One of the many reasons that I started this blog was to be able to share with you all my home and some decorating tips I’ve learned over the years. I don’t claim to be an interior designer by any means, but I’ve tried my best to study and learn from the pros!
So the first place we will start with my home tour is our basement bathroom! I feel like this is a really odd place to begin, but it’s the first complete place we have in our new space. We’ve been in our new home now for almost a full year! It’s crazy how fast a year can fly by. It seems to take forever to settle into a new space: between unpacking boxes, setting everything up in their new places, trying to paint rooms, hang decor and do some upgrades! It can be so time consuming and quite frankly, can sometimes feel overwhelming.
When I start to makeover rooms, I like to see the finished product right away. I’m kind of impatient that way. So I tend to work myself (and my husband’s) butts off until the job gets done and the room is complete. The problem is, with having three little kids and not always the budget to work with, it can be hard to tackle large rooms start to finish, in a short time frame.
Many of my mom friends will make the same comment to me “I don’t know where you find the time to do stuff like this!” And it’s true, it can be challenging to set aside time to renovate and decorate. But amidst the chaos of my life, there are moments to be found to work on projects, if I use my time wisely. For this bathroom, I painted it one afternoon, while the kids had a nap and my oldest had a quiet time in the room next to me. I actually let her paint a little bit of the wall too, to let her feel involved! I did the first coat that afternoon and then at night, after all the kids were in bed, I did the second coat of paint. The truth is, if you know how to paint (and we’ve had lots of practice over the years of moving to so many houses) you don’t have to tape off the walls and that saves a TON of time! I’ve worked hard to steady my hand while cutting in around the ceiling (it’s not perfect) and I am positive that helps me “blitz” a room with paint!
Also, sometimes people will say that they can’t afford to fix up a room. Truth is, you don’t have to break the bank to makeover a space. I have a few tried and tested “tips” on how to save when making over a space.
1. Shop your home first.
I heard this years ago and it’s been one of the best decor tips I’ve found, when trying to change a space on a budget. Before you go out and start spending money, look around your home and in your storage spaces. You might be surprised at what you can find. Even look in your kitchen cupboards…maybe there’s a nice plate you could display on your wall! Or a wicker tray that you had on your coffee table, hang it up! Play around with your items and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how those small changes can totally transform your space!
2. Shop at thrift stores, yard sales and discount shops.
You may not be a thrifter or yard saler, but when it comes to decorating on a budget, these places will become your best friend! It’s incredible the stuff that people are will to give away or the treasures you can find at a fraction of the price. It may require some digging, but I promise you, it can be worth it! The added benefit to finding items super cheap, is finding unique pieces. The treasure that you might find at the thrift store is most likely not in the latest Pottery Barn catalogue! My other go-to place to shop is HomeSense! You will seriously pay a fraction of the designer price there! For me, I enjoy the treasure “hunt” and that’s exactly the feeling you get walking into HomeSense. You never know what you will find! But you can be guaranteed that it will be stylish and inexpensive! Just how I like it!
3. Skip the Designer Paint
When you have your entire house to paint, that can really add up, financially speaking. There are so many great paint options out there at your local hardware stores, it’s really unnecessary to buy the boutique, designer paints. And did you know that you can color match just about paint color at the hardware store? So take Benjamin Moore, for example, all of their colors are stored in a shared paint system that places like Home Depot, Home Hardware and Lowe’s all have access to. My favorite paint that I’ve found so far is Home Depot’s CIL line. It’s very affordable (and often has sales or rebates available). We will find a Benjamin Moore color that we love and get it at Home Depot! Same color, great paint, a quarter of the price!
List of Sources:
Paint: Home Depot CIL
Paint Color: Benjamin Moore “Sandy Hook Gray”
Mirror: Walmart (already had)
Lighting: Home Depot
Towel Bars: Target
Towels: Gluckstein (already had)
Canvas Art: HomeSense (already had)
Metal “Love” Art: HomeSense (already had)
Eiffel Tower & Wicker-wrapped vase: Can’t remember where these came from! We’ve had them for so long!
Soap Dispenser: Target
Metal pitcher: Yard sale
Mini-Lantern: Value Village
Twigs & Paper Flower Bunch: HomeSense
Cityscape Art: HomeSense (already had)
Shower Curtain, Rod and Hooks: Target
Well I hope you’ve been inspired by this post to get on that project you’ve been wanting to work on! It doesn’t take a ton of money or time…just a little effort and creative shopping to transform your space!
Happy Weekend, friends!
Love & Blessings,
I’ve linked up to Feature Friday
