Saving Money...If You're Up For It...

Now, does this look like an Ikea kitchen? I didn't think so. But, it is! Every single cabinet you see came in what the design world refers to as a "flat pack." Meaning, every single cabinet had to be put together piece by piece by piece. Overall savings? over $15,000 on this kitchen alone.

So, in the end, if you're up for it, you can put an entire kitchen together and save yourself some big bucks. Ikea cabinets come pre-stained, pre-finished, beautiful....everything, except.. ready to go...

Image courtesy of www.ikea.com

Picking the right paint

Okay, so you're in the paint store, and you don't know where to begin...Flat, Satin, Semi-gloss, High-gloss?? First trick, if you have textured walls, always use flat paint. If you have alot of light in the room, use flat to satin paint. The high-gloss paints can get very reflective. High gloss paint is great for a focal wall. Also, when painting stripes make sure to switch between flat and a glossier paint. This makes the stripes pop out. You can also do stripes in the same paint color, but one flat, one gloss, and it makes a subtle but glamorous appearance.

Paint can be tricky, so I say, use wallpaper, but that's just me.

Flooring

For those of you who are about to go and purchase laminate flooring because of the cost...Hold that thought. Not to long in the world came around Engineered Hardwood Floors. They are basically 1/8" thick strips of hardwood placed together in threes on plywood. They have the look and feel of hardwood, because, well, they are. And at less than half the price!

Installation you say? A breeze! Anyone who can install a laminate floor can put together an engineered harwood floor. They come packaged almost identically and are installed almost exactly the same, if not easier.

So, in the end, spend a few dollars more. You'll get the look of beautiful hardwood without the rediculous cost.

I'll leave out a picture for this post, because a picture is not needed. Today we talk about furniture. In particular, seating. Look at furniture as an investment. It is a true statement that you will get what you pay for. If you buy something from Ikea or Crate and Barrell, it will last you at most two years. Over ten years or so you will have paid what you could have for a well made piece of furniture that would have lasted the whole time.

Now, here's a secret designer's don't want you to know. No matter how comfy it feels, don't let them trick you into buying seating upholstered in chenille or boucle. It will take a matter of weeks for your first tear, months for the whole thing to start coming apart. And then in one year you will be calling your designer to have it reupholstered. It's a racket designers love. Use throwpillows and blankets in chenille to accent your seating. It will give you the look, and save you the money.

Keep checking back for more secrets designers don't want you to know

Small Rooms = Dark Paint!

As true as it is that white walls make a room seem larger, the same is also true for dark colors. Dark colors absorb light and in effect trick the eye to thinking the room is much larger than it is. In fact, a room painted dark will look twice as large as the same room painted white. But, there is a catch, when I say dark, I mean dark. No middle of the road taupes or browns. Only chocolates, charcoal, burgundies, etc. And for added pop, paint your trim a crisp white. Dark trim will disappear with dark walls.

The room you see pictured is only 8'x8' in size, but, it looks much larger due to the dark color's saturation of light.

It's not that much of a designer secret, but it's definately a good one to use.

Enhancing Ceiling Height

When you have a room with a small ceiling height, the easiest trick in the book is to paint vertical stripes. This draws the eye upward and tricks the mind into thinking the ceiling is higher than it is. The second trick designers don't want you to know, is don't paint them all the way to the ceiling. Bring your ceiling color four to six inches down on the wall. By doing that it seems the ceiling starts sooner but from view the room will look much taller.

Image courtesy of ehow.com