A Friend Stopped By | 03/09/2009 10:25 am

The 10 Rs of Redecorating in a Recession

Marjorie Reed Gordon on quick, easy and inexpensive ways to liven up a room for spring.

By Marjorie Reed Gordon

#1 Remove: You can change the impression of a room by taking out an extra piece of furniture or bric-a-brac.

#2 Repaint: It is amazing what a coat of black, white or red paint can do for a boring table or chair. There are also easy-to-use kits that offer various antique finishes like verdigris, ivory or even rust.

#3 Reveal: Take a gilt-finished or repeatedly painted thrift-shop mirror, chair or chest of drawers and strip it down to the bare wood, leaving traces of paint or gesso, and create an instant artifact.

#4 Replace: Adding new drawer pulls or handles to a tired bedside table or bureau can totally change the impression it makes.

#5 Remnants: Expensive upholstery fabrics can be replaced by remnants from a fabric shop to make accessory pillows. You can even cut up an old evening dress that has been hanging in the closet too long.

#6 Rearrange: Don’t be afraid to move furniture from one room to another to give it new life.

#7 Reconfigure: Change your seating arrangements to either open up a room or to make it cozier.

#8 Reupholster: Forget about the big pieces! New upholstery on a small piece like a slipper chair or an ottoman can completely update a seating arrangement. Alternatively, a fresh group of cushions or a throw can teach an old sofa new tricks.

#9 Rehang: Take randomly hung pictures and group them by theme. Take old family pictures off the table and create a family heritage grouping on a wall or in a corridor.

#10 Recycle: A simple, precut mirror in an old frame sprayed white or a collection of these can really open up a room in an architectural way.

Snap Décor specializes in helping people who want to refresh their homes quickly in a way that is appropriate for these times. Contact Marjorie Reed Gordon at (212) 933-1131 for more information.

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61 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Use what you already have and add your imagination…..paint does wonders!

By Diana T on 03/09/2009 10:46 am

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So SO true.

We purchased our home almost 2 years ago but we’re saving for the wedding so some of the projects to be done have to be done in parts or on a shoestring budget!

We recently repainted our basement using Ralph Lauren (no I’m not a label person - the textured paints in both Valspar (Lowes) and RL (Home Depot) are the same price and have a PRESET color template so you cant ‘create your own color’ you have to pick off their palette and we like the RL color better) suede texture paint.

Holy. Cow. We had never noticed that the walls were so gloomy (was a color called ‘putty’) before! The whole basement feels totally different and now once we repaint the 2nd floor guest bath the house will FINALLY feel done! Well…until we have to paint the guest room to a color that is more appropriate for a nursery….

By Sarah N. on 03/11/2009 9:25 am

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If you live in the Northeast, see if you can find some forsythia or cherry branches and put them in a vase. Watch the buds swell and bloom over the course of a week or so. Put a $3 pot of miniature daffodils from the supermarket in a conspicuous place and watch the flowers open (you can replant the bulbs when the flowers die off, if you have a garden). And, if you can’t afford to bring nature indoors, go for a long walk and look for signs of spring. They will lighten your heart at the same time as you are doing your heart good.

By Sam Mirando on 03/09/2009 11:03 am

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Hi Sam. I do. I have. and I will. Thank you!

By rocky rocky on 03/11/2009 12:18 pm

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You’re welcome. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

By Sam Mirando on 03/11/2009 12:22 pm

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Sam, I live in the SW but branches and twigs are everywhere. If they have blooms on them, like my Spanish Broom, or Plum Tree now, I spray them with hairspray (that I don’t use!!!) and add them to my 3.5’ tall vases around my home, or on the screened in porch. In one of the tall vases, I’ve inserted a small water pump, so it merely gurgles deliciouosly from the top - love water features, and they are so simple to make (great use for that collection of wash basins from hospital stays!).

I also carry my digital camera with me everywhere I go, and have some shamefully lovely photos of things that caught my eye (which are legally blind so if they caught my eye!!!!!) - Some of florals, but some are mere shadows from a vehicles door panel, or one that is a crack in someone’s windshield, up close, which I brought up on my computer and made it black and white.

sigh - I used to live in Cambridge!!

By C jay on 03/12/2009 2:09 pm

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C Jay

Thank you for the tip about hairspray. I had no idea that hairspray is a preservative for cut flowers! Does it matter what kind of hairspray you use?

For those, who like me aren’t as knowledgeable about these sorts of things, I googled it and this is what I came up with —

Hairspray is a preservative for Cut Flowers. Just like a cryogenic prison, it slows down the wilting of cut flowers. It stiffens the blooms, preserving their youthful appearance in the process. Ideally, you should spray beneath the leaves and petals from a foot away. The formulations of some hairsprays may be too potent to be sprayed directly on the bloom.

By Lucinda Herbert on 03/12/2009 9:34 pm

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Lucinda, let me clarify something, I use that for branches, stems, leaves, etc. and for freshly cut flowers, I quickly immerse them (the instant they are cut) in tepid water, and once to a sink, I place them in a suitable vase (or great "tin" can from Crosse & Blackwell, etc) depending on where they will be placed, then add white vinegar to the water and a pinch of sugar. Or, equally effective is a penny, yes, 1 cent; more for larger containers. I use pennies only in my water features after spending years fighting algae, etc. then one day began to use my noggin, and what I learned in my science studies - copper!!! Voila! I’ve never had to clean out a fountain or water feature since 2003. ;-)) (I cannot believe that’s on Goggle though - great!)

By C jay on 03/12/2009 9:51 pm

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White vinegar and a penny! I am going to try it. What does the vinegar contribute? Thanks so much for the tips. I had a friend who used 7-Up — I guess that’s the equivalent of the sugar you use.

By Lucinda Herbert on 03/12/2009 10:03 pm

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I just found this — white vinegar acts as a disinfectant! I’ve learned a lot! Thanks!

http://www.ehow.com/how_4478505_extend-lives-cut-flowers.html

By Lucinda Herbert on 03/12/2009 10:08 pm

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Yes, and you won’t need a penny in the water if there’s a tad of sweet with the white vinegar (it feeds the posies). I use white vinegar for all cleaning in my home, and teach it to those on Food Stamps to help them avoid the high cost of detergents, shampoos, tooth pastes, etc. That with plain baking soda, and salt (great for vacuuming carpets too), and if one looks carefully baking soda can be purchased in large amounts - great for washing, and the vinegar’s a great hair rinse too (in 1:4-5 dilution).

;0)

By C jay on 03/12/2009 10:22 pm

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I forgot to add that I use white vinegar for seasonal ants, and other things that move and don’t talk, and spray our pastures with it, to keep our horses happy and healthy - it gets rid of ticks, and fleas, and is great added to their "oats" b/c they sweat it, and it keeps the flies off of them, too. Corn meal in a pinch, but better yet, corn gluten destroys weeds, and the birdies love it! It’s a top pre-emergent, too.

By C jay on 03/12/2009 10:25 pm

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Checking me out, eh!! ;-)) (I’d do the same thing!)

By C jay on 03/12/2009 10:26 pm

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I add white vinegar to water I boil shrimp in too! Thanks for all the good ideas!

By Lucinda Herbert on 03/13/2009 7:18 am

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CJay~corn meal and vinegar for fleas and ticks?? Can you give me more info on how this works? Can I spray my yard like you spray your fields to help with the dog, or will it only help if they ingest it and sweat it? Dogs wont eat grass really. wonder if I can get it into his food? what dilution? How can I mix it. And how does the corn meal work?? I’d like to pass the idea to my friend with horses and use it in our goat pasture! ;)

By Karin Forsberg on 03/16/2009 9:59 am