Monday, March 1, 2010

Decorating on the Cheap

My husband and I live like college students. I'm not proud. Just honest.

With the exception of a flat screen TV and a sleep number bed, almost all of our furniture was acquired from friends or family. In fact, we have a rule, called the Plummer's Rule. It goes like this: If you want something and are willing to wait long enough, it will fall into your hands. It's true!

note the gorgeous framed artwork ala my 5 yr old daughter

Proof of Plummer's Rule:
coffee table: from sister in law
hideous off white sectional: from a friend 9 yrs ago
small table: good will
white hutch: built by my dad when I was a kid
curtains: from my step mom

Oh, I dream of someday having a magazine worthy house filled with pottery barn furniture. But right now we have messy kids and private school tuition. Note: I'm all for public schools but ours is bottom of the barrel.

But every once in a while, we make a small purchase. And it's always shocking to me how much pleasure I get out of looking at it! Case in point: yesterday we bought a rug for the family room. It's an indoor outdoor rug from Costco. Translation: inexpensive and durable. I wasn't sure about the pattern, but i'm glad I listened to my hubbies input. The colors match my "curtains" perfectly! Curtains are sheets, hemmed and put up on a curtain rod.

poster art, at 37?



The rug gave me the bug to decorate (pardon the pun). So I rearranged our hand me down sectional sofa and bought a few inexpensive red accents at Target today. I heart cranberry red!


Our livingroom is huge. And although I love having a nice, airy room, it's really hard to decorate. There is a giant vaulted ceiling and one big wall with a beam going across the top of the room. We have lived here 9 years and still haven't figured out what to do with this wall. Anyone have any inexpensive ideas for how to decorate this wall (or room!)??


10 comments:

  1. I think you should take up hunting an put a moose's head on the wall. That would take up some space. :)

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  2. Looks good, Summer. As for the tall wall...
    sometimes it's better to leave well enough alone. My decorator friend says "you don't want to look like you're trying too hard" with too much stuff - if you know what I mean.

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  3. I heart red too! I have a tiny house, so this leaves me with little to no experience on decorating such a large wall but I look forward to seeing what you come up with :)

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  4. When you get tired of that coffee table, I'll take it. Ha. Love it.
    My husband makes me save for everything, we don't ever just go to the store and say, "Hey I like that couch, we'll take it." Not the Dunbar's, my hat goes off to you.

    You're teaching your kids valuable lessons though.

    PS I love cranberry red also.

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  5. You have done well so far! I love the little goodwill table! ;) We seem to live on a seemingly college budget! We bought our first house when the market was high/hot... equals high mortgage! ugh! we do the best we can... I dream of having a cozy more decorated home... one day! Alas... living and loving always always come first! ;) Having family fun or vacations is way more important to me!

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  6. Love the red...looks brilliant! xxx

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  7. Color, color, color!!! I think that wall needs a punch of something warm!!! Maybe just up to the first beam, but possibly all the way up!!! The floor and the wall and the door all look the same so the great stuff against the wall doesn't "POP"!!!! Hard to see what the rest of the room is, but it looks like a cooler color. Maybe a "warm cider" would work. It would make that red and the black stand out, but not screaming!!! You have a great eye and good for you for using what you have! I love thrifting and using things in a new way!! Good luck!!

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  8. Wow, that wall is a bit tough. I'll give it some thought, but I can see how after 9 years you still haven't quite figured it out. The cranberry accents look great, and I love that hutch that your dad built!

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  9. Hey Summer, I was going to send you a message but I don't see anywhere on your blog where I can email you. Anyhow, thanks for visiting my blog. I really appreciate your comments :) Also, I added the link for the free clip art website to my post, so if you ever want to visit the site and get some of your own fancy clip art, you can :)

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  10. Paint, Paint, Paint, Splash some Color on it. I love Paint & what it does to a room ;)

    That's awesome that your Dad made the Hutch when you were a Kiddo, I love furniture that has a story!

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