Just a little bit more info…for those of you who love, like me, country, coastal, style, but may be on a similar budget to me…or may be on less of a one…you won’t find here statements along the lines of ‘the team of painters I employed’ or ‘the tradies worked hard on this one’ …you will find, I racked my brains for ways to do this without spending too many dollars *smile
window dressing – easily and cheaply done, I like to call it undressed dressed, laid back windows are my fave…two budget curtains in natural fabrics…IKEA…you can go much cheaper if you need to (ideas: decorator’s drop cloths, thrifted curtains bleached, shower curtains, old sheets topped with tabs or curtain ring clips, sew together thrifted tablecloths for a patchwork look), pole & finials…IKEA (cheaper alternatives: old piping painted white or black, tubing, old sticks/branches…bamboo painted white – I did it here)
floor - coir, jute matting, easy and budget friendly, classic and never goes outta style! provides texture and definition, easy to dress up or down…find in budget store, this one IKEA (ideas for going cheaper: use off cuts from your carpet store, use IKEA’s $5 handwoven cotton rugs butted together, & you can throw ‘em in the wash – see mine here and here, KMart has great ones too! )
table – been with us a long time – classic shape, takes a lot of battering, painted with Dulux Whisper White (ideas: look on the side of the road, yep really, Craigslist, Ebay – source square, simple style and paint white or black)
candles - instant room lifter and mood changer – stick to one colour & heights as here (ideas: never buy full price, mostly on sale, Target offers good value v. quality…buy bulk in dollar stores in one colour…IKEA great for chunky long-lasting great burn candles)…group in bundles on a vintage plate…lookout for holders at garage sales and thrift stores and spray paint white, silver or black
sofa - invest in classic colour, we’ve had this one for 10 years and still going strong! look for easy, laid back style and if you want white or light and have got kids, make sure, it can go in the wash!
cushions - I made these from thrifted pillowslips, the vintage ones in the lovely old cotton and embroidery (ideas: look in discount stores for neutral colours, source inners from IKEA and sew simple covers from thrifted tablecloths, pillowslips, old sheets – look out for linen offcuts and on-sale fabric). Look out for different textures – I found the crochet one in a thrift store, & bleached it up really white…would rock in grey or black too! Keep a keen eye on linen stores, most reduce prices dramatically as the seasons change.
