The Bed:

In a small master bedroom, it is key to keep it’s use concise. If you can, minimize the amount of furniture and locate the bed central to the room. Depending on design style, keep side tables to a small size or float shelves from the wall to visually free up floor space. An option is to have a licenced electrician install wall mounted lamps, that can be purchased with a swing arm to adjust position, which is great for reading in bed. Keep the scale of lamps appropriate to the side tables. Large lamps will overwhelm the room.

The Bedding:

For a crisp hotel look, keep bedding to white or a solid neutral color. Keep the amount of pillows to a maximum of 4, and coordinate 2 in shams to match the solid neutral.

The Closet:

If there isn’t sufficient closet space follow one of two paths for clothing storage. Purchase closed door wardrobe systems with modular interiors to provide flexibility in storage from shoes to belts to sweaters. Keep the door fronts minimal but to fit the scheme of the rest of the condo. Paint or purchase the wardrobes the same colour as the rooms wall color to keep them from imposing on the rest of the small room. A second option for clothes storage is to install a exposed closet system which is a more urban and industrial approach. Hang all of your clothes in neat order on sharp wood and chrome hangers and let your newest fashion purchase be your bedrooms art. Keep your best stuff on display and utilize a secondary closet for the clothes you don’t wear regularly.

The Seating:

If you are able to squeeze in a sitting area in your small master bedroom, choose a location close to a window. Keep the chair to a small size and share the bed’s side table for setting down your morning coffee while you read the paper in the sunlight. If your window sill is low enough use a bench as a window seat or have a millworker build in a bench and have a upholstered bench pad made to fit. Most benches provide storage inside which is a great place to store extra bedding and pillows.

The Lighting:

Generally in most bedroom uses sconces or table lamps either side of the bed is sufficient for general lighting with a ceiling mounted fixture for occasional use. If the ability is there, a series of 4-6 recessed pot lights on a dimmer can replace a ceiling mounted fixture for a modern aesthetic and provide flexibility in lighting options. If further lighting is needed for wardrobe systems, purchase art lights and hang them from the top of the wardrobes for localized task lighting. If a makeup area requires lighting, install a light bar above a mirror. For lighting at a sitting area, use an adjustable floor lamp situated just behind the chair, away from the side table lamp.

The Windows:

Window coverings for your bedroom has a long variety of options that require another article. If you need a dark room to get a good sleep look for drapery or shades that are lined to provide blackout. If you don’t require lining there are many options including sheers, horizontal and vertical blinds, roman shades, roller shades, wood slat blinds, woven wood blinds and rod/track drapery. Choices from these options are dependant on window dimensions, privacy requirements and style required. For more ideas check out Small Space Living Magazine

The living room is one of the busiest rooms in the home so it’s important that it’s comfortable and functional for the whole family to enjoy. If your living room is looking a bit jaded then now’s the time to bring it back to life with some great redesign ideas at budget prices. Check out the top tips below for a new look living room…

Lighting

Having new light fittings installed can be expensive so you could slash the costs by opting for new lampshades for your light fittings. Lampshades can be as little as a few pounds each and your living room can be instantly lifted with new, dust-free lampshades. If your lamp fittings don’t have shades and you still want to make some changes then invest in some free standing lamps or up lighters to create a modern touch to the room.

Painting

The easiest way to make a huge impact in your living room is to add a fresh coat of paint to the walls. If you’re not planning on replacing any items of furniture then you’re best off going for a neutral shade for the walls such as off-white shades of green, brown or blue. These shades can create a relaxing and understated finish to complement your existing furniture. If you have a tin of paint left over from a previous DIY project then you could use that to paint a key wall in your living room to give the area extra character.

Flooring

As flooring is so expensive there might not be a great deal you can do on a budget to spruce up your living room floor. If you have a carpet which has seen better days then have you checked if there are floorboards underneath? If you do have floorboards then it could be cheaper to sand and varnish these rather than opting for a new carpet to give your room a completely new look. Investing in a couple of trendy rugs is also a low cost way to create a fresh look in your living room.

Windows

Windows are the most important feature of the living room as they let the natural light in. The drapery you choose for your windows is therefore important to the overall look of the room. Discount window blinds are a good option for updating windows on a budget as you can get high quality blinds for a very affordable price. Make sure that you choose a colour which complements the rest of the room or you could choose a lively pattern to really make the window area stand out. Cheap roller blinds are a good choice for discount window blinds as there is such a huge variety of colours available and they are generally suitable for any size of window. If you shop for your shades online then you may save even more money, especially as many websites offer cheap blinds with free UK delivery.