DIY or Pay: Home decorating ideas to help you save

HOUSTON – If you love the home decor styles you see on popular design shows, but you don't have the budget to hire Chip and Joanna Gaines, don't worry. Some of the biggest trends are easy to do yourself. 

Consumer expert Amy Davis asked interior designer Jacey Storm of Stormfront Design how to make your home look like the pages of a Pottery Barn catalog for a fraction of the price. 

"Wooden bowls and old books, I'm a sucker for," Storm said. 

Her home is proof of that. There are bowls filled with driftwood, chess pieces wooden beads. She uses weathered books with the spines facing backward to lend an antique feel. 

"I kind of like the character of the old pages," she said.     

Chances are, you already have a lot of what you like in your home. Storm said you should take things out of your cabinets and use everyday items to decorate.  
   
"If you love something, go with it," she said. "You know, display it. Put it out even if it's not decor." 

Storm changes up her art by framing pictures and sketches from old books. She taped old sheet music in a floating frame. 

"It looks unfinished, but it's just different," she said, as she held up the finished product and leaned it against the fireplace mantle.  

Textured linen drapes like those at Restoration Hardware will cost you a bundle. 

Storm gets the same look using canvas dropcloths from Home Depot. The panels are 9 feet long with a hem on all four sides. They cost just $10 a panel. Storm trims one end and uses no-sew tape to give the top of the cloth a more finished look. She hangs the panels on a French return rod she got at target for less than $20.

In her daughter's room, she created a headboard from an old wooden fence panel she found discarded on the side of the road.  She pressured washed it and then painted an image on it to give it a junk gypsy feel. 

If you are looking to decorate a room, Storm said it's often what you take out of a room that makes a bigger impact than new items you bring in. That's why she said you should always start by taking things out and paring down before you bring in new elements. 


About the Author:

Passionate consumer advocate, mom of 3, addicted to coffee, hairspray and pastries.