Get That Look Without That Price
Hello there! Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve checked-in. I graduated from grad school last week (!), and life was a tornado of work that needed to be finished before I could call it official. Whew, I’m really glad to be refocusing on things that I love again this week, especially on beautiful interiors.
Speaking of those…have you ever pulled a picture of a room you loved thinking that it would be easy to re-create because the furniture or design elements seemed simple? I’ve done the same thing, only to discover that the simplest pieces are often the hardest to find at a lower price point. For some reason, similar patterns can usually be substituted for high end pieces, but the simple clean-lined items are left out of lower priced production runs. Well, this week I decided to give myself the challenge of finding some less expensive pieces to create a bedroom inspired by the room below.
This bedroom was designed by Cynthia Collins and is one of the bedrooms in her own home. You can catch the full tour of her house on Domaine. The room is so light and airy, relaxing and calm. I love the feminine quality the lavender color brings without hitting you over the head with florals or other stereotypically feminine elements. So, this was my challenge…
Just as a disclaimer…a room created from an inspiration picture will never be an exact duplicate of the original room. Some give and take needs to happen, especially when you are trying to come in at a lower price. But, the overall feeling of the room should come through in the re-created design. Okay, on to the best part; the products.
Believe it or not, the rug was actually the easiest thing to find. Overstock has a really great selection of lavender Safavieh rugs right now, I chose this one for the room we are creating, which is around $200 for a 5’x8′. We actually used this Safavieh rug in a light blue color for my nephew’s nursery design. That one shed a bit when we first laid it out, but it was really plush and is 100% wool. Such a great value.
The headboard I chose to recreate the tufted white headboard in the inspiration pic is from Wayfair.com. It’s made of velvet upholstery and runs about $379 for a queen size. Wayfair is always running coupon codes, so you may be able to get a better price if you do a little Google sleuthing before you hit purchase.
To get the look of the euro shams in the inspiration picture, I love these Isabelle Tufted Voile shams from Pottery Barn. The texture is a little bit meatier than those in the original room and the scale of the squares is larger as well. This duvet and sham set on One Kings Lane is a good match for the duvet with purple embroidery in our inspiration room. It is a little bit on the pricy side though (around $450 for the set). Ballard Designs also has a duvet cover with lavender embroidery for $129 in the queen size. The color is a little bit darker than the original, but I think it might still work. Even in the original room, there are variations of lavender, every shade doesn’t have to match perfectly.
I took some creative liberties with the ceiling light, as you can see. I just love the look of outdoor lighting and over-sized lighting in unexpected places. The pendant light is on sale at Joss and Main right now for about $306, but you can get a smaller version for around $200. The gourd lamps are available on One Kings Lane for $279 for the pair. I see these kinds of gourd lamps in a variety of colors at Home Goods all the time. So if you are really wanting to test your money savings skills, I’m sure you can find a similar lamp for a lower price if you stalk the lighting aisle at your local TJ Maxx or Home Goods.
Etsy is a great resource for throw pillows, especially when you have something specific in mind. You can also have pillows custom made with the fabric of your choice, a service that was once only available to those with high-end budgets. The accent pillows on the left hand side of the picture are from an Etsy store called Elegant Touch. I’ve never ordered from them, but it looks like they have a great selection of pillows made from designer fabrics. The lavender colored velvet on the right is from this Etsy store. Once you have the fabric, you can order a custom bed skirt or accent pillows from another shop. This Etsy shop even specializes in bolster pillows, like the one in the inspiration pic. When trying to save money, one of the best things you can do for your wallet is DIY. If you are up for a challenge, you can teach yourself how to sew using tutorials from YouTube. But, if you are not into the DIY route, Etsy is the place for you.
The art is also a really great area to save money by giving DIY a try. It won’t take long to try your hand at sketching a few abstract nudes. If it doesn’t go well, just scrap it. You will only loose a few mins if it goes badly, and hey, you might discover a hidden talent. If you’re sure art isn’t your thing, head on over to Art.com. They have a bunch of reproduction sketches, like the one above, starting from $12.99. Here is a link to the results from my search of “nude sketches”.
Every time I walk into Aaron Brothers, I’m surprised by their great selection of quality frames. The one above is from their Mercer collection, and it seems to be a pretty good match to our inspiration image. They also run sales quite often, and once in a while you can find a great coupon on their website.
Lastly, I could post a few options for the white side table, like this one or this one, but I honestly think the best strategy for finding deals on quality furniture is to hunt through salvage stores and consignment shops. Look for pieces that have a shape that you love, and when you get them home, you can sand them down and give them a couple coats of paint. These pieces are often less expensive than any you can find online, but they are made of solid wood and will last for years. After saving money on the furniture, you can splurge on more expensive hardware that make the pieces seem custom to your home.
Do you have a fun story about trying to recreate a designer room an a budget? Have a room that you’ve been dying to have but don’t know where to start? Post a comment below and let me know about it!
ooox,
Nicole
