How to Save on Rugs and Paintings

So you’ve learned to shop for second-hand furniture and you know what to do with your expensive rug. Let’s continue with the third tip on saving money while furnishing and decorating the living room!

Tip #3: Want your floor to look expensive but you’re on a budget? Layer your rugs!

If having a rug is a must for you (as it is for me), buy two (or more!) affordable rugs and layer them, instead of purchasing one expensive shag rug!

Initially, I wanted an expensive long-pile rug, but I knew it would break the bank. I bought my sisal rug for PhP4,500 and decided to buy a smaller (read: cheaper) shaggy rug, which I layered on top of the sisal. I didn’t have to sell my kidney but I got my soft, shaggy carpet!

Tip #4: If you’re looking for a small shag rug, try the bathroom section.

I found my soft, long-pile rug in the bathroom section of the department store! It’s made of microfiber so it’s really soft underfoot.

See that soft rug? Believe it or not, it cost me just over PhP700!

It costs much less than a shag rug you might find in the carpet section, but it accomplishes the same effect. My 26” x 45” microfiber rug cost me just about PhP700 (I got it at 10 percent off), a far cry from the PhP2,500 you’re likely to spend on a carpet of the same size!

Tip #5: Instead of buying one big painting, make a collage of smaller ones instead.

A big painting will cost me PhP10,000. Installing that heavy painting will require labor and fixtures that can damage the walls, requiring repairs if I leave this house one day. It’s obvious that I had to go with a more practical option: a wall collage.

To make a collage on my wall, I first laid out on the floor the items I wanted on the wall. Scroll down and check out what they look on my wall now!

I measured my wall and headed to the mall to look for mirrors, frames, and works of art that didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. I laid them out on the floor, to the mild distress of the sales crew, and did an initial layout right then and there.

When I was happy with the collection of frames, art, and mirrors, I made my purchase. I spent just PhP2,100 instead of the projected PhP10,000!

UP NEXT:
How to substitute expensive furniture
PLUS the great reveal!