Budgetized Living Room Re-do!

I'm pretty sure my home decor spending has surged a little since I started Pinteresting. It's not that I'm blowing a bunch of money just for the sake of having new things, but I've noticed that our home was lacking in personality in a few areas and quickly become pinspired to make some changes. The first makeover was our family room, but that's another post. The second makeover was our front room. This room has been a formal living room, an office, and now a cozy living space which really equates to a lot of things. Sometimes it's a reading room, a room for quiet talks with our children, a blog-writing room, a nap-on-the-couch room, a room for the Christmas tree, a room to admire snow or falling leaves from the large picture window, or a room just to sit...and daydream.

I got the re-do pinsperation from this post. I still like the seagrass baskets used in the original pin better than what I picked, but, we're looking at about $6 a box or $15 a box. Plus, I'm allergic to seagrass. ...I know. I didn't want to spend a fortune on this re-do, so I scouted out some cheap(er) lamps that were still big enough to fill the space. I found these cutesies at TJ Maxx for $25 ea. I thought that was a steal (ok, not a thrift store or garage sale steal, but a retail steal) because comparable lamps are more than that for the base alone (then another $20 or so for the shade). I think the shade is a nice contrast with the wall without drawing too much attention away from the print.

When I was thrifting for some maternity threads last week, I picked up a few old books (to add to those I already had in this cubby). The books were .29 each, I believe, and make a nice filler for that space. I think the color of these books coordinates with the over-all warmness of the room, as well.

In addition to the books, I picked up this mosaic hurricane candle holder at the thrift store for $1.99. There's no candle in it, but it ties things together and balances out the overall display. I *did* have matching mini-hurricanes that I pitched in a fury of de-cluttering a month or so ago. It always works that way, doesn't it? 

The shelf itself is the $69 Expedit shelving unit from Ikea, in black-brown and turned on it's side. Here's a note, if you buy these shelving systems make sure you get the bins that go in them AT IKEA. They fit best. I got similar bins from another retailer for another shelving unit we have and they are too small (read: they work, but they don't look right). 

I also picked up a pair of grommet-style 84" drapes at Target for under $9, two panels included, on clearance. They are black/tan/gray stripe and match the room perfectly. I'm super pleased! If you've ever bought full-length curtains, you know that they are about $25 a panel from a discount store and can be much...much...more from specialty stores.

The print I hung above the shelving unit is a printed photograph displayed in a Ribba poster frame from Ikea, with matte. Overall, I'm super pleased with how this room turned out. Just a little change in decor and a fresh coat of paint has warmed up this room to be the perfectly cozy multi-use room that it is.

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This post is linked up to Mommin' it Up's Pin for the Wednesday blog carnival. 

Head on over to check out the other awesome pins posted by Mommin' it Up followers.