Style by the Yard The most striking (and strikingly simple) way to transform a room is to add art to the walls, especially when painting and wallpaper aren't an option. Custom framing and original artwork can blow your decorating budget, but these DIY projects and ideas will give you maximum design impact with minimum wallet damage. Quickly add color and texture to bare walls by wrapping fabric, including scraps from other projects, around wooden artist's panels. No framing is necessary, and only one nail is required to hang them. To maximize the impact, cluster multiple panels covered in complementary prints. Make the Textile Wall Art Create a custom piece by connecting frames with hardware called mending plates. Try monochromatic frames and black-and-white shots for a unified look, or an eclectic mix to liven things up. Make the Connected Photo Frames Even beginners can sew these striking silk-taffeta squares, which resemble a deconstructed quilt. They are also an exploration of color, inspired by the work of Bauhaus designer and 20th-century abstract artist Josef Albers.

Make the Framed Quilt Squares Display a new print purchased at a flea market or a handful of plants collected on a walk without a lot of expense and fuss. ways to decorate your home for christmasJust have a glazier cut two panes of glass to the desired size, and ask him to hone the edges so they won't be sharp. creative ways to decorate a home officeThen sandwich your art between the two panes, and secure the sides with binder clips from a stationery store.christmas tree decorations picks How to Make the Glass Frame Give framed images a striking effect by hanging them above and below an invisible line. To unify the group, choose a single color for all frames and, if displaying photographs, stick with either all black-and-white or all color shots.

Make the Picture an Easier Way Project Turn Instagram photos into a sweet -- but not saccharine -- statement piece. Make the Love Photo Art Project Remnants of four graphic fabrics add drama when placed in metal frames and hung in a grid. When choosing fabrics, stick to bold, overscale patterns, since small florals will lose presence when viewed from afar. Midnight-blue velvet ribbon adds a luxe touch to these rectangular mirrors. Make the Velvet Ribbon Mirror Frame Group together four dyed linen panels that share the same pale-blue base but stand apart with their bold overlay of color. Make the Ombre Art Panel Create feminine, elegant wall art reminiscent of lace doilies with this basic stencil project. Make the Cathedral Lace Wall Art This crisp, graphic take on the family tree features a silhouette of each family member set in an inexpensive store-bought frame. If you can't find suitable portraits of everyone, try showing people's bodies in motion or standing in a characteristic pose.

Make the Framed Silhouette Family Tree Instead of buying individual prints, try framing pages from an art book, like these illustrations from a vintage handbook on British ferns. Cards, photos, postcards, and more become a rotating art display when you slip them into this tack-free board. Make the Tack-Free Message Board Highlight a collection of vintage handkerchiefs from flea-market outings or Grandma's personal stash by framing and hanging your favorites. Make the Framed Handkerchiefs Beyond Paint and WallpaperI was browsing through Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel last weekend.  Generally, I prefer the affordability of say TJ Maxx and Home Goods, but this time around I needed drapes for my windows – and Pottery Barn was the only place that had the color I needed.  So, begrudgingly I spent the exorbitant price and bought the extra wide drapes for my picture window. As I was wandering through the store, I confess – I absolutely love the style of simple elegance in many of their displays, but I wondered how many people could afford this stuff. 

After all, the average U.S. household income before taxes was only $63,091 last year.  One couch from Pottery barn is easily 5% of the take home income for the year.  And I only bought my house recently because it’s the best time to buy with low mortgage rates, low property values (I got my  house for $60,000 less than it was three years ago), and the first time home buyer tax credit. So for the rest of us who cannot afford to decorate our entire homes in Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, or some exquisite boutique, how can we create the picture perfect home without spending tens of thousands? After pouring over quite a few catalogs and design magazine, my very unprofessional opinion is that you don’t have to spend the money for the tasteful and expensive look.  While there are certain pieces that just don’t look the same from any other store, a majority of the look can be replicated for much less.  Here’s my two cents on interior design: 1. You have to begin with a plan. 

Picking up random vases, fabrics, and side tables do not add up to a matching living room.  To do this, I would recommend leafing through design books or magazines to pick a room you would like to create (or with features you want in your home). 2. After you have a plan, start looking for each of the pieces that make the room look good.  There are certain things that just look cheap if you’re not careful.  For example, the drapes I initially bought were 1/3 the price and looked like old sheets hanging from my window.  To accurately design your home with a specific style in mind – you can’t go cheap on all the pieces. Instead, you can get furniture from a cheaper store, but buy some well-made pillows to decorate it that are more expensive.  When you mix the cheap and expensive – it hides the flaws of some of the cheaper stuff. 3. Buy fabrics with strong textures.  Generally speaking, textures make things look heavier, and more luxurious.  For my living room, I’m thinking about getting a Persian area rug, which will hopefully become the focus rather than the much cheaper couch.