Do you love a good deal as much as I do? I can't imagine wanting to pay full price for anything. I worked retail for many years once upon a time, long ago and I know mark up is huge. I am a bargain shopper, but we have already established that. I like my hard earned money staying in my pocket, but like I said, I have expensive taste.
Rome wasn't built in a day, keep that in mind when you are decorating and furnishing your home. You do not have to buy everything all at once, who cares what people think? When we purchased the cottage, we did not have enough furniture to fill the place.
I knew I wanted my home to have a collected look, not matchy, matchy. I did not want it to look like I walked in the store and bought the display. One of my friends came over to see what we had done so far. I had 1 end table and 2 chairs in our living room. She commented, she could not believe we did not have any more furniture than this in our living room. I put on my smile and replied I wanted a curated look and I would buy things as I found them. I have always marched to the beat of a different drum and could care less what she or anyone else thinks.
Patience is key when you are wanting to be frugal and still complete your vision. I tend to shop antique stores and auctions, but there are times when I venture out of my comfort zone and see what else is out there. About an hour away from where we live, there is an outlet mall which includes a Pottery Barn. I love combing their site, but I do not love the prices. Have you ever looked at the furniture in the outlet? It can still be a bit pricey.
Well, I hit the motherload with some creativity. We enjoy looking, getting ideas, and trying to replicate high end looks on a budget. I am sure you noticed the furniture is kind of haphazardly placed throughout the store. On our excursion, I found half of a leather Chesterfield sofa. I have always loved these sofas and always wanted one. I showed it to Hubs and he said well, I saw the other half over there, pointing over his shoulder.
My eyes popped out of my head and I ran, not walked over to it. These pieces were meant to be sectionals with a "one cushion chair" attached to the end. I immediately flagged an employee down and said I will take both of these. Each sofa was $250.00 a piece! Talk about feeling like you hit the lottery.
Our living room is large enough for 2 couches facing each other on either side of our fireplace. We purchased them with the intent we would be able to come back for the "chairs". I called every Wednesday and Friday when they indicated new stock is put out for sale. Months passed without finding the other halves. I finally gave up calling, we made trips over when we were not working on something else with hopes we could complete our living room. No such luck; we never found them.
Something better happened. One day I decided we would move furniture around and I asked Hubs what he thought about pushing the 2 sofas together to make one large couch. When we put them side by side, Hubby noticed the couches could be hooked together under the sofa and they would not slide apart, or move! Imagine my surprise and excitement when I thought about actually getting a 4 cushion leather couch from Pottery Barn for $500.00 total!
Some days you hit the lottery and others you strike out, but patience really does pay off. We spend a lot of time at home, especially now, I want to enjoy being here so I fill it with things I love. It makes me happy to be at home and you will not find another home just like it, inside or out. I am constantly tweaking things, moving items around, but once I make a decision, I love it forever. I buy staples and build on it from there. Pillows and blankets can change, you can add pops of color or go with neutrals which is what I find most calming.
