WELCOME to CAROLINA PANACHE! I believe our homes should be a haven, a place of beauty and peace that reflect who we are and what's important to us. I'm on a journey to add personality and panache to every corner of my house. For me, good design evolves, grows and changes with the needs of one's lifestyle. I want my home to be creative, to be stylish, to be entertaining, to be real. I hope you will join me on my journey. It's always more fun to travel together.
This blog is all about bringing style and elegance to the home. The art of dressing your home goes beyond hanging a few items on the wall and arranging furniture. Much like a fabulous set of earrings or a new stylish handbag may take your little black dress from fine to fabulous, home accesories and key furnishings can take your rooms from ho-hum to singing the Halleluiah Chorus! Join with me as we discover new ways to add panache to every room of the house.

30 Days, 30 Tips to Budget Friendly Home Decor - Day 7

Okay, we've made it to Day 7 - a full week of budget friendly ideas to help us create a great space that looks like we hired a designer. The best part is that a lot of these tips didn't cost us a dime and the ones that did were budget friendly. Now, stay with me on this one because some folks might think I'm a little crazy. Today's tip can add color, pattern and big drama to any room even if used sparingly.
Day 7- Tip 7:
Wallpaper has made a comeback!
Yes, that's right wallpaper is hot, hot, hot and we are seeing beautiful and modern papers pop up in designer showhomes everywhere. Recently I toured some model homes in my area. Wallpaper was used is lots of rooms as accents or as decorative elements to add color and pattern. Try wallpaper:
1. As an accent wall behind your bed
2. Create a focal wall in a room void of architectural details
3. Add picture frame molding to your walls in the dining room and paper inside the frame for instant pattern and color
4. Paper above the mantel or try is on the ceiling
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Today's designers are using wallpaper in small doses instead of papering a whole room. This is a great alternative and makes easy work of stripping the paper when you decide to redecorate. I love to use papers with a subtle pattern and tone-on-tone variations. I recently purchased 1 double roll of a nature-inspired design in soft muted shades of yellow, cream, gold and tan. The colors are closely related and from a distance the paper looks like a solid color. I will use this paper inside picture frame molding in a Master Bedroom. I plan to hang art inside the molding and the wallpaper will create a pretty background for my art. I'm posting some pictures from my Idea File. I love the picture above of the patchwork wall. The color and the punch of pattern makes a bold statement in an otherwise understated room. Notice how the rest of the furnishings are solid. The picture below demonstrates how you can coordinate patches of different papers to create this custom look.
Here is a clever idea - use pretty wallpaper to cover a room screen. This is an oversized damask in lime and white. The paper is a perfect match to the green wall color and adds just the right amount of pattern to keep things interesting.
If you must paper an entire room, make it your bathroom or powder room. Here this coral paper with the oversized fruit and floral pattern doesn't overwhelm because it is toned down with the white tile, tub and surround.
If papering the walls isn't for you, try your hand at a little custom headboard. This pretty paper becomes the focal point of the room and pops against a solid wall.
Another fun idea is to seek and find old dressers and chests at Goodwill or your local Salvation Army store. Paint their frames a solid color and cover the drawers in a coordinating wall paper. Finish it off with some artsy little drawer pulls and you have a one-of-a-kind treasure.
You would be amazed at what one double roll of paper can do to brighten your home. Depending on the wallpaper you choose, prices can be upwards to $75 per double roll or more for designer papers. However, if you google wallpaper outlets you can find a plethora of options to fit your budget. I paid a whopping $15 for my nature-inspired double-roll I mentioned earlier. Shop around and be creative. A little goes a long way.
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Tomorrow I'll talk about repurposing common household items. Another great idea for adding big impact for little $$$$$. Until then,
Happy Decorating!
~Alisa

5 comments:

Elaine said...

Alisa, Your ideas are wonderful! My husband and I just used paintable wallpaper to resurface our kitchen cabinets. I will post pictures on my blog in the near future. Thank you for all your inspiration.

Melanie said...

I like this a lot!
Melanie@Bella~Mella

"Blossom" said...

Great tips again. I am not a wall paper person but I have and do use it in photo frames. What's for tomorrow?

Unknown said...

What great ideas! New to your blog, so I gotta go read the other and can't wait to see what's to come! Love this series!

Nancy said...

I loved that dresser! Just think if you could do a headboard to match! Cool!

Glad to see you are back. I love reading your ideas.

How is the bathroom redo coming?

How are your parents adjusting to their new place? Take care, Nancy from OHIO

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