The Salt Lake Home Show: The Ask a Designer Booth

Jen Adair and Jana Romney of Opal Design Group will be hosting the 'Ask a Designer' booth at the Salt Lake Home Show. Be sure to catch Jen on KUTV-2 “Fresh Living” on January 3^rd from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m., and we’ll be sure to post the segment here once it’s up. Read some of their simple design tips for improving your space on a budget below!

The Biggest Bang for your Buck

Most homeowners have at least one room in their home they would like to upgrade, but finding the money to make those changes can be difficult. If you’re on a tight budget, where should you put your money to make the biggest difference in your space? There are a few useful design tips anyone can follow that will help get that high-end look for much less.

Tip #1 – Lighting

Good light fixtures can immediately improve the look and feel of a space. Lighting can be unique, make a dramatic statement, or even be a subtle change. You have the ability to easily adjust the mood without redesigning everything in the room.

- Make the lighting budget slightly higher for light fixtures and lamps

- Shop around for light fixtures with unique textures, finishes, or shapes

- Don’t be afraid of fixtures that make a dramatic statement

- Consider having more than one light source with multiple levels of lighting

Tip #2 – Finish Work

Finish work consists of all molding in the home – baseboards, crown molding, door and window casings, and any other trim work. Besides lighting, this is another area of design that should not be overlooked or downgraded. Adding finish work to your rooms can actually help you save money, as it allows you to reduce the amount of furniture and accessories by adding texture, depth, and layers.

- Two inexpensive and simple pieces of finish work are headers above doors and casings around windows

- If real wood finishing is too expensive, consider using MDF board instead

- For added contrast, use white molding against painted walls

- Remember, although finish work is more time consuming and slightly more expensive, it can bring a huge return on your investment

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For tickets to the Salt Lake Home Show (January 4 - 6) click here.