Posts by Category

Posts by Date

Look for Less: Warm Casual Bedroom from Coastal Living

Nov 20, 2009

After a streak of busy-ness, I'm back with a quality post—something you can sink your decorating teeth into. I was in the mood for some creative bargain-hunting so I thought I'd do another Look for Less where I give you a room's worth of stuff on the cheap. This photo, from Coastal Living, is the most popular bedroom photo in their decorating gallery online. Not hard to figure out why! It's invigorating and relaxing at the same time, has a style that feels traditional but up to date, and it looks like a room you can really live in. Agreed? Okay then, let's figure out how to do it up on a real person's budget.

The room has little in the way of architectural specialness, so it's a good candidate for replicating on a budget. Its charm comes from the furniture and accessories more than the space itself. Back your bed up to the window, then start shopping.

INSPIRATION ROOM from Coastal Living

PHOTO: Tria Giovan

LOOK FOR LESS ROOM by Inspired Room Design

PAINT

Harvester (SW6373) by Sherwin-Williams. Notice the trim is painted the same color as the wall. This technique can visually expand a small space.

BEDDing

Same basic color scheme and quilt pattern. This price is for the set, but mix it up with some different pillow shams like they did in the inspiration room.

Sahara Quilt Set, Queen $50

DRAPES

Tan pinch-pleats are not hard to come by for a bargain price. Don't spend money on custom in this case. If the drapes will be fully concealed by the bed, buy the shorter ones to save money. (And skip the fussy hold-backs shown in the photo from JC Penney.)

Cindy Crawford Prelude Panels in Gold Dust, 84˝ pair $80 (Watch for a sale— never pay full price at JCP.)

BOLSTER AND CHAIR CUSHion

Here's where having some basic sewing skills will save you a lot of money. The bolster pillow is a simple home-sewing job, and a basic cushion for a thrifted dining chair is no big deal, either. If you aren't blessed with the skills or equipment to do it, the jobs are small and shouldn't set you back too far at an upholstery shop.

Dune Stripe Fabric, $8 a yard

CHAIR, DRESser, & bench

You don't see them in the room design because these are items you can find very easily at thrift stores or secondhand shops. Take the photo with you and look for similar lines. Forget color and finish—you can paint them. In Sherwin-Williams Black Bean.

Rug

It's not a perfect match, but the spirit's the same and the price is very right.

Nate Berkus Kilim Stripe Rug in Orange, 5'x8', $80

Lamp

Here I looked for a similar dark finish and graceful curves. The scale is a bit smaller, but I think the lamp in the inspiration room is too tall, anyway.

Textured Bronze Curvy Table Lamp, $40

Swing-arm Wall Lamp

A wall lamp near the bed makes so much sense. If there's one thing you take from this room, let it be this! It opens up so much space on a bedside table.

Santino Aged Copper Wall Lamp, $87

Art

I think it's worth having a blank wall for months or years until you find the right original (and save up in the meantime!). Of course, not everyone can do that (or wants to). I do think that the print in the original room looks a little furniture-store, so I went in a different direction with the same motif and basic color palette. This print is still decorative but has a bit more personality.

Foliage I by Susan Osborne, framed for $170

VASE

This vase is either an antique or repro glass bottle. It's cool, and you can find bottles like this pretty easily at antiques stores. If you don't enjoy the thrill of the hunt, nab this aqua glass vase off Ebay and get the same look of color and transparency.

Aqua Glass Vase, $13

**Find more inspiring home decor blogs at the HomeDigz Blog Party!**

Do you have a pile of dream rooms you've torn out of magazines? Want some help making them real in your own home, on a realistic budget? I can help! Email me.

TAGS: e-decorating look for less coastal living inspired bedroom budget decorating

  permalink      Comments(2)

Like this post? Please share it:

Comments

Comments

Post a Comment
Your name:
Your email:
	Note: Your email will not appear anywhere on this site. we only ask in case we need to contact you about your comment.
	To verify that you are a human, enter the number of fingers up.
Comments: