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!

For all those out there who don’t know their eyelets from their pelmets, here’s a simple glossary to help you on your way to window-furnishing- guru status.

Architrave the wooden frame of a window or door

Batten the wooden stick that fixes to the wall or window frame to support a blind

Bay window a window that sticks out from the wall to create an alcove

Blackout lining a thin, synthetic lining which blocks out all light and helps to retain heat in the room, generally comes in white and cream colours

Boss (or hold back) a metal, wooden or plastic bracket that you fix to the wall to hold curtains back

Cleat a hook (usually made from metal) that you fix into your wall to wind the cord of your blind around to hold it in place

Curtain ring a circular ring used to fix a curtain to the curtain pole; they come in various sizes and materials

Dowel a thin cylindrical piece of wood, inserted horizontally into fabric pockets in Roman blinds to hold their shape

Eye a tiny hook at the bottom of a curtain ring or track, where the curtain hook attaches to

Eyelet a type of curtain heading where a metal ring is attached to the fabric for a curtain pole to be fed through, comes in various colours and sometimes shapes

Finial the decorative fixture at each end of a curtain pole, these can be made from any material and come in an extensive number of designs

Fullness refers to the width of the fabric in relation to the curtain pole. E.g. if a curtain pole is 100cm and fabric with a 200cm width is used to make the curtain then the curtain would have 2X fullness

Heading refers to the method of sewing used to create a certain style where the curtain is attached to the track or pole

Heading height the amount of fabric required above the eye of the curtain ring, only necessary with pleated or gathered headings

Heading tape purpose-made tape, attached to the headings on curtains to gather the fabric when pulled, and creating various styles

Interlining a soft (usually cotton) fabric sewn between the curtain fabric and the lining to give weight to the curtain, help it hang better and slightly improve sound and heat insulation – also known as bump or domette

Leading edge the edge of the curtains that meet in the middle when they are drawn

Pattern repeat the measurement between a point in the design of a fabric and the next point where it begins again, this measurement is needed when working out how much fabric you need to make curtains or blinds

Pelmet a decorative framework to either add height to the top of a window or hide the curtain fixtures, usually made from fabric covered in wood

Piping cord cotton string used as a base for ‘piped’ edges, piped edging can be used for things such as tie-back or cushion edges

Template a shape made from paper, card or thin plastic which is used to help mark fabric, templates can be bought and modified, or made

Thermal lining a thin, synthetic lining which helps to retain heat in the room, also blocks out a little light – typically comes in white and cream colours

Track a type of fixture attached to the wall to hold curtains up, used as an alternative to a curtain pole and usually made from plastic

Valance a type of fabric pelmet that covers the tops of curtains

Voiles a light, plain-weave, sheer fabric of cotton, rayon, silk, or wool used for making semi-transparent curtains

This interesting video on how to make Roman Blinds gives an excellent insight into how roman blings are made.

To make a roman blind you will need to measure the inside width of your window frame, add 10 cm to this number and cut your fabric. Now measure the inside height of your window frame and add 10 cm, for top and bottom hems, to the length plus and additional 5 cm for each rod you wish to add. An average roman blind will have 4-6 rodded sections.

Now that you have your fabric cut to size you need to finish your side edges by folding, pinning, ironing 2.5 cm on each side. Repeat and top stitch for a beautiful finished edge, you may wish to use a fancy stitch on your machine.

Measure and mark each section of your blind, remember to add the 5 cm rod pocket space between each section. Fold, pin, iron and sew the rod pocket for each section. Measure your rods to be sure they are 3 cm shorter than your blind panel to allow room to hand stitch the rod pockets closed.

Fold, pin, iron and stitch the top and bottom edges of your blind. Stitch the fuzzy side of a strip of Velcro along the top and bottom edges. Glue the scratchy side of the Velcro strip to the top and bottom batten. Use the Velcro to attach the blind to the top and bottom battens.

Measure 12 cm in from each edge and hand stitch a plastic ring to the back of the rod pocket. You may wish to adjust this measurement depending on the width of your window or add a third row of rings. Measure 12 cm from each edge and add a screw eye to the top and bottom battens. Begin at the bottom with a large knot below the screw eye and thread a heavy cord up through all the plastic rings. End with a large knot above the top screw eye and leave extra cord hanging to act as your pull string. Add a coordinating pull bob to the bottom of your pull cord and use an L bracket to secure your blind to the wall.

To personalize your blinds you may wish to add fancy trim to your blind. These are easily stitched to the rod pockets when you create the pockets. Another nice touch is to use ornamental push pins across the top batten and smaller matching pins across each rod pocket.

View the complete range of custom Roman blinds available to order today.