats can be placed in front of windows if you like.

Also, make sure you can see the door from the couch, even if that means placing mirrors in such

a way that you can see a reflection of the door.

If you do this, it is also important to make sure you cannot see your own reflection from the mirror when you are standing at the door.

A water fountain or fish tank  placed in the south to southwest area of your living room will encourage abundance.

However, if you choose a round fish tank, that should be placed in the north part of your living room to bring the best luck to your career.

Mirrors are a big part of Feng Shui. Using a large mirror as a focal point in your living room adds beauty and luck, as long as it offers an attractive reflection instead of a cluttered area of your home.

For the best placement, choose a location for your mirror that reflects your dining room table.

As far as art work, you can use whatever you feel emphasizes the decor of your living room. Do refrain from sad or violent pictures though, and a family portrait with a metal frame placed in the west side of the room will bring good luck to your entire family.

If the living room is the place where you gather for family movie night that is great. You want to make sure that the television is not your focal point of the room though. Place it diagonally or find a great cabinet that you can close the doors when you are not watching the T.V. for the best results.

 

 

 

A fireplace on the other hand is an excellent focal point. When it is in the southwest corner of your living room, it will enhance your marriage. When it is in the northeast section of the room, it will promote serenity and clarity in thinking. If you don’t have a fireplace, you might choose to add a beautiful candle arrangement.

Kitchen:

Feng Shui in the kitchen is very easy to accomplish just by making sure it is clutter free and clean. The brighter you can make the kitchen, and the more spacious it appears, the better it is for bringing the best of good health and luck into your home. Using natural wood tones, light colors and especially the color green are all great ways to create a kitchen design that offers the full vitality of Feng Shui.

If you have darker wood cabinets, that is okay, you can affordably add lighter colors by using white curtains and blinds, white trim or other light colors as accents.

When you have minimal appliances on your countertop and add mirrors or back splashes made of shiny materials, especially behind the stove, you will be able to create a look of spaciousness in even the smallest of kitchens.

Remember, to match the colors of the walls, floor and window treatments as closely as possible as well. Keep an eye on your refrigerator doors. While this is a popular family spot for adding children’s artwork, calendars and other types of notes, it is important that it look as clutter free as possible.

Bedroom:

When you add Feng Shui tips to bedrooms, it will promote restful nights of sleep. It will also enhance the good health and luck for those who slumber there. Starting with the bed placement is the most important step.

For the best energy in your bedroom, place your bed where you can easily see the door, but away from where your feet would be pointing toward it when you are laying down. Ideally, setting the bed in the corner across from the door is your best choice if possible.

While water is considered good luck throughout other areas of the home, this does not hold true for the bedroom.

Therefore, if you have water fountains, you may want to place those in another area of the house.

Mirrors are not a good idea in the bedroom as they are thought to bounce too much energy around the room and keep you from resting efficiently.

If you do have a mirror in your bedroom, keep it in a position where you are unable to see yourself in it while you are in bed. You can just cover it up at night if you love to have your large dresser mirror across from your bed.

Choose artwork for your bedroom that is calm and soothing to add to the overall relaxation potential of the room. Art pieces that match each other are particularly nice for this room. For instance, matching pictures that hang on either side of the bed.

Finally, use your bedroom for sleeping and sex and nothing else. Keeping electronics such as televisions and computers out of your bedroom will create a calmer space. If you must use electronics in your bedroom, store them or cover them up when not in use.

Bathroom

In the history of Feng Shui, bathrooms were considered negative and it was said you should keep the doors shut and not give them very much attention. Today however, the bathroom is a place of comfort, such as relaxing in a hot bath.

The first thing that is obvious about bathrooms is that they have an abundance of water. Balancing that element out with elements such as wood and metal is important. Candles can add the element of fire for a wonderful ambiance as well.

Keeping the drains and toilet seat closed is an important way to keep good energy from escaping the home. While it may be impractical to keep the drains plugged up, at least keeping the toilet seat closed will help.

Having crystal lighting at the ceiling level, or simple hanging some attractive crystals within nine inches of the ceiling is thought to draw energy up and away from the drains.

Final Thoughts

When you have completed your home décor, you will be amazed at how much can be accomplished by first clearing out all the clutter and starting over with items you only absolutely love or absolutely need.

Use this quick list to help you remember each point of consideration to decorate your home to complete your overall interior decoration project:

1. Clear out the clutter and items you don’t love or need.
2. Choose the style that best expresses your personality.
3. Take measurements of the room and windows.
4. Choose the color schemes that will fit best for each room.
5. Choose window treatments according to lighting needs for each room
6. Choose and install flooring, or get area and throw rugs to cover old flooring.
7. Create style by working in the functionality of each room and using creative storage.
8. Add comfort items into each room that matches the style you are designing into the room.
9. Choose artwork for the walls, paying attention to the size, style and colors to enhance the room’s beauty.
10. Add Feng Shui to each room by arranging furniture and adding items such as mirrors, fountains or crystals.

When you have completed these ten steps, all that will be left to do is to sit back and enjoy your new home!