SEPTEMBER 1 has come and gone. If you’re like a good percentage of Boston’s population, you’ve probably endured a hellish move to a new place. And as if the physical act of lugging your stuff from apartment to apartment wasn’t taxing enough, now you have to decorate. We tapped Heather Wells, principal of architectural design firm Heather G. Wells, Ltd. (359 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.437.7077), for tips on how to spruce up your new pad, whether your budget’s $500, $2500, or $5000. No matter what state your bank account is in, Wells’s basic tips are simple: try a fresh coat of paint on the walls, new pillows on the sofa, and some “life,” like plants, personal photos, and vacation mementos. And if your design plans happen to exceed your means by a few dollars? Well, that’s what credit cards are for.
if your budget is $500, Heather says …
● Purchase fun bedding from places like Target (various locations) or IKEA (1 IKEA Way, Stoughton, 781.344.IKEA).
● IKEA and Target are great for fun accent rugs, too.
● Try Flor carpet tiles for a really unique, customized look at www.flor.com.
● Sewfisticated (14 McGrath Highway, Somerville, 617.625.7996) and the Fabric Place (399 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.262.3140) are great places to find affordable fabric for re-covering cushions on dining chairs. This is done by just removing the seat and stapling the new fabric over the existing cushion.
● Use some “sweat equity” and paint a saturated color on a blank wall as an accent wall for the rest of your color scheme to play off of. Try a bright orange or violet — those are hot colors for the fall.
● HomeGoods (Middlesex Avenue and Middlesex Falls Parkway, Somerville, 617.628.1275) and Marshalls (various locations) are great places to find cute home accessories and kitchen goods, from discounted pots and pans to Italian glassware.
● Thrift stores are great places to find odd tables and chairs that can be painted all the same color — creamy white and black are great — to make mismatched pieces look like they go together.
● Some great thrift stores for accessories are Cadia Vintage (148 Salem Street, Boston, 617.742.1203) and History (1693 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.868.5400).
● Fun cloth dinner napkins can be sewn together to make throw pillows.
● Accessorize your coffee table or bookshelves with pebbles or shells you found on a recent summer vacation.
● Removable wall decals from www.whatisblik.com are great ways to get a great graphic impact without damaging your walls. Apply them over a brightly colored wall, or use fun colors on a clean white wall.
● Plants like bamboos and succulents are great because not only do they add a bit of nature to your space, they require almost no upkeep and they last forever.
if your budget is $2500, Heather says …
● Cb2, a sister company to Crate & Barrel, is great for affordable home accents and lighting.
● Get great discounted quality bedding from T.J. Maxx (various locations) and Marshalls.
● IKEA is good for dishes, kitchen supplies, and window treatments.
● Try Dash and Albert for very cute, affordable cotton and wool rugs. They can be found at Hudson (312 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, 617.292.0900) in the South End, or at www.dashandalbert.com.
● Try swapping the hardware on your existing furniture with some really pretty knobs from Anthropologie (799 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.262.0545).
● Framing vintage fabric, postcards, and advertising posters is a great way to fill up empty wall space.
● Zimman’s Fabrics (80 Market Street, Lynn, 781.598.9432) is a great place to find really affordable fabric for slip-covering existing pieces, for a fraction of the cost of most showrooms.
● Home Depot (various locations) is a good place to get large-scale plants that add tons of drama to a space, but for a small price. Try a palm tree or a rubber-tree plant.
● West Elm (160 Brookline Avenue, Boston, 617.450.9500) in the Fenway is a great source for very cool accessories and accent pieces like pillows and end tables.
● For very glamorous and whimsical touches, check out www.brocadehome.com.
● Rather than wallpapering an entire room, which can often get very expensive, try covering just one wall in a textured grasscloth.
if your budget is $5000, Heather says …
● You can get custom-fit window treatments for those odd-size windows at www.smithandnoble.com. They have a huge selection of styles and materials and can make them customized to your exact dimensions and specifications. Plus, they are extremely affordable.
● Restoration Hardware (711 Boylston Street, Boston 617.578.0088) is great for paint colors and timeless accessories, lighting, and bedding.
● You can find some really interesting and modern quilts from Denise Schmitt at www.dsquilts.com.
● Visit some great South End stores like Hudson, Garage Sale (55 Waltham Street, Boston, 617.482.7044), Devi Home (1134 Washington Street, Boston, 617.556.0099), Urban Living Studio (58 Clarendon Street, Boston, 617.247.8150), Motley Home (652 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.266.5566), Lekker (1317 Washington Street, Boston, 617.542.6464), and Red River Trading Co. (1313 Washington Street, Boston, 617.542.2223) for one of-a-kind pieces.
● Check out open studios in the South End, September 16 and 17, and Allston, November 11 and 12, for local artists’ pieces at great prices.
● For a sophisticated flower, try orchids. They can range anywhere from $30 to $90 each, but they really finish off a space and are great for when guests are in town. They’re also still a good deal because the blooms last for up to three months, and can be purchased inexpensively at places like Home Depot. @
Photos: Heather G. Wellis, Cadia Vintage, Hudson
[Photos by Melissa Ostrow]
