House Crush: Design on a Dime

Don't you just LOVE someone who can decorate like a pro on a teeny-weeny budget? Kristen Cunningham, the magician of budget-decorating on HGTV's Design on a Dime, lives in a Venice canal rental in LA with her boyfriend. These are her magic tricks.

I am utterly fascinated with how small the kitchen renovation budget was. $1000. Hardly believable. 

Here are a few tips to take away from this project:

1. No need to change kitchen cabinetry. By sanding it, adding strips of wood to create moldings to the front of the cupboards, painting them in semi-gloss and changing the handles, your old cabinetry will be good as new.

2. Don't be afraid to buy from Goodwill and pairing those pieces with new and contemporary accessories. This will help give your house a fresh look while keeping the impression of items collected over time.



3. Surface View is a great spot for scoring gigantic scale art that won't break the bank! They sell reproductions from British art institutions printed on large-scale canvases.

4. Large scale designer rugs can be really expensive. Cut the costs by layering a smaller designer rug on top of a large budget friendly jute rug. Besides, layering is a designer's best kept secret isn't it?

5. Who said gallery walls needed to be expensive? Second Hand doilies can look fabulous on a black background and mounted in a black frame.

6. Be bold with paint: dark ceilings will make a room seem larger while a rich vibrant colour with give new life to an old dusty wardrobe.

all photos via LA Times

 What are your tips for decorating on a dime? Please do share!