1. Train your eye: know what great high-end design pieces look like so that you can have them in mind while hunting at discount or big box stores, flea markets or thrift shops.

2. Be patient: wait for floor sample sales (usually July and/or January) to get good deals and don't feel like you have to race to finish your space. You want to find the right thing at the right price, not just anything at the right price.

3. Paint a piece of furniture (or a few) glossy black. This works on junk shop finds or new pieces with cheesy finishes.

4. Spend some money: All on-the-cheap rooms just look cheap, not chic. Every room needs a few splurges - special pieces that announce their quality. Decide what "splurge" means to you and do it!

5. Just say no to boring mass produced "art". Instead, get creative with large collages made from wrapping paper, wallpaper scraps or maps. Paint a large canvas with leftover paints. Pop kids art into off-the-shelf frames with mattes. Hang a beautifully patterned fabric from wooden dowels.

6. Go big with accessories. Many tiny items make a place look cluttered and cheapy. Instead opt for overscale accessories like standing floor vases, plump floor cushions, pillar candles rather than tea-lights.

7. Use texture: combine shiny, matte, soft and rough natural textures to add richness to a space. Sparkle always adds a dash of glamour.

8. Don't scrimp on the size of your area rug. Many nice rooms are ruined by the use of a postage-stamp sized rug. Can't find one big enough and don't want to spend the earth: go to a broadloom store and order a piece to be cut and bound (choose a sisal look-a-like in wool or sythetic fibre).

9. Do what I did - decorate with black and white. Just like with fashion, these colours (or non-colours) never look tired and combined can result in dramatic spaces that look like their total price tag was much higher that the actual cost.

10. Buy gutsy lamps. Lighting is often an after-thought when decorating on a budget but spindly, too-small lamps are a common faux-pas. Instead, layer your lighting (overhead, task, ambient), switch bulbs to halogen or natural daylight bulbs and buy lamps that have a sculptural appeal.