Ask An Atlanta Expert: Shopping For Home Decor On A Budget
If home is where the heart is so shouldn't it actually mirror who you are and what you care for? Decorating your home to fit your personality is essential to feeling at ease and comfortable in it. Most of the time, homeowners stray away from decorating their homes because it can get expensive, depending on your taste, but there are ways around that. The very talented Erika Hollinshead Ward of Erika Ward Interiors gives Atlanta homeowners advice on how to shop for home décor on a budget.
Erika Hollinshead Ward
Erika Ward Interiors
Atlanta, GA
(404) 507-6110
www.erikaward.com
Erika Hollinshead Ward is one of those amazing women who turned her passion of interior design into a successful business. She is the owner and principal designer at Erika Ward Interiors. Not only has Erika been recognized as having the top interior design firm in Atlanta by the Atlanta Tribune, but her work has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles magazine, HGTV.com and many more. Erika is a multi-talented woman who writes for many blogs/websites and is the co-founder of Room Service Atlanta, which is a non-profit organization of interior designers that offers pro-bono work for Metro Atlanta shelters.
Make A List, Check It Twice
Make a list of items needed to complete the space. First "shop your house" for needed items before making a new purchase. Next, make a list of items to keep, donate or sell. Anything you can sell during this process is money that can be put back into your decorating project. The stuff you decide to donate, get rid of it immediately to make room for the new.
Buy The Best Your Money Can Afford
As you shop for home furnishings, educate yourself on how to recognize quality. Next, seek this item at your local discount retailers that sell the popular brands at a fraction of the cost. Inquire within your favorite high-end retailers about their annual/semi-annual sales. Most stores debut new products quarterly and have to make room on their sales floor. You may be able to strike up a deal with them, especially when you pay with cash.
Recycle, Reuse
Shop local secondhand stores for furniture with solid wood construction and have them reupholstered in an upholstery-grade fabric of your choice. When shopping for secondhand items, have an open mind and visualize the beauty of what it could be. This can give you a high-quality item for the cost of lower-quality new piece.
Customize Ready Made Drapery
Its no secret that custom drapery can be quite expensive, however it can really catapult a room from so-so to bravo. As an alternative, take your ready-made curtains to a professional seamstress to have them lined and hemmed (just like the design professionals do) to properly fit your windows. To really up the ante, upgrade your work order by asking your seamstress to add special trimmings that tie into your existing décor. You will have to provide the materials, but they will complete the labor.
Seek out emerging artists and purchase pieces you love from them. Their work is likely to cost less than that of established artists, and you are likely to see your investment grow in value over time.
LeQuisha Gray is a freelance writer covering all things Atlanta. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.
