The downside to being so unwilling to spend a lot of money on home decorating is how much time it takes to find just the right piece at just the right price. But I swear, I can honestly say that patience is the most valuable tool in saving money. That and knowing when to buy. Enter, the dresser.
Hello, dresser. I found this at a thrift store very close to my house called SOS Thrift. I was smitten. You have no idea how long I have been looking for a long, low (only 30″ off the ground) vintage-looking dresser. It didn’t have to be old but given my price range ($0-$225) it was kind of inevitable. Plus I pretty much hate everything I’ve seen that’s new. Crate and Barrel and CB2 had some nice stuff but it was either way too modern-looking or way too expensive. And in this case patience got me a great deal. I saw it for $150, tried to negotiate it down, unsuccessfully, and had to walk away. I then begged and pleaded my husband (who did not share my love) to give in and let me buy it. Several weeks went by and I mourned the loss of the perfect dresser because SURELY someone had snapped that puppy up for that price. And the proportions! Gorge. Then B caved. Bing! Photo message received – B was at the store and the dresser had gone down to $110! I knew she’d be mine. No matter how much he hated it even he couldn’t turn down that kind of reduction in cost.
Very happy with the linens. My sister LaLa gave us the gorgeous black and white coverlet for Christmas last year. We found the white quilted shams at a store-closing for $5 and change each, the sheets are mis-matched Martha Stewart bedding from Macy’s (on sale of course) and then there’s the velvet pillows – $15 a piece at Pier 1.
As you can see my closet is really small so B rigged me up a “custom” closet. He found a middle piece to one of those “affordable” closet systems at Home Depot on clearance for $16. It was the shell that you put drawers into with one shelf right in the middle. We originally planned to add shelves like the ones that came with the system and hang clothes on either side but when we got it in the closet it filled up the whole doorway and you couldn’t get to anything on either side. We put our heads together and figured we could push it all the way to one side of the closet and still triple the storage space. He put a bar in each section for short clothes like tops, jackets, skirts and shorts, and built some plywood shoe shelves (painted white) low to the ground so I could hang longer items like pants and dresses above it. Perfection.
Found these incredible teal velvet curtains at Cost Plus World Market for under $40 each. I love how they reflect the feeling and tone of the wall color (a grayish green-blue enamel flat) but bring a little bit of unexpected color. Plus they feel rich and dramatic to me which is hard to do without going glam and feminine – which is a big no-no with B. The roman shades add a little more depth and color to the room that I love.
All that’s left to find are two nightstands (matching, non-matching?) lamps and a few accessories. But goodness knows how long that will take.
