Dear Marc: I am working on a very tight budget and have to paint my entire living room, change my flooring and update some of my furniture. Do you have any tips on how I can achieve a designer look on a tight budget? — Genevieve

Dear Genevieve:

There are a number of different ways to approach a designer project with not a ton of money. I've compiled 10 quick tips to consider before you start your project to make sure your designer project is a success.

1. Make a budget. This may sound obvious, but many homeowners start a design project without a plan, only to find the end product costing more than it should have. "I don't have lots of money to spend" is too vague. Have a set amount that you would like to spend and add a little something extra for incidentals.

2. Don't throw out good-quality furniture! If you don't like the fabric on your sofa, it doesn't mean you have to replace it entirely. You can reupholster an existing piece with discounted fabric or, if you aren't a seamstress extraordinaire, you can simply buy sofa covers. They are quite trendy and used by many designers. They come in different colours and patterns and, not to worry, as they look nothing like our grandparents' sofa covers!

3. Missing a splash of colour in a neutral space? Any space can be spiced up by adding a few accent pillows on the sofa and chair. By bringing in new colour in the space, you alter the entire look of the room. If you get tired of a look, consider changing the pillow from one season to the next, so your space always looks fresh and inviting.

4. Consider pooling together furniture and accessories with a few friends who are also redesigning similar spaces. This way, you switch your sofa with a friend and get a new look, and vice versa. This a great way to have fun in your project, and takes the stress out of getting rid of things. Many homeowners feel more comfortable parting with their sofas they're tired of but paid good money for, if they know they're going to a good home. The easiest way to do this is to find common colours schemes that reflect the latest trends. This way, you don't recreate the room your friend had in her home.

5. Have old hardwood flooring? Look at adding a new area rug, as opposed to refinishing the entire floor. Refinishing floors can be quite expensive, but adding a new area rug will revitalize the look of your floors by covering up the flooring's imperfections and bringing new colours into the space.

6. Need new artwork? Go through your old albums and have some prints done in black and white. Black and white photography is quite trendy and using your family album will bring personality to your space.

7. Need more colour? Consider adding an accent wall, as opposed to painting the entire space. Many times, it's not all the colours in your colour scheme that are outdated, but rather how the colours are paired together. For instance, taupe and burgundy is an outdated colour scheme, but if you change your accent colour from burgundy to red, voila! You have a designer space!

8. Miss-tint anyone? Miss-tints are cans of paint homeowners have ordered and the only problem with the can is that the shade of the colour didn't match the colour card. These paints are the same quality as a regular can of paint you would buy on the shelf, but they're already tinted, so it's just a matter of going through the cans and finding the right colour. Paint stores have tons of miss-tints at discount prices. Many times, you are able to find the perfect colour and at a fraction of the price!

9. Manual labour? Labour costs take up most of the design project, therefore, if you're working on a very tight budget, ask friends and family to help out. You most likely know someone who is a good painter or sewer in your circle of friends. Once she has donated some time towards your project, you can return the favour when she starts redesigning her space.

10. Shop around! Always shop around and ask for multiple quotes when starting a design project. Many homeowners jump on the first quote of the first sofa they find.

Budgets are one of the realities of any design project. By accepting them, we can have fun finding creative ways to work with them.

Marc Atiyolil is the editor-in-chief of Canadian Home Trends — Canada's Home Decor & Lifestyle Magazine. To submit a question for him, visit CanadianHomeTrends.ca.