Architectural Designs

Do you have good interior design ideas?

My dad got a new house it isn't very big but decent size. It is two story with 2 reasonably sized bedrooms a big master bedroom, 3 bathrooms, living room, den, big kitchen and a medium sized backyard with a pool. Since the entire house is painted white on the inside and most of the plants are dead my dad is giving me a $3,000 budget to renovate it with one sole purpose. He wants to make it fancy, so not home-y or tribal. I get to do every room and need some ideas to make it appear fancy and have a classy feel throughout the house. Any ideas?

Public Comments

1. If you plan to completely furnish every room with furniture and accessories, you're not going to be able to do it on a $3,000 budget, unless you shop yard sales, thrift stores, and freebies. Actually, it is possible to buy some beautiful piece of furniture and accessories at Goodwill, Salvation Army, thrift stores, Craigslist, etc. However, you need to have a plan, a budget, and a decorating theme in mind. I don't know what your father means by "fancy." Maybe he means formal, or maybe he wants everything to match. To me, fancy means formal, ornate furniture, lots of curved leg tables, cushy sofas, wing-back chairs, silks and brocades for fabrics, gilt mirrors, oil paintings in the style of the old masters, heavy window treatments with swags and jabots, Persian or Aubusson carpets, etc. I'm not a fancy person, so that style of decor does not suit me or my lifestyle. To achieve a classic, traditonal look, go for plain, classic style in furniture. Then choose classic accessories and colors. Think beige, tan, greens, blues, creams and ivories - no orange, hot pink, or neon purple. No zebra rugs or novelty table lamps in the shape of a lady's leg! Study traditional decor in magazines and decorating books so that you get a feel for what you and your father want. Then shop for look-a-likes, but make sure you have the same style in adjoining rooms. You might want to carry the same color palette from room to room by using different hues from one paint chip. If you are going to have to do the whole house on $3,000, better start looking for bargains. But like I said, you'll have to have a basic idea of what you need and what you want for the look you wish to achieve. Start with a list and go from there.
2. You can do a lot with $3,000.00. Visit my site which is all about Frugal Design and Decorating to get some ideas on how and where you can save some money yet create a great look. http://www.frugal-interior-design.com/index.html
3. I have an online store called HomeTrendsDecor.com, if you would like to view it and get some ideas. Have fun decorating!
4. go to this blog! http://eco-owl.blogspot.com/ there are a lot of good tips
5. We recommend you stop by stretchandcover.com. We have a variety of furniture covers that are versatile, stylish, and inexpensive that can give your decorating and interior look a whole new face. Beautiful fabrics at an inexpensive price can give you the look that you need without having to buy a lot of accessories. Work with what you have and give it a face lift with furniture covers and fabrics. A wide variety of throw pillow coverings are also available for accent. Good Luck! Sounds like a fun project!