Well I thought it would be fun to do a LRWC house tour. A tour of my house! Showing you my frugal decorating finds.
You all know that I love to garden but I also love to decorate and I L-O-V-E to do it on a budget. So, if you are all like me and like to peek in other peoples homes you are in for a treat. And you don’t even need to use the excuse of walking the dog at night to see if you can peer into peoples living rooms while the dog stops to do his business. Oh come on, we all to it 🙂
So, the first room on the tour is my kitchen. And the story with my kitchen is that we gutted it ourselves, tore down walls, put in new cabinets, tiled the floor & more.
Cabinets & Appliances: The cabinets are actually plain raised panel stock cabinets and we used a basic white formica countertop. That is something I would love to replace but it’s just not in the budget right now. But, I do like the clean look of it. As time went on, we are talking 15 years, we replaced our appliances with stainless steel one at a time. I always bought appliances that were being discounted or floor sample models. The only appliance left to replace is the dishwasher.
Flooring: The tile were discontinued tiles that I got for half price. I had to buy a little more then I needed to score the deal but it was still a lot cheaper in the end. And we laid the whole floor ourselves. That was a back breaker.
Furniture: Every few years we would make some changes or improvements like one year we changed all the hardware on the cabinets, another year we put in a bead board back splash & crown molding on the top of the cabinets, and my biggest splurge, that I saved and saved for, was my “antique” kitchen table. I had my eye on this table for a few years and because it acts, not only as a table but also as an island, I was more particular as to what I was getting. I also needed something that could take a beating and this one has done just that. I saved money by using the chairs we have had for almost 25 years. I did buy a bench, which is on the stove side, so I could easily work at the table while cooking without having to bump into the table. That purchase came 2 years after the purchase of the table.
Lighting & Accessories: My light fixtures were all clearance fixtures that I found either at a local lighting store or Home Depot. The tiffany style light fixture over the table I found for $25 at a garage sale. It was not exactly what I was going for at first but I couldn’t resist the price. And, I actually love it there. The lights over the breakfast bar I got for $10 each because the hanging bar was all beat up. A little paint fixed that and they look great. My accessories are all either from Marshalls (best place for cheap accessories) or garage sales.
Sometimes I fall in love with something and it wasn’t even the direction I was going. Which is part of the reason I love to shop for bargains. It makes it so fun to see what you can put together.
Tomorrow’s Room: The Family Room!
Do you have any great money saving kitchen decorating idea?