The House of your dreams
Your dream home is what you make it. For example, you don’t have to live in a million dollar neighborhood to enjoy the atmosphere where you live. Your home is what you make of it and how you define yourself. There are some people who love the look of colonial houses, while others prefer a more modern and futuristic look. Some people like the aged look of a historic house or houses that have lots of greenery on the sides of the house, while others prefer a very simple landscaping that gives off a clean feel. Whatever look you want for your home, chances are you can achieve it no matter what kind of budget you have. It is simply a matter of being creative.
When I lived in a row house with one of my old roommates, I was given permission to take over the front yard of the house. I had a lot of fun experimenting with different trees and shrubs from Home Depot and Lowes hardware stores. At one point, I planted Azalia bushes and several rose bushes in the small plot in front of the house; and it actually turned out really well. Several of the neighbors often stopped by to watch the different flowers grow.
When it comes to the interior of your home, this is a different story. There are some people who are not necessarily happy with the interior appearance of their house; but at the same time, they’re too afraid to make changes because they’re afraid of all the work that would have gone into it just to make it look horrible. This is where it pays to play around with color swatches. For example, if you’re thinking of redecorating your living room, Ikea has workstations set up with software that lets you play with different aspects of your living space to figure out what would look best where. You can even do it yourself from the comfort of your own home if you are creative enough. Similarly, when my mother was thinking about remodeling our kitchen, she went to a kitchen store and the store sent one of her reps for free to take measurements of our kitchen and take pictures. Then back at the store, my mom got to see a 3D model of our kitchen and what it would look like after the renovations were done. Having this visual aid was certainly a great help in determining what needed to happen from then on. Isn’t technology amazing?
Even if you’re on a budget and really can’t afford renovations like the ones mentioned above, less expensive alternatives include buying a couple of buckets of paint and inviting a few friends over to help out. Remember, sometimes the key to discovering your dream home is working with what you have and letting your creativity shine.