Home decor gone ridiculous
March 2nd, 2006 | by mbhunter |The March 2006 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine has a feature called “Good Looks for Less.” They outfit a number of rooms with various accoutrements, divided into “save” and “splurge” columns.
The “save” columns contained the thrifty options:
- $10 for a can of stain to update a kitchen island
- $13 for a can of metallic paint for a plate rack
- $30 for a framed piece of fabric (we have some of these in our living room)
My wife — who has excellent taste in all things home-decor — laughed at the splurge options:
- $126/yard for fabric — barely enough to cover a single window as an accent
- $200/pair for pendant lamps that look like upside-down metal funnels with light sockets in them
- $450 for mismatched antique china — go to a thrift store
Not everyone has an Ikea near them like we do, but if you want cheap, stylish home decoration, they’re very hard to beat on a lot of things, and you can order online. A number of the items in the Better Homes and Gardens article reminded me of Ikea items.
Some options for cheap home decoration:
- Thrift stores
- Consignment shops
- Estate auctions
- Garage sales and flea markets
- Craigslist.org or Freecycle.org
- Read your church bulletin (that’s how we got our china cabinet!)
I just shake my head at the standards for “living on a budget” or “saving” on an item. The price is usually off by a zero.
Do you have any decorative items that you got for really cheap?
11 Responses to “Home decor gone ridiculous”
By Elizabeth on Mar 2, 2006 | Reply
The best frugal decorating idea is contentment with what you have! Sure there are changes to be made over time, and sometimes extra money in the budget can be spent wisely to make things nice. But, ultimately, being content with what you have and learning to appreciate it is the best way to save on decor.
It also helps to be tad iconoclastic.
By mbhunter on Mar 2, 2006 | Reply
Aha!! Be content with what you have! What a novel idea! That saves the most money of all.
By jim on Mar 2, 2006 | Reply
Are you talking about the College Park IKEA? I moved into the area the weekend it opened up, IKEA is awesome.
As for me, I like to add things to the house as I go along – don’t spend a whole lot all at once. I have a townhouse that is more than enough room for me and so I have yet to really furnish the basement.
By mbhunter on Mar 2, 2006 | Reply
Actually Jim, it’s the one in Woodbridge VA, right across from Potomac Mills outlet mall. The whole Ikea experience was pretty overwhelming the first time I went there.
By Kim on Mar 3, 2006 | Reply
I really wanted a mirror for over our fireplace, so I went to the thrift store, bought and old bathroom vanity cabinet with a huge oval mirror as the door. Then I bought some picture hanging hardware and a can of black spray paint and turned it into this. I spent about $14 for what was at least $40 in home stores.
By mbhunter on Mar 4, 2006 | Reply
That’s a nice job, Kim! My wife, too, has done wonders with spray paint. Good money savings!
By deputyheadmistress on Mar 4, 2006 | Reply
My potrack. We have a kitchen with no cupboards, and we cook for 9 people every day, most of us home for all three meals. I wanted a potrack. I picked up this thing-that-was-not-a-potrack at a second hand store for six dollars, turned it over, hubby hung it up and now it is a potrack. http://heartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com/2005/11/kitchen-solutions.html
Needing more space in my kitchen, I put a hutch (picked up free) on top of a workbench (free when friend’s moved).
By mbhunter on Mar 5, 2006 | Reply
Deputy Headmistress, very clever!
By my new self on Mar 6, 2006 | Reply
We picked up a neat retro lamp for $2.00 at a garage sale. It was really ugly though, so we bought a can of spray paint ~$2.00 and painted the base. We took the shade off of a broken lamp we already had. It looks great, and cost a total of around $4.00.
By Another Anna on Mar 7, 2006 | Reply
When I do buy things (usually at yard sales or thrift shops), I make sure they’re good quality, will wear well, have more than one possible use, and are aesthetically fairly neutral. That way, when we move or rearrange rooms, it’s easy to repurpose what we have, rather than buy new things. Some examples… rug/wall hanging/window seat cover; bench/end table/bedside table; curtain/tablecloth/scarf (no kidding); coffee table/TV stand; desk/kitchen table/ dining table…
And for decorative oomph, I can always make new pillows or curtains or tablecloths, which are much cheaper than new furniture.
By mbhunter on Mar 8, 2006 | Reply
My new self, yes, paint does wonders.
Another Anna, I was always afraid of chopping up (repurposing) my furniture, but my wife has done some neat things with what we already have. I agree!