WHAT IT COSTS TO MAKE YOUR HOME LOOK LIKE A MODEL

Over the years, I have shared with you how to decorate your home to look like a model, budget design ideas, as well as creative decorating solutions. Now, through a series of articles for 2000, I will take you step by step on how you can decorate your home on a budget, to look like a model. In addition to design ideas we will look at actual decorating costs when working with a budget.

Designing On A Budget does not mean cheap and tacky. It is where and how you spend your decorating dollars that counts. First you must understand that budget does not just mean what you can afford, but most importantly what you are willing to spend. Since most of us are willing to spend less than we can actually afford, I have decided on a fairly inexpensive, but actual, model budget and design from my portfolio.

This model is 1600 square feet, with the following rooms; Living, Dining, Family, Nook, Kitchen, 2 Baths, 4 Bedrooms and Laundry. It was completed on a budget of $ 12.00 per square foot or $ 19,200 and made to look like $ 18.00 per square foot was spent. The average design budget for models is $18.00 - $21.00 per square foot. In addition to the products themselves, also included is freight, shipping, receiving and delivery charges, fabrication of the products and professional installation of all window treatments, wallpaper and artwork.


Now onto our actual budget breakdown. The items below are listed in order of design priority.

FURNITURE - This was 45% of the total budget. Your furniture are the largest pieces and bring in the most color as well as the theme, mood and style. My spending order for furniture is; upholstery, master bedroom, dining chairs, tables and then secondary bedrooms.

DRAPERIES - This was 12% of the total. Custom Window Treatments add so much to a room and frame your windows with style and color, so don't scrimp here.

BEDDING -This was 11% of the total. I spend the majority of my budget by placing custom bedding in the master bedroom while using store bought or a combination of store and custom in the secondary bedrooms.

ARTWORK - This was 14% of the total. Artwork dresses your walls conveying your theme and color scheme. In this price range all of the pieces are selected from a collection of posters that are pre-matted and framed.

PLANTS - Silk plants, trees and florals were 8% of the total. Florals are a great way to make your home look like a model. They add an abundance of color but unless you have a real flair for floral arranging, have them custom made.

WALLPAPER, BORDERS & MURALS - This was 4% of the total. In this price range I only do two to three borders per house, always in the kitchen and then in the secondary bedrooms. Murals add a custom touch and are added to at least one of the children's room along with extra touches around mirrors and arches.

ACCESSORIES - This was 5% of the total. Accessories are the finishing touches so make sure you choose wisely. I use florals as my focal accessory on most tables and in the baths, so the remaining accessories should be larger pieces. Less is more when working within a budget. One nice piece for $35.00 is much nicer than three at $12.00.

LIGHTING - This is only 1% of the total. When Designing On A Budget, lighting becomes a truly functional item. You still want to keep with your theme and color scheme, but this is not where decorating dollars should be spent.

To apply this to your home, take the square footage of the area you want to decorate, whether a single room or the whole house and multiple it by $12.00. Then apply the percentages above for each category to establish your decorating budget.

Now, we will look at the following areas in more detail; furniture, window treatments, wall coverings, bedding and accessories.

 

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