To ask your (affordable) interior design loves?

[brinker]

I’ve noticed in the many interior design hates discussions that most of the ‘hated’ decor is sadly what I’d deem less costly, accessible (eg can get what you need from Dunelm, home bargains or IKEA) and could be done in my small new-ish house. A lot of the discussions about what people love are the other way and often include things like original Victorian tiled floors, features you’d find in an Edwardian or old home (emphasis on things like panelling but ONLY in an old property) proper solid antique furniture, quality wooden floor etc

So I thought to get ideas I would ask… what decor/interior design do you LOVE but is also pretty affordable?

Where do you find very cheap portraits in oil, @Ketzele ?

• If skirting and door frames are painted, paint them the same colour as the walls

• use multiple light sources, table lamps, floor lamps, wall lights - easy to pick up 2nd hand

• plants, put them in belly baskets, willow/wicker pots etc

• framed photos - silver coloured frames can be picked up very cheaply from Ikea

I love one red item in a room - it makes me smile. Lifts the whole room.

PaminaMozart, mine are mostly from Ebay- I have a saved search which is roughly portraits-oil-modern. They send a daily selection and about once a mo nth or so something comes up. My budget is up to fifty quid.

My collection started with a few pieces My mum had been given by art student friends in the 60s, and I think most of what I buy is indeed art school stuff. In the 50s and 60s they all wanted to be Duncan Grant so that works well for my kind of Bloomsbury style!

I also have some odd bits from charity shops - a close up portrait of a baby, which says on the back 'my first grandchild, Hannah'. An old 30s painting of a woman breastfeeding. A big painting of an elderly Chinese man who has the kindest face. A rabbi.

Best of all is the two huge oil paintings of my great great grandparents, which were rolled up and hidden when my (Jewish, elderly) gg grandmother went into hiding in Berlin during the war. They sit kind of oddly in my little two bed home, but I love them so much.

Sorry to give such a long answer, but I have a lot of paintings and they give the most personality and the most uniqueness to my home. Visitors either love them or think it's a bit eccentric, but I honestly think cheap original art, beautiful paint and vintage furniture are the top three musts for a lovely home.

I'd love to have a similar collection, @Ketzele - especially Bloomsbury inspired portraits. Or variations on a theme of Rembrandt...

I like modern design with a nod to the outdoors. Unfortunately the area where I live tends towards shabby chic/ fake French flea market/ faux mcm, all of which I dislike (even if real rather than fake). It means I have to get creative at times. I’m a big fan of texture and grain, especially in hard surfaces. I love colour and try to have one slightly unexpected colour in each room.

Whenever we go on holiday I try to buy something for our home. Post purchases have included artwork, posters, vases, candlesticks, cushion covers etc. Mostly not expensive (apart from one painting), but very meaningful to us.

Stick to natural materials, wood, wool, cotton, glass, ceramic, etc. sourced second hand if necessary.
Avoid flat polyester foam filled cushions and plastic tat.
ikea is great and I’m fond of a good ikea haul but don’t over do it.

Art work should be correctly mounted and in good quality frames. Plastic frames and those ikea plastic ‘ glass’ are fine for maybe kids art work in the kitchen at a push.

I think leaning into the period your house is always works well; then add a modern twist to suit your own taste. Be sympathetic to any original features but have fun with colour and furniture to suit your own style.

Our big splurge is Farrow & Ball paint - I love it. Its colour and finish is unparalleled. Furniture I source second hand and shop for deals online. H&M Home is great for clean, scandi style at a good price.

I’m not a fan of clutter but bring the odd piece home from holidays - a painting, candle holder, oil burner, a pretty shell. You can build up a lovely collection quite cheaply doing this.

Plants in pretty pots! I love the cheap foliage you can buy in supermarkets etc. With good care, they flourish!

Love all these suggestions

• If skirting and door frames are painted, paint them the same colour as the walls

really? I don’t think I’ve ever seen this! Intrigued

Yes, it's called colour drenching and it looks great! You can also take the colour up over the ceiling.

Colour drenching looks fab. If you think about how cohesive an all white room looks, it's the same effect but with colour.

Neutrals with some bright colour.
Solid wood tables.
Plants, real and fake.
Lamps.
Soft furnishings; fluffy rugs, thick curtains, soft cushions.
Eclectic art and a very small selection of items on display.

One thing I really struggle with, is choosing paint colour. Dressing the room, knowing my personal style, sourcing furniture etc I'm fine with but with paint, I freeze! If anyone has suggestions for a warm, neutral colour for a NW facing small living room, along with colour for the ubiquitous feature chimney breast, I'd be grateful ! I love strong , deep colours but have tried them and they suck up the very little light.

@HouseWoe how about 'Archive' from F&B? It's a taupe and seems to work in our NW living room. We contrast it with white and black in the rest of the living room...it seems to work.

Will take a look at that thanks. It's the light that causes me issues - very dull/ flat during most of the day but then a few hours of intense late afternoon sunlight which casts a strong, golden glow.

@HouseWoe north light tends to bring out any grey undertones so you probably want to go with a yellow/orange/salmon toned neutral. SO F&B Skimmed Milk Bombazine Fawn, Orange white, Dimity or COrd. Little Green Mushroom etc. I like the architectural range from Paint and Paper Library as you can get stronger and paler graduations of the same shade which would work well with a feature without being OTT - I love their Powder range which is pinky but Cashmere, Canvas and Sand would also work. It has the same lovely texture as F&B

I'm still a sucker for an up-cycled item. I get alot of furniture from the too good to throw shop at our local recycling centre for a couple of quid, then just chalk paint it. I don't do anything fancy and usually stick to one colour in each room, but I like the variety of shapes you get-often more elegant legs or whatever, and the quality of the furniture is usually much better than new bought and definitely better than flat pack.
I recently got a big side board from the tip for £8. Beautiful bevelled doors, inlaid velvet lined cutlery drawer, gorgeous carved legs-but in a horrible orangey pine wood. Slapped a bit of dark teal chalk paint on it and it looks banging!

I really like the very modern “acoustic” style panelling that is currently in vogue: prices vary, but doing one feature wall would look great in a modern house.

@londonmummy1966 very helpful, thank you. And that would help ease the headache of finding a complementary colour for chimney breast wall!

I paint as a hobby, mostly portraits but some landscapes too, so my house is covered in (almost) free art!

I buy a lot of furniture second hand and have a lot of eBay searches saved for specific items. I have a complete mix of furniture from different eras.

Recently bought an IKEA piece but painted it so it looks more interesting. You'll need both primer and decorator's varnish over the top for that.

Choosing more interesting paint schemes doesn't add cost.

Interesting, would it work on a newer build home though? Pictures on google show beautiful period homes so I don’t know if it would look a bit naff attempted in an average home like mine

We have F&B school house white in our N facing living room, it's a lovely soft off white that works in cool and warm light. If your room is small, how about adding colour to the recesses near the fireplaces rather than the fireplace itself, it should widen the room. If you're feeling bold, I love F&B oval room blue as a coloured wall which is a nice teal shade.

Some colour drenching examples in
modern houses:

Study
Sitting room
Music room
Bathroom
Bedroom

I love balance.
I love to mix up elegance and comfort - think crystal candlesticks and formal lamps with slubby comfortable cushions in disarray. Or art and nature - think oil paintings with a bowl of natural finds like shells or pine cones.
I absolutely cannot resist original artwork, luxury vintage cushions/ bedcovers, and sculpture. All, of course, acquired affordably and second hand.
I cannot imagine picking one design style and rigidly sticking within its definitions and rules. I'd find that soulless.
I also cannot enjoy an overly staged and overly matched home. I want a sanctuary and that means being surrounded by that which I find beautiful, inspiring and calming whilst still being comfortable.