Make big changes on a small budget

It was the early 1990s and Laura Ashley flower prints were hot.

- NINA DRAGICEVIC

Ami McKay was a budget-conscious student living alone for the first time, and to cosy up her bedroom she bought a Laura Ashley sheet set, sewed the sheets together and made a duvet cover.

She also picked up a lacy fabric and fashioned a canopy over the bed, pinning the four corners to the ceiling. With just a few pieces of fabric, her room was transformed.

Today, McKay is president and principal interior designer at Pure Design Inc., a Vancouver design firm. Being young and on a budget was a blessing, she said: it forces you to be creative.

“For 20- to 30-year-olds, it’s such a fun time because you’re only as limited as your mind,” McKay said. “You can do things on a next-tonothing budget.”

In terms of “big impact, small investment” design elements, Sharayah Moffat picks plants, paint and cabinet hardware as her Top 3.

“I always like to play with different sizes when I’m designing and styling (plants),” said Moffat, founder and principal designer of Salt & Ink Design Studio, based near Winnipeg.

Paint is a dramatic change that, when you supply the labour, doesn’t break the bank.