West Elm? No. Crate and Barrel? No.

Well then, who?
JCPenney. JCPenney's?
Yes. Look at the stuff they are doing now, stylish and SO affordable.

The Cooper armless sofa set, available in Persimmon and Mocha.

Sofa 72" long $399
Love seat 59" long $379
Chaise 57" long $349
Chair $249
Cocktail Ottomon $249


Rudo rug is available in 5 sizes
3' 5" x 5' 2" $59
5' 3" x 7' 10" $99

Jackson bench and two footstools
Bench 38" x 16 1/2" x 19" H
Footstools 13" x 13" x 10"H

$199 for all three pieces

While I wonder about the quality of their construction for the price they are asking, it sure does look great. Believe me, I will be checking this stuff out in person as soon as I can. I'll let you know what I think. In the mean time, look and dream.

Great design books for the budget decorator

Abode a la Mode: 44 projects for Hip Home Design by Jeanee Ledoux

$500 Room Makeovers by Lisa Quinn

The New Apartment Book: Inspiring Ideas and Practical Projects for Decorating Your Home by Michele Michael

Home Cheap Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to Great Decorating by Budget Living

ReadyMade: How to Make [Almost] Everything: A Do-It-Yourself Primer by Shoshana Berger

Handmade Modern: Mid-Century Inspired Projects for Your Home by Todd Oldham

Wall to Wall: 100 Great Treatments for Vertical Surfaces by Linda Barker from BBC Changing Rooms (this link shows six examples from the book)

Living Large in Small Spaces: Expressing Personal Style in 100 to 1,000 Square Feet by Marisa Bartolucci

Apartment Therapy by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of apartmenttherapy.com

The Cottage Book: Living Simple and Easy by Carol Bass (the founder of Maine Cottage furniture)

Warning:

I love home decor blogs. I can't get enough of them. But most of them start out talking about decor on a budget and then...out of the blue...they are gushing about a $145 throw pillow!

On this blog, you will see REAL budget decorating ideas and products.

If you are looking for pricey items that are either IN or OUT this season, this is not the place for you.

If there is something expensive that I want I will be copying the design, recycling furniture, constructing items, sewing things, and maybe even using a glue gun at times.

So, I have now officially warned you.

A small digression...for FUN!

If you love Target then you must check out their company store. Here you will find items they do not sell in their retail stores. These items are used for their conferences and as incentive gifts, but you can now buy them for yourself*. Here are just a few from the site, which also feature "vintage" graphics from Target's 1972 advertising campaigns, like this nine-piece coaster set for $5 and the cool red t-shirt for only $6!

The other items are also budget priced: lunch tote $5, Bullseye black mug $7, Bullseye Dog cookie jar $22, and the messenger bag for only $14 .

* I found out about this from the cool blog Slave To Target . Thank you!

Okay, just one more post today

I just want to post a few more pictures from my favorite contestants in the Apartment Therapy contest.

K/B’s Madison Reflection Shauna's More Dash than Cash Marc's Eminent Domain Greg & Em's Silverlake Sanctuary

That's what I'm talking about...

I LOVE this! Look at the use of color, pattern, and painted furniture. This image is from Bri & Chad's Fab on a Budget entry for Apartment Therapy's 2nd annual smallest, coolest apartment 2006 contest. Apartments nationwide have been entered displaying all types of decor. I find it a great source of design, storage, and layout solutions for small apartments.

Good luck Bri & Chad!!!!

This one used a more sophisticated shade as its base instead of white. But the mix of patterns, use of bright colors, and vintage touches still please me. This image is of the living room of Posie Gets Cozy creator Alicia Paulson. She has a few pictures of her house on her site, but not enough for my liking. Her use of color is incredible and she has the best collection of figurines and vintage tchotchkes.

My design dreams

In a week or so I will be posting a series of before pictures of my apartment. In the meantime, while I am sorting and scanning them, I will show you images that inspire my design.

But first, here are the things that I want in my living space:

• Color
• Painted furniture, solid color, no patterns
• Traditional lines in playful fabrics and colors
• Vintage details
• Space for workshop/office space
• A bit of whimsy
  

What I do not want:

• Rugs (bad for allergies)
• Overly feminine designs or patterns
• No pastel color
• Black or modern furniture

Join the journey

This blog was created because I am in the process of redoing my apartment. I have a 520 sq ft space with almost 13 ft tall ceilings.

Yes, 13 ft ceilings (actually 12 feet 9 inches).

While that may sound great, that is a LOT of white wall space. Not even a true white but that drab off-white color that landlords seem to love. So for the past year, I have been trying to find some way to make this place feel like a home. It took me eight years to achieve that with my last apartment. I DO NOT want it to take that long this time.

So, welcome to the journey...

Inspiration