Posted by: Michelle Osborn
Filled in:
Nothing makes a house feel like a home more than putting your personal touch on it. I was so excited when we purchased a brand new home last fall because it gave me a chance to put our mark on it right from the start. The challenge? Trying to do it without going into debt or emptying out our bank account. You see, we had a 3000+ sq ft modular home placed on an acre of land that was a mess (putting it kindly) and had to be cleared first.
This had been my inlaws home years ago. My mother-in-law passed away in 2006 and everything just sat until last year. Needless to say......we had our work cut out for us (and still do).
We still have major landscaping to do, but that's all in time & with cash. We will do the majority of the work ourselves.
How I was able to decorate stylishly and keep it cheap while we also had the costs of cleaning up the land?
We moved from a 1400 sq ft home to one that was over 3000 sq ft PLUS we were blending our families together by having my husband's three kids come live with us as well. Can you say "freaking out"?
I had to take what I already had and make do or update but I also had to find new furniture as well. I put my Sherlock Holmes attire on and set to work.
Here is the living room before:
Living room after:
The furniture you see is the result of many hours of hunting for the right look at rock bottom prices. I didn't pay full price for any of the new items. The loveseat (will is a sleeper) was purchased at an auction for $50. With a $30 slip cover from Bed Bath & Beyond and a couple of clearance accent pillows from Kohls. I had a new sofa sleeper for under $100!! The accent chairs were purchased on ebay for $40 each. The accent table was my grandmother's and I threw a decorative table cover we found while cleaning out my MIL's place over it to hide some water circles. The telephone chair and big mirror with drawers came from the auction as well. The pictures on the wall were purchased from art.com on sale and then placed in half priced frams from Hobby Lobby. I did splurge on good paint and curtains from JC Penny. All the curtains and window accents in the house came from Penny's during a half off sale last summer. I had a 30% off coupon for all of the paint.
Dining Room before:
Dining Room after:
This is my favorite room because this it totally my style no compromising because of budget. I paid a friend less than $50 to texturize the far wall. I then used oil based paint and covered it with a copper glaze to give it a look of aged copper. I then used nothing but a rag and same glaze on the side walls giving them an appearance of an adobe wall. The small hutch was bought a a garage sale for $20. I painted it with a brown enamal. All accents were bought at Hobby Lobby on sale, WalMart on sale, or marked down at a second hand store. Again window dressing from JC Penny half price.
The dining room table is one of my favorite projects. It went from something like this:
To this:
I used a good primer made for finished wood so I woudn't spend forever sanding. After I painted the base coat on the wood, I used several colors & sponged them on the tiles. I covered everything with a few coats of poly eurothane to protect.
I also used this same technique to turn my son's dark brown wood bunk beds into something fit for a 10 year old girl and a 14 year old girl. A little sponging and some stencils and POOF:
My last project involved taking plain light wood bar stools I had and turning them into something unique to match our cool new bar. I used the crackle technique on them & stencil on the seat.
It's been six months since we moved in and it's still an ongoing project. We still have many blank walls waiting on the right inspiration or the right price. I want this home to reflect our tastes so when our friends walk in, they feel at home because our home gives off our personality.
With time and patience, you too can decorate cheaply and without going into debt.
Brought to you by: Lifeway Personal Financial Coaching
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