Fabulously Frugal Tips for Decorating your Home for the Holidays

Today we’re sharing five fabulously frugal tips and ideas from Noa Santos, Designer and Owner of 50 for Fifty, for decorating the inside of your home this holiday season.

1. Wallpaper can not only be expensive, it can be a pain to remove. If you want to give your place a touch of the holidays or if you just want to issue in the new year with a new look that doesn’t leave you scraping for Christmas coin, use paint and a bit of elbow grease (and blue tape) to transform a room. Here we used 2″ blue tape to create a stripe pattern in a small bathroom, instantly taking it from lackluster to Lagerfeld.

2. Instead of splurging on new accessories for your place, scout your local flea markets for vintage pieces and get creative! Think up new ways to surprise your guests and remind them of how design savvy you are. Here we leaned a distressed, wooden ladder on the wall near the front door as a friendly reminder to guests with wet shoes.

3. If you’re unsure about what to do with the old shipping pallet’s Dad’s surprise, flat screen TV came on this year, stack them up and use them as an excuse to get rid of last year’s boring bed frame. Part shoe-storage, part conversation-starter, this piece is sure to make your holiday guests “green” with envy.

4. Everyone needs extra seating for the holidays but who is actually going to splurge on new pieces? Use your imagination (and a few of last months Vogue’s) to create a few stools like this one by NJUStudio. Go shopping for a few vintage belts (or better yet, use the ones you were going to pack away) and tether yourself a few new chairs.

5. The holidays are all about starting anew, surpassing expectations and making 2012 even better than 2011. Start by breaking out of the 8 x 11.5″ box and refinish one of your walls or even a door in Benjamin Moore’s chalkboard paint – then use it to as a place to record ideas, inspirational sentiments or just reminders. Those New Year’s resolutions will be a lot harder to forget if they’re written all over your kitchen wall.

Noa Santos is an accomplished Interior Designer and has worked on some of New York metropolitan’s most exclusive residences by brining a modern eye and fresh perspective. Noa is recognized for creating timeless interiors that present a refined translation of his client’s personalities. Noa’s company, 50 for Fifty ($50 for fifty- min. of personal design consultation), makes the luxury of interior design affordable and available for stylish, young New Yorkers who “work hard, play hard and deserve to love where they live.”

For more great tips, check out Noa’s website: http://www.50forfifty.com
Check out Noa’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/50forFifty