{5 Ways To} Pretty Up Your Home for Under $20 Each!
This might be a new feature on Likely Design, and I’m calling it “5 Ways To…” I’ll include 5 ways to do something to your home or life, and I’m starting it off with 5 easy ways to pretty up your home inexpensively! As a designer, design researcher, magazine junkie and avid blog-reader, I often see a familiar mantra – ONLY KEEP WHAT YOU REALLY, REALLY LOVE. Here are a few tips to help you bring some beauty into those not-always-beautiful-but-necessary parts of the home. Now they can be pretty, and pretty inexpensive. And seeing your new changes every day will make you happy. And that makes me happy.
1. Get rid of the labels and detergent boxes (unless they’re really, really pretty)! Put your dish soap, laundry detergent and hand soap all on display in pretty and functional jars and drizzlers.
Keep the scoop for your powder detergent, or find something prettier that you can measure the correct amount from (vintage measuring cups or a wooden scoop?) and keep that in the new jar instead!
Cookies = fattening. Boo. Laundry detergent = clean clothes! Try the canister above – from the Container Store – 3 different sizes, all less than $20 each. I do love me some chewy chocolate chip cookies, though.
Buy unmarked hand soap dispensers in pretty finishes or colors (to coordinate with your bathroom or kitchen) and only buy the soap refills from now on. This saves plastic, and they’ll still know that your soap is from Bath & Body Works or wherever you love to get your hand soap from as soon as they dispense some into their hand! The one below is another Container Store find (click to view).
And for your dish soap, all you need is an olive oil drizzler, or a nice wine bottle with a dispenser attached. Much prettier, right?
2. Corral your stuff! Everything looks better in a tray, bowl or basket, even if it’s not organized. All the little things that you drop during the day look better when they have a place, plus they’re easier to find that way. Boxes, baskets and trays will help you get the job done, and it always helps if they’re pretty to look at in a great print!
A decorative tray, lidded box or antique store bowl is always handy at your entryway (wherever you want to drop your keys), on your nightstand (for earrings, bobby pins, eyeglasses, etc.), in the laundry room, on or even under side and coffee tables (for magazines, remotes, coasters) and on bookshelves for knick-knacks, pens, CD’s, office supplies and anything else that needs a home.
Big, open totes are great for magazines, newspapers, or even shoes and toys! Stow them under your side tables, console table or a bench in your entryway.
I love lined boxes like the one below, and I think this Martha Stewart ribbon storage box would look great on your desk or in the entryway as a catch-all, even without ribbons in it! I was looking for Victoria Hagan’s lovely boxes at Target, but they’re all sold out.
IKEA has great, inexpensive storage options (I spy a lot of them in the studio photo below!) – and good news! They’ve lowered their prices on a lot of items in their KASSETT collection which come in a wide variety of colors. I have a ton of the white version in my office as well.
3. Switch things up! This one is for my favorite price – free! – just switch out a lamp, rug, pillow, vase, or piece of art from room to room and see how you like it! Go through your house and if something has been sitting in the same spot for a few years, why not try it out somewhere else? Or just switch the lamp shades or bases. Gather your accessories, give everything a good dusting, set it in a central location and then put it all back, trying things out in new places. I have a painting hung in our bathroom that hung over our mantel in our last house, and in our hallway in the house before that. Yes, it’s in our bathroom. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you come up with!
Fall is coming up — and ooh, I love, love, love fall. Why don’t you take that white or cream slipcover off and show off your darker upholstery? Add a light colored or warm-toned pillow that you might have lying around and see how you like it. Or buy an inexpensive pillow cover off of a shop on Etsy and change up your pillows. A change can do us all good! Or even better – swap tired old accessories with a design-savvy friend. Or with your mom. Or your mother-in-law. It can’t hurt to ask, right?
4. Reupholster your dining room chairs! This is an easy project for most of us, and all you need are some designer fabrics and a staple gun. 4 chairs x 1/2 yard per chair x $7.50/yard = $15.00 for the whole project.
Not sure how to tackle this project? Simply search Google for “how to re-cover dining room chairs” and you’ll find tons of videos, tutorials, how-to’s and step-by-steps. This is a project where you definitely want to go BOLD! I love this “Ritzy Stripe” in Forest by Amy Butler. Search Etsy (again – love Etsy) for Amy Butler fabrics and you’ll be in heaven! If you haven’t met Amy, Heather, Joel, Michael, or Anna I suggest you get acquainted with them if you’re looking for some new favorite fabrics! (Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Joel Dewberry, Michael Miller and Anna Griffin…check ‘em out!).
5. Buy fresh flowers! You can buy an inexpensive bouquet at the grocery store (they ranged from $8 to $19 at my local store when I scoped them out yesterday) and then make your own small arrangements around your home. A single bud in a tiny bud vase is very trendy right now. Plus you really don’t need a special occasion – fresh flower Friday, anyone?
Better Homes and Gardens has some great tips on flower arranging, and these would be easy to make it any small container that you have around the house. And antique store cups, bowls, vases and jars always make great flower containers.
Do you have any “under $20″ easy ways to change the look of your home? I’d love to hear your simple suggestions for every room of the home!
(images linked to sources via: ish and chi, pink loves brown, canadian house and home, and better homes and gardens)
Read MoreStay Tuned!
Hey everyone – With moving my blog to its new home, I’ve been trying so hard to post at least once a day during the week – but my poor little laptop just couldn’t take it anymore and has become powerless (power cord no longer works, boo!). A new power cord is on it’s way (thank you, eBay!). I browsed new batteries while on there and might have to invest in one of those as well! I love eBay.
So to tide you over until my FIRST GIVEAWAY (which will take place NEXT WEEK!!! Stay tuned and keep checking back!!) I’m going to put in a cute slideshow of pictures I took over the weekend of my 13 month old. We were a little bored by ourselves out at my in-law’s ranch (housesitting) so I decided to take a million pictures of Harper. The background is breathtaking, though, and that’s why I wanted to share it with you all! I love it out there. Enjoy!!
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gyqx853fm{DIY} Cool Coffee Table
While browsing decor8 today, I came across Holly’s post on “By Nord” – a Danish label that is now stocked at the Le Souk shop – Holly was showcasing the pillows from the company – but the thing that I noticed from her photos is the AMAZING coffee table! And how easy would that be to DIY? I immediately did a google search for “coffee table on casters” and there were literally thousands of articles on making a coffee table on casters. Most are up at coffee table height with teeny tiny casters, but I love how it is low with big ‘ol wheels! And I need a coffee table. I had an IKEA Lack table – but I feel like it screams “I’m Cheap!” And I put it in the corner next to my sofa as a long side table. I like it there much better. And since I am cheap, I haven’t bought a new one because I refuse to pay $100+ for something that is just going to get dirty baby finger prints on and water rings. But this I like! What do you think??
Yes, the room and the textiles are gorgeous, but I’m drooling over the coffee table. And I think Glenn could whip this out fairly easily on the cheap! It feels very “me.” Which is amazing because I can easily put together a color/material board together for a client, but I have a hard time choosing items for my own house. I love it when the light bulb comes on, don’t you?
Alright, back to my Google search for a materials list – I can’t wait to show this to Glenn!! As soon as he gets home from the fire he’s on, that is. Have a great long weekend, everyone!! Thanks for stopping by!!
xo, Lindsay
(images: by nord via decor8)
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About Me
I'm an interior designer and a draftsperson, but I live in the country. I like it that way. I'm also a firefighter's wife, mom to 2 cute kids, and a homeowner and I like that even better. But right after that is a pretty and affordable space...and I mean a REALLY affordable space. Because I believe good design can be for EVERYONE!
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