How to Decorate a Room Within a $500 Budget

Living Room/Bedroom

• 1). Clean the room; clearing the air can literally brighten a room. Dust, sweep, mop, vacuum and dispose of any items that are moldy or beyond repair. Retain items such as window shutters, picture frames, odd-ball lamps, doors and tables that can be re-purposed.
  
  
• 2). Paint the walls and ceiling. Choose cool, relaxing tones -- such as blue, gray, green, brown or maroon -- for a bedroom or sitting room. Select one wall as the accent and use a different color -- for example, the wall opposite a picture window. Bring in a ceiling with darker tones, or make a small room seem larger with a bright ceiling.
  
  
• 3). Purchase additional furniture from a second-hand store or wholesale retailer. Take pieces from other rooms in the house, or even ask a neighbor for unused furniture. Search print and online classified ads for furniture giveaways and yard sales.
  
  
• 4). Replace torn or worn upholstery on chairs, ottomans and benches. On shabby wood pieces, sand, paint and add a cushion or pillow for a fresh look.
  
  
• 5). Add knickknacks and hand-made items. Fill a painted vase with flowers. Sew fabric doilies around a glass bowl. Use an old window frame as a picture frame by mounting a photo into each pane. Make a room divider out of three doors by attaching them with hinges.
  
  

Bathroom

• 1). Stencil ocean, beach, fish or other water-themed images onto the walls.
  
  
• 2). Change the shower curtain. Use a fabric curtain with plastic liner to achieve a luxurious look without risking mold and water damage.
  
  
• 3). Put a new frame around the mirror. Change the medicine cabinet. Paint the existing cabinet; use an indoor-outdoor spray paint for ease.
  
  
• 4). Add shelving in the tub surround. Update the towel rack.
  
  
• 5). Use a tiered plate-holder as a magazine rack near the toilet. Store extra rolls of toilet paper in a covered floor basket.
  
  
• 6). Buy a new wastebasket or hide the basket inside a cabinet. Install a trash can underneath the counter to conserve floor space.
  
  

Kitchen

• 1). Clean and paint. Brighten a kitchen or dining room with hot colors that create an atmosphere of warmth -- e.g., orange, red, yellow. Paint the chair rail a different tone.
  
  
• 2). Change the hardware -- cabinet knobs, drawer pulls, hooks, curtain rings.
  
  
• 3). Nail copper panels to the doors of your cabinets.
  
  
• 4). Re-tile or paint the back splash in your bathroom or kitchen. Replace the existing back splash with metal panels.
  
  
• 5). Purchase a rolling island for additional storage and preparation space. Install wheels on the bottom of a table or storage unit to make your own island. Distribute appliances evenly between the built-in counter and the island.