Decorate within your means

Decorating a house does not have to be an expensive venture when you can use what you have. But before you choose to decorate with things you already have, you can pick a theme and colour scheme. It can be an African theme which blends well with a white and brown colour scheme.

After choosing the theme, you can then think of the materials to incorporate into the chosen theme. It is advisable to pick colours that are in harmony.

However, the look of good decoration will depend on the size of the room, the colour of the walls, and the amount of light coming into the room. Immaculate Agaba, a home and office organiser, says one can decorate the home with a wide range of things.

cloth
When decorating with cloth, one can explore from traditional clothes like the red and blue masai clothing to colourful or tie-dye material that is used to make a design on the walls. Cloth can also be used as a background for a set of decoration items.

Plates and Trays
Plates of different colours or those with great designs can be hang on a side board and if possible on the walls to attain a bright atmosphere. On the other hand, plain white flat plates or trays can be used to contrast with brightly coloured walls like purple and blue.

Baskets
Well-designed circular or oval baskets can be hang on the wall, placed on the side board or hang from the ceiling. On the other hand, the bottom of a basket can be used as decoration, especially

on a plain wall.
Small serving baskets in different colours locally known as endeiro usually used for serving millet can also be used to decorate the house.

Hats, stones and boxes
Immaculate Agaba, an interior designer, says hats can be used as a centre piece to make a wall or table standout. However, this depends on the setting of the room and how big it is since the hats would not make a good contrast if the room is cluttered with other things.

Stones of any shape, smooth or rough in texture when coloured or used as they are, can be placed around the room to bring colour and nature to it. Boxes can be cut and shaped to make unique chandeliers for lights in all rooms.

Pots and calabashes

Although pots and calabashes are used to store water and milk, Agaba says, “They can be redesigned with colour and used to give the living and dining rooms an African feel. These can be put on the table or shelves, in a glass cabinet and on the floor close to the wall.”

Leaves, feathers and photo collage
These can be glued onto a wall, but they can also be put against a paper and sprayed to leave their shape on the paper or board which is then displayed in the living or dining room.

Feathers can also be put in a pot or bottle. Meanwhile, by mounting several pictures on a cardboard or photo frames, one creates a photo collage in the living room or in the hall way of the house to give the house a personal touch.

The cost
You can get different decorative items for your house from places like African village along Buganda Road, the National Theatre and from different shops that sell African clothes along Kampala Road at different prices.
• You can buy a basket, calabash and pot at prices ranging from Shs3,000 to Shs15,000, depending on the size and material used.
• Get an African cloth either in tie and dye or in form of a painting at Shs5,000 to Shs80,000.
• Buy a decorative plate and tray from any cutlery shop across town from Shs3,000 to Shs15,000.

[email protected]