Decorating a House in 30 days on a tight budget

Could I decorate this house in 30 days so a newly wed couple

 in their new house could celebrate the holidays?  

And could I do it on a budget?

Around Thanksgiving I showed you all a bit of 

the first round of decorating I did while

we waited on ready made draperies and carpets to arrive.

Come along as I show you some before, during and after 

shots of how I turned this house into a home in 30 days.

My Inspiration Point

As with any decorating project like this you have to have a starting point 

that I call the inspiration point.  In this case it was the pretty glass tile

 back splash in the kitchen. The tile was colorful and splashy and I planned

 to pull out the blue, purple and amber tones.

 Luckily the open floor plan of the home had only two colors 

on the walls which were Putnam Ivory and Yarmouth Blue, 

both colors from the historical group by Ben Moore, 

so while there was blue and brown in the home,

 I planned to add a dusty purple as well.

 Here is the living room before with the view into the dining area of the kitchen. 

 I planned to switch out all the old flat tired pillows on the sofa and chair, 

remove the carpet and switch out the huge coffee table.

 Before:  This was the worst offender~

the tv cabinet in the corner with the big speakers. 

(Hint: it was not the wife's)

 It overpowered the room and took

 away from the focal point of the room, 

which was the fireplace.  

At this point there was nothing inviting in this room.

One last look into the old living room.  

Could I turn it into my version of a french cottage on a budget?

 A fabulous weathered wood cabinet from Home Goods

 was picked up for the TV cabinet and centered on the windows.

  A pair of linen matted hummingbird prints from

 the same place were hung over the mantle.

 A pair of Pottery Barn linen sheers in a beige and white stripe

 were hung on either side of the TV console. 

I cannot say enough just how pretty these curtains are!!

(I want some for my own home now...)

The husbands favorite keepsake, a lobster trap outfitted with a glass top, 

is now the coffee table.  Taupe and white toile pillows

 by Raymond Waites from Home Goods  freshened up the sofa and chair.  

The carpet is the Cove Area Rug from  

Home Decorators Collection mail order catalogue. 

 Decorating details included a french clock,

 ruffled pillow in lavender and a sconce with mercury votive.

 A great looking Belgian side chair, also from HG sits next to the console.

A cozy reading corner was created by adding a petite demilune table and mercury glass lamp. A plum colored cable knit throw repeats our accent color as do the table top accents.

A rustic miniature heart shaped birdbath filled with christmas greens and a romantic journal are sweet additions~all found at Home Goods.

The artwork cam be hit or miss when decorating with a time frame, 

so don't overlook the markdowns

where I found these lovely prints of hummingbirds in all of the right colors.

 Such an improvement!  Most of these items were sent packing, except the tall candlesticks. 

 You have to be able to let go of things that don't work, even if they are perfectly fine. Lots of little things tend to get lost so use less accessories and slightly bigger scale.

More pretty accessories for the coffee table 

were shown the first time I wrote about this home.

 Now before in the kitchen, all I could see was brown furniture, brown tile, brown cabinets.

 The little purple sparkle from the backsplash called my name.  

I was listening to those little purple guys. As I said before, 

this is where the purple in the other rooms came from~

right here in the heart of the home.

To combat the brown, the wife gamely painted the base of the table.

 A new blue and white damask fabric will soon be stapled to the

 chair cushions by the husband. This made a world of difference. 

 Another Cove Rug sits under the kitchen table as it is 

only steps away from the living room and I wanted to keep the flow.

 The kitchen is a nice size but needs the rug and the

 future window treatments to combat all the stone and tile. 

 Here you can see the tile and the counter tops. 

There were blacks, greys, silvers and beiges in this kitchen!

The bakers rack was moved to the other side of the kitchen~

you don't have to get rid of all of your furniture, honest!

Soon floor length curtains will frame the eating area and it will be very cozy.

 While at the kitchen island you can see into both the kitchen and the dining room. 

Here is the before of the dining room.  

No curtains yet, and for some reason the

 sideboard was setup in front of the windows.

  An extra free standing fireplace that the couple owned 

was put in a corner creating a very jammed up feeling. 

 I could feel the delete button urge calling me, 

and soon the rug and the fireplace would be history.

 Pottery Barn smocked drapes were ordered in the 96" length

 and hung up as high as I could mount them on bronze poles I found at Marshalls.

  You might not think to get curtain rods at Marshalls,

 but they have extreme discounts on great products. 

 The sideboard was moved to the proper location and outfitted 

with lamps and a mirror and two large urns on either side to match the scale of the furniture.

 An antique sideboard that belonged to the husband was a nice surprise~

I love mixing in antiques with newer furniture, 

always makes for a more interesting room. 

I suggested they prune some tree branches outside 

and stuff the urns and then add the glittery gold branches 

I found at Home Goods for some holiday glam.

 Waiting for a party!

The view towards the kitchen with the sun shining 

behind me shows the colors of the room off best. 

 Details include mixing silvers and beiges 

with more mercury glass accessories and damask fabrics.

 Simple smocked sheers give texture and 

interest to the room~I have these curtains myself!

 I hung these christmas ornaments from the

 branches in the urn to underscore the holiday mood.

Large lamps with burlap stenciled shades flank the 

homeowners mirror that sat unused. 

Details of crystal, white and silver decorate the top of the buffet.

The doorway over there leads to the powder room~

come check it out.

 Photographing a bathroom is a challenge!

 This room had the same beige walls and was screaming for some decorating details~

I added lots of dusky purples and a chocolate brown valance 

in a puckered fabric with amber crystals I found at Lowes for $17. 

 I added two valances for the fullness I prefer.

 Hi everybody! Decorator in action!

I am all decked out in my blingy holiday belt to do this job today! 

Anyway, more mercury glass...

see what is going on here~

repeat the colors and the detail elements.

 Ribbons in taupe damask and sheer gold and silver

 were tied onto baskets holding extra towels and potpourri. 

These work well for bathroom accents.

 Turned on the lights and everything looks pink! 

But it isn't, it is a dusty purple and very pretty.

The chocolate brown valance brought the color

of the dark cabinetry  up to the ceiling level.

Makes for a dressy powder room, 

just in time for their holiday party to show off their new home!

Thanks for taking the tour on this home

 that was decorated in less than 30 days! 

Use the power of online home decorating catalogues and

 the fabulous Home Goods and Marshalls and you can get the job done.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did~

Visit Maison Decor at 150 Main Street Reading Mass
or shop inline at 
www.shopmaisondecor.com