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This week is all about freshening up your decor. There are a lot of ways to do this that don’t have to cost a lot of money. You can shop from yourself first, buy what you really love so it will last a long time, and go for copycats of high-end looks.

BEFORE YOU BUY MORE, SHOP FROM YOUR HOUSE

When you are decorating a space in your home, shop from decor you already have in other places first. Even if it leaves a “hole” in the decor where you got it (you can get back to that later), it will last longer giving it a new home. Every time you move decorations around in your house, the clock re-starts at zero for those things. You have given them an entirely new life.

When we get sick of decorations that we once truly loved, it isn’t the item itself. It is seeing it in the same place every day for years. When it is in a new place, our eyes see it as new. If that doesn’t work, give it a fresh coat of paint with a new color. If you choose items you really love, they’ll have a very long life with you, moving from place to place.

You’ll save so much money over time shopping from your own home first. When we recently re-did our living room furniture, I shopped from around my house first. The only new things in the living room are the couch, 2 side tables, and rug. The navy accent chairs came from my bedroom, and the pillows and flowers we already had as well, though they were in different places.

AVOID TRENDS – BUY WHAT YOU LOVE

When you buy what you love, not just because it is a trend and you’re seeing it everywhere, then you will love it longer. Buying what you love will save you money over time, because you’ll get sick of things and have to change things out less frequently.

There are three colors I love and you can find at least one almost anywhere in my entire house. Blue, Green, and Yellow. There is something about these colors that makes me so happy. And when you add in an accent color pop of pink/coral here and there, it feels so fresh to me. I’ve used these main three colors for years, in all different shades and hues, but my accent color has changed over time. It used to be peach, then corral, now it is more of a pink (though some coral is lingering). I imagine the main three colors will always be part of my decorating. And when I purchase big items, like chairs or furniture, I make sure they are neutral or fit in with my main three colors. I don’t buy big items in the accent colors which could change over time.

See those curtains in this picture below? I made those for my last house, but because I loved them so much, they found a place in my new home as well. (It took me forever to find just the right fabric the first time around.)

COPYCAT LOOKS YOU LOVE

Chances are, if you love the look of a certain kind of decor, you’ll be able to find out how to do it yourself. Google and Pinterest are your best friends when you’re trying to copycat something – there are tutorials out there for almost everything you could imagine. Don’t be afraid to give something a try yourself! And if you don’t have time for that, use the high-end as inspiration while you search for lower cost items.

The cabinet (in the picture below) is 6 feet long. I realize it looks much smaller in the pictures, but it really is that long. I knew that I wanted a large cabinet here, and as you can imagine, big cabinets can be very expensive. I looked in a lot of high-end magazines and websites for inspiration, and then I found the one I wanted. It was about $1500. Yep, way out of my price range. I used the one I wanted for inspiration as I started to scour discount websites for copy-cats. I found this one on Overstock. I switched out the knobs and added a runner across the top and it is pretty darn close for a fraction of the price! Definitely close enough to make me happy.

If you can be a little flexible with “exactness,” then you can find the high-end looks you love for much less or just make them yourself.

THIS WEEK

This week, pick a space or two in your house that needs some refreshening. Re-arrange decorations you already have, or buy new things that you truly love, and give that space some new life. A few updated spaces can make the entire house feel more vibrant and fresh.

What spaces will you be working on this week? If you need more ideas, browse my organizing and decorating posts where I hope you’ll find lots of inspiration.

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CHALLENGE OVERVIEW

If you haven’t yet, download the Printable Guide here.

Use the Printable to help guide you in planning and preparing. If you want an overview of each week, check out this blog post with all the details.

• LOVE YOUR HOME – INTRO
• LOVE YOUR HOME WEEK 1 – PLAN & PREPARE
• LOVE YOUR HOME WEEK 2 – BEAUTY + FUNCTION

From my home to yours,
Mary

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