Big Dream, Small Budget

Hey! Happy Friday. This weekend is a welcome one for our household...it's been a long week.

But that's not why you called.

I got this inspiration photo in an email from my sis-in-law Katrina. She says: This is Caitlin Wilson's entry (or I guess I should say this was her entry, I think this is an old pic). I just love the colors and the feel of it. But I've only gotten as far as the sunburst mirror...

 Katrina is living in Hawaii (I know, right? Poor thing.) (Wait. Nope.) with her cute family for the next few years and was looking for a way to reconstruct this look in her entry, which currently looks like this:

 

(She DIY'd that sunburst mirror out of shims. Looks great, huh?)

Oh, and she wants to keep it as low-cost as possible. I know the feeling!

 

I think it's entirely doable, and pretty easily, too. She's got a great jumping-off point. Here's what I would do:

 

Use BM's Whispering Spring to paint out the walls.

Then paint out the table in creamy BM Decatur White.

 

(Did you know that, if you don't have access to Benjamin Moore paint, you can still have the colors created custom by your local paint store? You probably did. But just in case...there you go.)

Add a rug in front of your table (or wherever is most logical in your space) in the same colorway as the one in the inspiration photo. This step could be skipped for budgetary reasons, although I think it's such a pretty - and inviting - addition. Something like this ikat area rug from Overstock for less than $60 would be pretty:


Or this bluey-grey and ivory trellis wool rug for $85:


To incorporate the look of lucite (adding a vapor chair in this space would be awkward), $4 for this drawer knob from Home Depot would do the trick:


Then I'd do one of two things:
Plan A: Find an inexpensive terracotta pot at a hardware or craft supply store and create my own mosaic pot using broken-up brightly colored thrift store plates...

source

  

 ...then get some orchids at farmers' markets, or places like Wal-Mart and Home Depot typically carry them for around $15. (Or maybe something similar grows wild along the curbs in Hawaii? It is "paradise," after all...) The pop of fuchsia from the flowers is so important to the whole airy-yet-vibrant vibe.

Plan B: Buy one of these lamps (on Honolulu's Craigslist), spray paint the base fuchsia...


...remove the green, and trim the top of the lampshade with a stripe of trim. With a solid painted lamp base, I'd recommend a woven trim with a colorful pattern that brings out the colors of the inspiration vase. I like the colors and pattern of this vintage ribbon:


.
or this Japanese woven trim:



Lastly, shop your house and scour thrift stores and flea markets for a gold or brass frame (or spray paint one) as well as 2-3 other simple accessories, such as vases, ginger jars, etc. like these from eBay. (Just search for "vintage vase" or "antique vase" or "ginger jar" etc.) Keep them fairly small and similar...ish.

 

 

Etsy

Etsy

(Or, for a mere $4,500, you could be the proud owner of these beautiful antique Chinese porcelain ginger jars:

Decisions, decisions. :) )


Thanks, Katrina! That was fun. I hope this helps.
Annnnd I wish I was in Hawaii right now. The end.


Anyone else? Email me: brittneynsmart [at] yahoo [dot] com


Have a lovely weekend! No, seriously. Do.

{shared I Should be Mopping}

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