Budget Beating Ways to Breathe New Life into Your Lounge

Whether you have just moved into a new home and your main room is in need of sprucing up or you fancy a change of colour scheme, you usually end up bracing yourself to part with a generous handful of twenty pound notes. While redecorating may cost a fortune thankfully making small changes which still have a big impact on a room is much more cost effective.

Don't Be Cheap
While this guide is about saving money this section is about paying more. If you are confused don't be. If you do choose to put another coat of paint on the walls or re-gloss doors and skirting boards don't waste your time on cheap paint and brushes. The chances are that bargain basement paint will not give you the quality of finish that you are looking for and cheap brushes will shed bristles. This will result in you having to start over and buy better next time so get it right the first time to save time, effort and money.

Start from the Bottom Up
When looking to build a new look, refresh a room or add extra colour start on the floor and work your way up. Don't underestimate the difference a top quality rug will make to your room as it adds colour, texture and design. Rugs are a lot cheaper than new carpets and are extremely versatile as you may put them wherever you want them for maximum effect.
Runner rugs in hallways adjoining the lounge protect floors while adding an additional layer of styling.

Upcycle
Upcycling is recycling with a difference. Renovating photo frames by repainting or spraying them to suit your new colour scheme, sanding down and staining furniture a new colour or even adding shabby chic detailing will completely change the way that your room looks and feels while costing you very little. This is a great opportunity to unleash your creative self. The Pinterest website is a fantastic resource for finding upcycling inspiration and how-to guides.

Soft Furnishing
Having neutral walls, curtains and floors means that whenever you fancy a change that you may pick up new cushion covers, the odd throw, a co-ordinated rug and a few new (or charity shop) ornaments and you will have a completely different room without spending very much at all.

Shop Around
When searching for items to breathe new life into your lounge the internet is a fantastic tool. Search for sales, free delivery codes, visit Ebay and various other sites for inspiration and for ways to save money.

Of course there are many bargains available on the high street too as well as in charity shops and at the car boot sales so don't forget to shop around to get the best home accessories and decorating items at the most competitive prices.

Take the sting out of changing the way that your lounge looks by thinking outside the box and making small changes rather than embarking on a full-scale re-wallpapering or painting project. Not only will you save money, you'll save a lot of time and effort and still have a "new" room at the end of it.

This is a post by Dany Dolan at RugTraders.co.uk - the home of cheap kitchen rugs online. You can see more of his writing here.