(Re) Decorating on a Budget

It's been awhile since we've painted the inside of our house.  The last time my husband was up on the big aluminum ladder was when I was in my "don't be afraid of color" phase.  Our entryway, stairway, dining room, halls and ceilings are various shades of yellow.  Our family room and kitchen are "pumpkin" with a red accent wall.  Bedrooms and baths are other colors.  At one time my daughter's room was lime green, then dark green, and her bathroom was bright pink.

We've definitely embraced color, but I think as an "empty nester" I'm mellowing a bit.  When we re-painted my daughter's room as it morphed into a guest room, we picked a very calm light green with the bathroom matching in a lighter shade.  I love the look and am pleased with the paint choice.

We are now in the process of painting the downstairs - covering up most, if not all, of the color.  We chose a gray with blue overtones in three shades - the lightest for the ceilings and the darkest for a little bit of accent color around some decorative windows over the stairwell. 

At my husband's request as we prepped for painting, I began taking everything off the walls.  I debated whether or not to take pictures of the arrangements so that I could put everything back exactly where they were (a little OCD, I know).  But we've gathered so many pictures over our 30 year marriage there isn't enough wall space for all of them and, over the years, my favorites then aren't really my favorites now.  So I gave myself permission to start fresh.

I would love to have the disposable income to hire someone to decorate my home every once in awhile - do the painting, reupholster the furniture, remat the pictures, etc.  But that is not in the budget.  However, paint is an inexpensive way to make things look new again and repurposing my artwork and pictures might give everything a new feel.

I'll keep you updated, but here are a few pictures of the first few room "edits" and picture rearrangement:

Guestroom wall with pictures that used to be in the downstairs bathroom.  The original green mat worked perfectly with the new light green walls.

These are watercolor prints that we bought in Paris many years ago.

A chair from the living room (that won't match the new paint) adds to a relaxing feeling in the guest room.

Decoration that I purchased at a local store that I put in the guest bathroom.

I bought this little clock at the same store.  I loved the bird and the wire "nest".

Three original watercolors purchased on that same trip that my daughter had in her room.  They now are on the wall in the guest bath.

The original green mat again works well with the paint color.

The cabinet (purchased at Target years ago) was opposite the sink area  in the bathroom originally.  I moved it above the toilet and filled it with memorabilia from my daughter's childhood.