by Lisa Morgan

Created on: May 13, 2009

As a veteran of many redecorating campaigns, I have become something of an expert in finding unique and inexpensive ways to redecorate my home. Decorating doesn't have to be expensive or complicated, but it can be daunting for first-timers or those who have had a bad decorating experience in the past. The first thing that must be considered is what kind of person are you? Are you formal, comfortable, country, eccentric, prefer patterns or are you more of a bold color type of person? The type of person that you are will affect the style of dcor that will make you the most comfortable in your surroundings. One way to find out what kind of person you are is to buy several different home decorating magazines and start browsing through the pages and get a feel for the types of rooms you like the best. You never want to try and copy a complete room from one of these pages, what you are trying to do is find inspiration for you to go forward and create something that is your own personal style.

A quick guide to the most commonly used trick to change the look of your home, paint and wallpaper. Paint or wallpaper can quickly and easily change both the look and the feel of any room, there are many different types and colors to choose from, so don't get too overwhelmed, focus on what you like and go forward with confidence. A few recommendations, when choosing paint, go with a good brand, you may think you're saving money getting the cheapest paint but most cheap brands are a thinner mix and require many additional coats to cover up the previous color. If you are choosing wallpaper, try to pick heavier weight, pre-pasted paper, the thicker the paper the less likely you are to rip it while hanging it, and pre-pasted paper always goes up much faster and easier. One other note on wallpaper, if you are a first-timer, always remember to get one roll more than what your calculations tell you is necessary, the reason for this is pattern matching. Matching the pattern isn't difficult, as long as you are careful and take your time, but it does require more than the calculated square foot estimate.

If you have furniture you don't like or want to change, but can't afford to buy all new stuff, a few changes can get you through until you can afford to replace them. Living room furniture can be given quick fixes like new pillows, an interesting throw blanket draped over the back, the seating area or both. There are also sofa and chair covers that are relatively inexpensive

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