Decorating Without Redecorating

I have lived in a flat for just over four months and thought it was time for a bit of...redecorating. I guess you can't really call what I've done 'redecorating' because it doesn't involve any paint or wallpaper and the furniture is still the same. 

It all started when was given two lovely grey throws for Christmas. This gave me the idea to re-arrange and add to our bedroom using 'grey' as the main theme. I managed to make the room look completely different without spending much money at all, so thought I would share what I did with you.

I've added a grey tray which I picked up in France to the bedside table. The base is made of glass and is like a photo frame, allowing you to add your own personal touch. You can create this look yourself for even cheaper like I did here using a photo frame.
This bedside babushka carafe was such a random find! I popped into a local independent shop when I was home for Christmas and found her in the sale for £2. She was such a bargain because apparently her head didn't fit on properly, but it turns out she works fine! 

I've kept the bed simple, matching two of the pillows (you can just see them behind the white ones) with two scatter cushions from ASDA. The two grey throws both live at the end of the bed. 

This stag head was a Christmas gift from my parents to Ben. Isn't it great? I think it was from M&S and although it looks like wood it is actually made from really sturdy cardboard. 
I think a wall piece like this really adds something special to the room and luckily this one ties in nicely with the greyness. 

If you don't like the idea of a cardboard animal head you could always try a print or a canvas. I guess this is like having a 'feature' wall without covering the whole wall.

Each little area of the room has a cluster of candles and pictures. The first one is an adorable design of Durdle Door on a greetings card, which I put in a frame from IKEA. This is such an inexpensive way of displaying artwork, especially if you want to change it regularly. Below this is a framed cross stitch that my bestest friend Laura made for Ben and I.

I love fresh flowers, but they can be so expensive so a great way to save money is by displaying artificial or dried ones. My mum kindly donated some Hydrangeas from her garden, which I have dried out and placed in a jar from IKEA.

It just goes to show that you can make a room look completely different without touching the walls or furniture. I hope this post has been helpful!

Bouquet On A Budget

There's something about flowers that can really brighten up your day. Only thing is, sometimes it's quite a lot of money to spend on something that will only last for a few days. I love having flowers of some sort in the flat so will probably get some artificial ones eventually, if I can find any that look realistic enough. If you can recommend a place to get them please let me know!

 For now, I've been popping into Sainsbury's once a week and picking up a £2 bunch of Gladioli (or Gladiolus, not sure which one is plural). They usually have a good selection of colours to choose from and last week I went for these beautiful pink and white ones. I guess you can't really call this a bouquet as it consists of just the Gladioli, so I like to liven them up a bit by displaying the flowers in interesting ways. 

In my bedroom I use this glass bottle which once contained sparkling water and in the lounge I use my IKEA jar as a vase, which was also only £2. Recently, I've been using picture frames as trays and have stolen Ben's film print as a base for the flowers. I told him that it's only until we can find somewhere to hang the picture, but I quite like the way it looks at the moment.