"Fluffing" Your Home

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

03 Oct 2006 10:53 AM

Would you like to breathe new life into your home, but don't have a huge budget to work with? Why not try "fluffing" your home? What's "fluffing?" It's a term coined by interior decorators to describe an affordable way to add new life to a room without having to break your back (or the bank) in the process.

Does this sound familiar? You look around your home and see drab walls, sagging floors, and antiquated plumbing-all things that require a pretty penny to fix. You decide to spend the money to repair the essentials, but then you find there's no cash leftover to make other rooms more inviting. That's where "fluffing" comes in. Fluffing is a way to change the look of the room using only the items that are already in your house. You don't shop for new items (hence, the "affordable" factor).

A room that has just been "fluffed" would have a new seating arrangement. Fopr example, to create more space for my toddler to roam I moved two ottomans into the bedroom and placed them at the foot of the bed. It has become a great sitting area--when you can see it-(I'll admit it's usually covered with clothes and blankets). Other fluffing ideas include rehanging artwork, rearranging other furniture (perhaps move the piano from the living room to the family room), spackling holes in the wall and throwing away dead plants. You could also liven up a room by scavenging for objects from other rooms.

Another idea: change the lighting; mix-and-match lamps from other rooms or switch out a chandelier. Add a mirror over your mantle to make a room look bigger. Or, group five or six framed photographs and hang them over unsightly marks on your wall. If you have a collection of knickknacks that seem to be overrunning a particular room-purge! Pare them down a reasonable number, arrange them in groups and store the rest. If your room lacks color, consider adding a colored chair from another room. Or, take a pewter pitcher from the dining room, fill it with flowers and add it to a bookcase.

Do-it-yourself decorating, takes time so don't pressure yourself into making the fluffing job a one-day affair. Also, if you feel like you lack the eye-or the heart- to "fluff" consider calling a friend or family member to come over and offer ideas.

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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