Home Cheap Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to Great Decorating

by Budget Living

Spend smart, live rich.

When it comes to decorating with sophistication and flair, great style doesn't have to come with a big price tag. The editors of Budget Living magazine, the leading experts on living large and spending small, give readers the lowdown on design and show how to transform a home into a haven----without breaking the bank.

From tiny studios to sprawling houses, this innovative do-it-yourself guide will inspire readers to add color, wit, and chic style to every room in the home. From floor plans and storage opportunities to quirky finishing details and small-scale projects, this book teaches you everything you need to know, including:

€ How to use color to energize and unify your home
€ Where to find distinctive pieces that bring panache to any room
€ What you can do yourself-and when to defer to the experts
€ How planning ahead and thinking creatively can save you thousands of dollars
€ Why sometimes the smartest thing you can do is splurge on something you really love

Genres: Nonfiction, Design

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2004

Reviews

[fried.rambutans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of eclectic geek chic and absolutely hate those clean minimalist luxury style. Probably because I was raised in a cluttered home, and my living spaces are ran over by books, and more books to come. I hoard books, period. I love to collect things from my travel as well, so I wouldn't be caught dead living in those lofts owned by the Wall St. types. My type is more lazy working girl type, ha!

This book inspires me to think out of the box. The design content is not artsy, but eclectic, and makes me go "I can do that! (If I can find the right one in that pattern and color..)" Don't think for a second the furniture there come cheap as titled; while some pieces were salvaged from Salvation Army dumpsters, they were quickly reupholstered or remade, which meant it cost a lot more than buying. But you can still glean some design ideas and use them to transform your home sweet home!

[Emily]

I was in love with the magazine Budget Living which featured "living chic on the cheap" -- from DIY ideas I could actually use to affordable modern furniture, it was a goldmine. Plus, it told you how to decorate for apartment living, which was out of the norm for most style mags. Unfortunately, the magazine went under after about a year or two of publication (I have hoarded all of the issues). The publishers did release this book, and I'm just now getting around to coveting it. According to the amazon review:

"this innovative do-it-yourself guide will inspire readers to add color, wit, and chic style to every room in the home. From floor plans and storage opportunities to quirky finishing details and small-scale projects, this book teaches you everything you need to know, including:

€ How to use color to energize and unify your home
€ Where to find distinctive pieces that bring panache to any room
€ What you can do yourself-and when to defer to the experts
€ How planning ahead and thinking creatively can save you thousands of dollars
€ Why sometimes the smartest thing you can do is splurge on something you really love"

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy looking at and finding inspiration from budget decorating magazines, so this book was a great find. The many photos show rooms and areas within interior decorators' real-life homes, but all of these people are self-described "cheapskates" in their own lives, so most of these ideas are feasible for most anyone. Really creative ideas to be found in here. Particularly amusing: several spreads devoted to rooms in the home of one couple whose tste tends towards the gothic and macabre. Although I don't ever anticipate incorporating their ideas into my "retro-style" apartment, they were still fun to look at!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the writers of the now sadly defunct Budget Living magazine. Also try Budget Living Party Central if you like to be hip but cheap.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

WONDERFUL book. Budjet Living was one of my favorite magazines, (so sad that it didn't make it), and this book is all of their featured homes. Great DIY ideas and beautiful pictures.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book for people with eclectic and/or contemporary taste. I especially liked the "book art."

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book from a great (no longer being printed) magazine. I miss Budget Living magazine dearly. Their party planning book was amazing too;(

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little old to be "current" but I really liked this one and it inspired me to re-do my living room. There's even a small section on re-positioning your existing items without spending a dime.

[Brentabousko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blah.