Bored of your boudoir but can’t stump up the funds? Tired of your living space, but worried about saving pennies? Decorating your home doesn’t have to be a bank-breaking excerise. Below are a list of tips, hints and suggestions to help you plan your re-design on a budget, whatever your financial situation.

1. Think simple, big, open and neutral. Go for timeless, long-lasting looks that are easilly adjustable. A natural carpet, wooden floor or cream interior allows for multiple changes in soft furnishings and colour-schemes, without the hassle of a complete refurbishment each time you fancy an little something different. Insure you prioritise good lighting. Poor illumination will dampen your colour scheme and shrink your space.
   
2. Save the evnvironment, save your pennies, and steer away from fads and trends, particularly if you’re a sucker for disposable buying! They won’t last long, and be off-trend in a season. So if you are cutting back, cut it out.
   
3. Choose slices of your complete vision. Don’t rush to complete the masterpiece straight away and bull-doze into your overdraft without the cash to cater for it. Save up for a great pair of curtains, a set of vases that may otherwise sit just outside your price range, or a stylish sofa that feels as good as it looks, and will last you a life time. Remember, some things are worth waiting for!
   
4. Prioritise. It’s all well and good splashing out on a vintage candelabra to set off a spectacular mantle piece, but if there’s nowhere to park your derriere, then the function of your living room is lost. Buy the skeleton items first, deck out the innards afterwards. Prioritise on your spending too. It is worth, for example, paying more for a comfortable, great-looking sofa that will last a life time and holding back on ornaments until finances allow. Writing a list separating your room needs and wants is always a good exercise. Number them from most to least, and plan your budget accordingly.
   
5. History, as they say, has a habit of repeating itself; an endless cycle of by-gone styles circulating year on year, just waiting for the chance to be thrown back onto our walls and wardrobes for the on-coming season. The lesson here? Think vintage.  If  you’re lucky enough to have a relative or friend with an attic full of junk, get raiding! If not,  try flea-markets, thrift stores, and auctions for stand-out pieces to add a timeless sense of character to your dwelling. And if the thought of leaving your lovely home brings you up in a rash, why not shop from the sofa, and browse the internet for vintage online.
   
6. Stuck for ideas? Let the décor choose you. Shop for a style, pick an individual item to set off a room, be inspired by a particularly poignant piece of artwork, and let the item work the room. Choose a colour scheme that fits with the item, and carry the theme through the area to be decorated. In this instance, you may wish to spend more on said item of inspiration, and boost it one or two places up the priority list. This needs to be in balance with the rest of the room however, so be wise with the amount you do spend. Be sure to make this treasure the focus of the room and well displayed too!
   
7.  Be unique. Don’t make the mistake of buying all your items from one place. Shop around for an individual style to prevent your space looking like a knocked-off show room.
   
8. Remember, you can do a lot with a little. Think  throws, wall-hangings, rugs, and fairy lights for an instant transformation on a very small budget. Why not paint a panel of the wall to add a splash of colour, instead of saturating the walls with a single shade? An old minimalist Japanese trick to remember is ‘bring the outside in’. Plants, pebbles and natural fabrics can do wonders for your living space, and are well worth forking out for.
   
9. Think DIY, and where you can, customise. Doll up a dull piece of furniture with a fresh coat of paint and a handful of stencils. Transform spare fabrics into throws or cushion covers. If your sewing machine savvy, why not try making your own curtains? Check back at this blog for a great guide on how to create your very own pair. Happy saving!

With summer well and truly on its way, it’s time to start thinking about liberating your home from unnecessary clutter, dark colours and heavy fabrics. Enter voiles.

Voiles (or sheers, as we sometimes call them) are really thin, light fabrics that are used for window dressings. Often, you’re able to see right through them.

In the summer months, people start to think less about keeping their windows insulated with chunky, luxurious curtains and more about making a statement of simplicity with pale shades and flowing fabrics to welcome in the summer breeze.

As you can see from the picture below, sheers simply help to highlight your windows, rather than cover them. They create a calming, serene atmosphere in rooms such as the lounge whereas for the bedroom, they can add a touch of romance to your surroundings.

Luckily for you, The Natural Curtain Company are offering the opportunity to get your hands on some semi-sheer and striped sheer fabric, curtains and panels at a discount price – for the rest of this summer. Check the main website for details by clicking here.

Of course, if you’re going for a summer theme for your windows, you’re going to want the rest of the house to match. Here are a few crunch-busting tips to re-vamp your home for less:

De-clutter!
Why limit your spring clean to only once a year? Get rid of as much as possible, sell it at a car-boot sale (they’re much easier to get up for when the mornings get lighter!), and you’re already making a little extra cash to invest in the summer touch-ups for your home.

Give it a lick of paint
A few coats of a neutral colour can work wonders for a previously dark and dingy room. Try pastels and creams to help reflect the light and don’t be afraid to use a slightly darker accent colour on one wall, if you simply crave vibrant colours. Remember, you can always paint over it.

Lighten up the accessories
If you’ve got lots of dark paintings, shelves or ornaments around your home, try replacing them with lighter ones. Trade in pictures and paintings for mirrors, cover shelves with sheer fabrics and replace dark ornaments with candles and natural-looking room accessories.

Clean your windows
The secret to achieving a room fit for summer is lots and lots of light. Give your windows a thorough clean to allow the maximum amount of light through. Give any mirrors, glass shelves and coffee tables etc. a good scrubbing too to help reflect that sunshine we love so dearly.

Cover dark furniture
When the purse strings are a little tight, buying big, expensive items of furniture aren’t usually top-priority. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to cover your sofa with a throw, and your dining table with a sheer tablecloth. Natural fabrics tend to look superior to cheap synthetic ones, and help to achieve the neutral look.

Switch your lampshades
By simply switching your lampshades to something neutral, bright or floral, you can completely change the dynamic of a room. Because you’re going for simplicity – the cost shouldn’t be too high either.

Brighten any room with a touch of nature
If you’ve got a fireplace, clear it out for the summer and fill it with dried flowers, candles or green plants. You call also save a bit of money by growing a herb garden on your windowsill. Bring fresh flowers into as many rooms as possible, whether it’s a giant bunch from a secret admirer, or a single stem from your garden – flowers always make a great summer statement.

Bring in the breeze
Fans can do a world of good when it comes to keeping you cool in summer. Ceiling fans however, can be a bit pricey. As for oscillating fans, (the ones that stand up on their own and turn around), if you’ve ever owned one and had it on full power – you’ll know how irritating the noise can be. The solution? Get two smaller fans, set them to half power and place them at either end of the room. Now you’ll have a cool room with the illusion of a natural breeze.

With the semi-bleak outlook of today’s economy, we are all becoming increasingly concerned with cutting costs and saving money. But, not only is it important to save cents…We are looking for ways to “save cents” that also “make sense.” What better way can we save money than by similarly cutting energy costs? If we can simply implement these easy energy and money saving strategies, we will all be expanding our wallets and resting our weary minds before we know it.

1- Good Quality Curtains

The strategy topping our energy-saving list is that of hanging good quality curtains. This may seem like a menial task; however, if it is done correctly, it will save energy and money by acting as an insulator, reducing heating and cooling costs.

For added energy-saving creds, get thermal or blackout lining sewn into your curtains or blinds and increase their insulating properties by up to 25%.

2- Thermostat

To further reduce expenditures, pay close attention to the setting on the thermostat–it should be set as low as is comfortable in both the winter and the summer. Dialling down just 1°C can save you £30 annually.

3- Switch off Switches and Appliances

Always switch of your plug sockets when you’re not using them. You can save tonnes of energy every year if you simply turn off your TV at the plug socket every night. Did you know that your DVD player consumes 85% of the power it uses, when it isn’t even in use? Not only this, but for things such as mobile phones and MP3 players, once they’ve finished charging you’re helping to preserve the life of the battery by unplugging it.

4-Stick Foil Behind Your Radiators

One of the easiest and most effective ways to save money and keep heat in is to stick some ordinary kitchen foil behind your radiators (shiny side facing the radiator). Sure, you can go out and buy expensive insulation to stuff behind there, but this is just as efffective at a fraction of the price.

5-Give your Tumble Dryer a Break

With summer looming, make use of the sunshine and dry your clothes outside. If you don’t have a garden or balcony, try installing a make-shift washing line in front of a window. Not only will you cut your energy bill, you’ll cut down on ironing time, which of course, is what really matters!

6- Set your Timer

With this summer expected to be one of the hottest to date (where have we heard that before?!), using your central heating should be done as rarely as possible. However, if you insist on using it, make sure to set your timer to switch off 30 minutes before you leave the house, and no more than 30 minutes before you’re due to get home. If your heating takes longer to kick in, you should seriously think about insulating your home better.

7- Plant Trees

Planting deciduous trees on the south and west sides of your home to keep it cool and shady in the summer and light-filled through the winter is probably one of the ‘greenest’ things you can do save energy.

8- Replace Lightbulbs

Consider replacing regular light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs or CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs). They last about 10-15 times longer than regular bulbs and save you around £9 a year if you change all the lights in your house. On average, you save about £100 over the bulb’s lifetime.

9-Insulate Drafts

Find and seal cracks, gaps, and leaks and add insulation to protect the home against air loss. This practice alone could potentially save 20% on heating and cooling costs. To locate possible leaks, use a lit incense stick and hold it next to an area with a potential outside air pathway (doors, windows, electrical boxes…). If the smoke flows horizontally, this indicates a leak that needs attention.

10-Regular Servicing

Finally, as a general rule of thumb, have heating and cooling systems serviced once a year to ensure optimum performance efficiency.

By completing these 10 simple tips, you can save yourself time, energy, and money. In today’s society, we need all three, and everything always makes more sense when we’re saving cents.

Whatever the fashion in terms of colour or pattern, products in subtler tones such as white, cream, soft fawns and beiges act as the foundation to the latest interior trends.  The Natural Curtain Company’s simple philosophy is perfectly in line with this.  Offering unfussy fabrics in understated colours, its made to measure curtains or roman blinds will provide the perfect backdrop to your 2009 decorating scheme.

White has always been the colour of choice for interior designers.  It represents calmness and tranquillity and provides a blank canvas which you can dress up or down according to your preference.  Simple white curtains provide the perfect basis for a clean and minimal room.  Team with white furniture and walls, adding small splashes of colour with carefully selected accessories.

To make a statement, combine fresh white with black or charcoal grey for a dramatic monochrome look.  Simple eyelet curtains in white linen offer a contemporary look and provide the perfect antidote to a striking black wall.

For simple, understated style, visit The Natural Curtain Company - and with a whole new range of fabrics to choose from you’ll be spoilt for choice.