As we usually enjoy the interior of our homes more during the Holidays, many people will consider changes in their home furnishings and decor more than ever. As we make New Year’s resolutions, why not consider making 2024 the year to make some changes that will fit your lifestyle better than it currently does?
I have many customers that walk into my store who say, “I am not going to be like everyone else you work with”. Trust me, even most of my clients with deep pockets budget out their projects.
Good design doesn’t have to include expensive, custom furnishings. With the higher interest rates and current financial climate, everyone is watching their dollars.
As I have discussed before, it is always a great idea to design your job completely at the beginning. However, take your time. Your resolution can include a monthly budget that will allow you to spend a little every month so that by the time the Holidays come around next year, your dream room will be ready to show off to your family and friends!
Stay realistic with your budget. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a budget that, in a few months, overwhelms you. Consider what in the room you can re-use or re-purpose.
Move your furniture from another room. Maybe your parents have a piece of furniture they no longer want. I am pleasantly pleased to see that so many young people are embracing tradition and wanting to re-use a piece of furniture from their childhood!
Even if this item is sanded and refinished, the warm memories of bygone days still shine through.
Modernize the piece! Paint it a bold color! Use the piece for something different than it was intended. Make your grandmother’s dresser that you loved as a child a changing station for your newborn.
Use your grandfather’s old bureau as a bar to house your liquor and glassware. You can think of him every time you make that new fangled bourbon drink! Rethinking a piece will help your budget and give your project much more meaning.
Good quality upholstery is usually always the most expensive item in the room. You want to sit comfortably and you don’t want your seating to go flat in a couple of years. Maybe recover an older quality piece that still has good bones.
I have a great custom upholstery line and It is made in the USA. You pick the frame and the fabric, but it can be a little pricey. There is also a new store in town that has a great value upholstery line that is custom and can save you some money. I love referring to other businesses when it behooves my clients pocketbook.
I remember when I was getting my business started and I had influential people support my work. It is important that we support local businesses.
Take a look at CSCM Furniture. The business owner is a local family. They work hard and offer great savings and customer service. Save your money with the larger and more expensive pieces and layer your project with less expensive furniture and decor.
When it comes to rugs and fabrics for pillows and window treatments, there has been a major breakthrough! Polyester and polypropylene fibers have come a long way! They are inherently stain and fade resistant and are much less expensive.
The carpet and fabric mills have gotten wise and emulate patterns and textures of the higher end products. A modest budget could easily afford a fabulous rug to ground your room’s furniture.
Sometimes you want to splurge on a piece that you find in an upscale store. If you supplement with more budget friendly items, it can really make that special stand out, even if it is only in your mind. It can represent the idea that you have “made it” and can afford to live “how the other half lives!”
That is how I look at so much in my home. I grew up in very humble beginnings and I always appreciate the splurge when I can afford it.
Sometimes my monthly budget will allow me that one item that will make me feel like I am on top of the world! We all deserve it and there is no better time to set this goal than at the New Year!
Happy New Year to all! I cannot thank you enough for reading my column, sometimes commenting or sending me a social media message. I try my best to speak to and for everyone.
Design is all-inclusive and we all deserve to live our best life!
I will be the headliner at the Orlando Home and Garden Show right after New Years, the Augusta Home and Garden Show at the beginning of February (during my birthday!), and the Savannah Home and Garden Show in May. I hope to meet you there!
