Powder Room refresh for under $100

Hey all! I JUST finished a little powder room refresh and I'm so excited to share it! 

How did this project start, you ask? Well, I was walking by the powder room and realized the lighting above the sink was, ummm, not cute. Then, I looked around the tiny powder room and thought... "Hmmmm, this room isn't that cute at ALL." So, off to Lowes I went, followed by TJ Maxx and Michaels. 

So, this transformation kind of just happened. No joke. I had NO plan. The only thing I knew was that I wanted a new light fixture. So, I found this light fixture from Lowes for just under $50. Couldn't find the exact bulbs but here is the brand and the style- my bulbs are much more round. GE Relax LED bulbs 

                                  

         

Light bulbs- $8.98 for a pack of 2

Vanity Light Fixture- $49.98

Ohhhh yea... want to see a before? 

I haven't touched this room since we moved in. Hung that cute little canvas on the wall and called it a day. 

After I picked up the new light fixture, my wheels started turning. I knew I wanted to do this entire refresh for under $100. I went on a hunt to find some kind of shelf unit for above the toilet but no luck. I found some cute ones from TJMaxx and Michaels... Since I had roughly $30 left in my budget (after light and bulbs) all options would exhaust the budget. I almost gave up until... right by the check out line in Michaels, I came across this white, wooden crate. I thought to myself, "Self, couldn't I hang this on the wall from the bottom and turn it into a shelf?" Promptly after my thinking, I googled "milk crate shelf" and boom. It's a thing. This crate was $10. 

                 

 

I decorated the crate with a little basket and tiny mason jar from Michaels. The books and greenery were things I had around the house. Stuffed the basket with 2 wash cloths. 
Basket- $3(ish)
Mason jar- $2(wish)

 Only thing left to get is a new hand towel. I also thought about spray painting the towel holder a matte black... but we'll see. ;) 

Thanks for stopping by!

xo - Cyndi 

Client (Julie): Family Room Makeover!

I am SO excited to share this post! About 2 weeks ago, I spent the day refreshing my client, Julie's family room. Julie had minimal decor... just a picture and a mirror, 2 sofas, an area rug and an end table. Julie and I had a bunch of conversations about what she loves and what she really wanted to make a priority within her budget. Her #1 concern was the wall space and she expressed wanting a gallery wall. So, I made that happen. She also needed the sofa styled as well as the end table. Let's start with some before. 

 

^See here, I had already flipped the big pillows on the sofa to make them as neutral as possible! 

Ok, so great starting point, right? Pretty basic, lots of neutral and that slate blue wall turned out to be in inspiration for a nice accent color. 

My plan? Head to HomeGoods, what else?!?! ;) 

I'm such a nerd taking up the floor like this... but I mean, let a girl live!

                                                 

Decided to return that vase and get this table/basket instead! Gotta keep my options open!

After HomeGoods, I popped over to Kirklands and found that metal/wood basket and a great trio of boxwoods. 

Here are the links:
Boxwood Arrangement

Similar, not exact. The one I used is smaller and $49
Accent table basket

From HomeGoods I found: 
4 pillows 
throw blanket
basket (for PS4 accessories)
lamp
2 candles (1 large, 1 small)
coffee table book
greenery
multiple frames, mirrors and gallery wall pieces

Click on the pictures to enlarge. 

DRUM ROLL

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Ahhhhhhh... ;)

This throw blanket gave me all the feels. Added texture to the sofa. 

These pictures aren't great... (I forgot my professional camera) but those boxwood are adorable and less than $15. I linked them above ^ but here they are again Boxwood Arrangement. 

The gallery wall was the hardest part! I wasn't sure if I had enough pieces but Julie is SO happy with the outcome and so am I. It's got a whimsical feel. 

One of the FIRST things I did was flip the big pillows to the solid side. The lighter pillow had a pattern on one side and was solid beige on the other. Simply flipping to the solid side made a HUGE difference and allowed me to add a new pattern... cheetah! 

I couldn't BELIEVE I found those slate blue and navy cheetah printed pillows! They were the perfectttttt accent pillow! (I want them for myself!)

I moved Julie's print onto the bigger wall and made a small gallery behind the sofa. I also straightened out the love seat to be parallel with the area rug. Julie and I discussed adding more to this little gallery wall. I will be sure to update with pictures when complete. 

Used my classic equation for end table styling... height, texture, layers and odd numbers! Found a mercury glass candle in a silvery/blue which was PERFECT! (I just love when HomeGoods has literally everything I could ever want!) 

               

The blue coffee table book is great for layering, greenery adds nice texture/pop and that lamp was the perfect size and texture! Loved how this turned out!

Close up of that dreamy pillow!

Thanks for stopping by! Comment below and let me know what you think. Also, reach out if you'd like me to restyle one of your spaces! Summer is coming and now's the time!!! 

Cyndi 

Bargain Furniture Shopping!

My most viewed post, Designer vs. Bargain, is all about finding the bargain furniture piece.  I figured it was time to revisit this most viewed post! (I don't even share this post on my social media and it gets views daily... just floating around the world wide web.)

  

This is the sofa that inspired my original post! Unfortunately, Bob's Discount Furniture no longer sells my beautiful, $550 couch. The designer version (Ethan Allen Chadwick Sofa) is a show stopper but costs a pretty penny. 

 If you search hard enough, finding the more affordable version of what you really want is 100% possible. 

*Side Note- I am sure this couch is well made and beautifully crafted. My grandma has all Ethan Allen furniture and it lasts a lifetime. If I could afford it, I would consider buying it if on sale. However, my affordable Bob's sofa is going on 5 years and has been very good to us! ;) 

Here are some other comps I found while searching online... (click the pictures to make them larger)

 Ethan Allen sofette compared to one on Wayfair. I actually think I like the look of the Wayfair sofa better than the EA one. 

*

Not 100% similar but definitely in the same boat. The Bob's sofa is quite the deal in comparison to the Ethan Allen one. 

*

This Arhaus chaise lounge is stunning... but the Wayfair version looks just as beautiful and for a fraction of the cost. 

I'm a BIG fan of Homegoods but you can't always guarantee their inventory. Correction, you can never guarantee their inventory. If you're in northern NJ and reading this, HomeSense (sister store of HomeGoods) just opened in East Hanover and they have a nice furniture selection. Much bigger than HomeGoods. These stores are fabulous because of their price tags. 

Before you pull the trigger on a $$$ expensive sofa, humor me and quickly search for a comparable. You may be pleasantly surprised with what you find!

Thanks for stopping by. 

Cyndi 

New Year... New Idea!

It's a New Year and I have an idea but...  I need YOUR help! Does the thought of stepping into HomeGoods make you cringe? Are the walls in your home still bare years after moving day? Have cute accessories but just don't know how to style them? Well read on, my friend, read on! 

I've invested so much time, energy and research into this passion of mine and I would like to tackle more. I'm looking for a few "victims" to help me take my passion for decorating to the next level.  I would love to help some friends (friends of friends, family of friends, etc) transform a space in their home free of charge. Here is the scoop:

1. Budget- I am looking to create a business but my services will be complimentary as part of my kick off! I am also the queen of bargain shopping so I will keep your costs down because that's just how I do :) However, depending on your goals, it would be realistic to say that a few hundred $ would be a reasonable "transformation" budget. ***I LOVE to shop around the house and that can save tons!
**Now, if your room is empty and you want to completely furnish it, obviously the budget increases. 

2. The space- One room transformation... family/living room, dining room, bedroom, den, office, sitting room, kids room, play room, etc.

3. Time frame- I would break the time up by having an initial consultation to view the space and discuss vision/goals. Then, I create a layout and plan. Shop. Decorate. I work fast, too! :) 

4. Sharing- I would like to document the transformation and share pictures on my blog/social media as a way to market my services. 

Please scroll through a few pictures to check out my home and some projects I've completed. If you are interested in working together, PLEASE reach out! Comment on the blog post or email me at decisivedecor@gmail.com 

Striped wall was a DIY I did a few years ago.  This is the entrance to our room. Check it out here.

Formal Living Room

This wall stencil was another DIY I completed a few years back. Stencil accent wall DIY can be found here.

This was a cute spring party I hosted for my Mom's birthday last year. Read more here.

Floral arranging.

Master Bathroom- designed this shower (with my husband) Master Shower Reno Post.

Master Bathroom

Christmas table 2017

Gallery wall project I completed for a friend. Read more here. 

Master bedroom.

Cozy TV room... transitional style.

Love mixing textures and patterns.

 I made that Sunburst mirror as a DIY a few years ago... 5 hours, $40 and many blisters from the hot glue gun! Read the Sunburst DIY here. 

Kitchen counters aren't currently like this... changes weekly. (Husband gets so confused!) But I LOVE my MacKenzie Child's Courtly Check and that's not going anywhere!