If you design around your hobby or job or life enjoyments, you would probably already have many items you can use to accent the room.
When buying furniture, it is best to buy basic colors and forget patterns in furniture. You can always accent the piece with throw pillows in the pattern you like but it is much cheaper to replace a few pillows than to get a new couch. When styles change in a year or two, you can still have your black leather couch and just get new throw pillows.
I like quality furniture, solid colors, good material, made well. Leather that is dyed all the way through and not painted will last for 20 years or more. If you buy "painted" leather, the first bling set of pants on it will take the paint off and it will start to flake off. You may pay more for that main piece but you can decorate your room around it for years. Yardsale sites, classified sections in the paper and online and radio call in sale sites are GREAT to hook you up with what you are looking for for your house. My father bought a nice leather sectional on a classified site.
Put ads on your facebook page telling people what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend. I just got a brand new full mattress from a friend whose mother passed away. She purchased two full sets for when her children came to stay and they don't know that anyone ever slept in it as she had a queen, another full and a twin/trundle bed. I got it with a mattress cover and the frames for $100. It was a pillow top and had the cover and was NEW. So, always put on your facebook first as you know the people and know if they are clean, have pets, smoke etc. If they don't have one, they may know someone that may. She saw my post on my facebook and contacted me and Princess Four has been sleeping in a new bed all week. If that doesn't work, put it on the facebook yardsale groups for your area or the classified section. Most of the items I purchase come from second hand stores. I buy them, paint them, cover them etc Make them mine. You can purchase a seemingly plain item and spruce it up with vinyl cut words, pictures etc. Almost anything can be "dolled" up with vinyl or paint.
I purchased a new mattress cover and bed skirt at the second hand store for her bed. The skirt is thick upholstery fabric and was probably $30 new or more. The partition she got at a second hand store. The basket I bought at the SHS (My new abbreviation for the post second hand store!) All the pictures on the wall or the frames they are in were used or new from a SHS. The clock was light wood but I thought it looked Asian so I painted it black. The earrings were clip on earrings but say "I love you" if I remember right and so I made them into pierced earrings for her.
The black tall dresser I got at the SHS and just used a Sharpie to touch it up and she LOVED it. I was going to give it to her for Christmas but when she saw it and loved it, I couldn't wait.
I didn't have time to get her a new comforter but after thinking about it, I have black fabric and I am just going to make a duvet cover and she can cover the comforter she already has.
The red bird feeder was a blessing from above as I stopped and ran in to find the mattress cover and look for a bed skirt and as I was walking out, a woman put this right in front of me on a shelf. I laughed as I picked it up and thought how cute it would look in her room and she could burn incense or put a candle in it etc. It was $1.50. The ruffle was $4. the new mattress cover for a full bed was $4. The clock wasn't more than $4. The tall dresser was less than $20 but I can't remember the exact price. The earrings were probably in a bag with others for $1 or so. The large basket shown near the partition was $5.
The leather look chair at the top was $10 with the foot stool and it is a rocker and recliner and is quite comfortable. I knew the people selling and they were clean and they threw in the heater for a few dollars. That heater is the best space heater I have EVER seen. It is a fan so it blows the heat out but it doesn't get hot to touch. It warms her room in minutes. I would HIGHLY recommend that type to anyone. I took a picture just for that reason. I know old houses get cold so when they were selling it, she had just moved in and I had no where to sit when we moved her in but her bed which was full of girls so I bought her the chair and it has been a wonderful buy. Here is a post of her room when she was moving in. It is nice to see how it has taken shape now that she is OK unpacking and decorating. Here is a post of her old room when she moved up there and there were no chairs so I got that chair and the heater for her. Both turned out to be a wonderful investment. In my computer chair at my house, I have a heated, vibrating chair mat as I blog and write in my journal each night, I like to have the chair warm on cold nights and Princess Two loved it when she came to visit so I bought her one for the black recliner and she uses it all the time. It was $5 or so.
When it comes to decorating a room where you don't own the furniture and can't paint it, you can "drape" it. I draped her ottoman with a burgundy fleece blanket to add some color. You can see in the picture , she found a red and black wrap with Chinese letters on it and we used it to drape over the messy book shelf that she doesn't use very often. She then could use it as a "TV" stand as it looked a bit more finished. We just used tape to tack it up but you can use thumb tacks and tack them into the back of the shelf so they don't leave holes on the finish.
You can go with a solid piece of fabric you can check out the second hand stores, clearance fabric pieces or just purchase some fabric but I like using old sheets they sell for $2 a piece at the second hand store. You can use a bleach pen to write on them if you want some words or designs on them and then wash them but I can usually find a scarf, blanket, or piece of fabric I like to cover things.
I love that at SHS you can barter. When I was at the store getting the mattress cover and dust ruffle, I saw these two red bed pillows with gold CHINESE writing on them. I KNEW she would love them. They are satin and had a few strands and a few dots on them so they were asking $5 each and the other newer pillows were $3 each. I explained my reason for thinking they should be lower and they made them $3 each. I hand washed the covers so they wouldn't snag and we threw them in the dryer on low and they are so cute on her bed.
I need to make that cover for her. Right now, that blue color is the back of her t-shirt quilt we made a few years ago. I will make her a cover for one of her quilts and she can use it for now.
I always tell people to tell me when they are looking for something and I can keep my eye out for it. Last week, Princess One wanted a Mr. Potato Head. She said she has the pirate and cowboy or something but the feet are stuck on and wanted the actual "head" so she could change the feet etc. I have maybe ever seen one at the SHS and the next day, after she told me she wanted it, I found an entire bag with all the parts and the head and removable feet for $2. She was thrilled.
Always "put it out there" what you are looking for and by just saying it out loud, it can make things happen for you, just like me and the full bed. Just this week, I told my sister I wanted to get my mom one of those old person shopping carts they pull behind them with the little basket as she has to take laundry down and her hamper is cumbersome so I told the lady that helps her, I would find one of those baskets. I found one this week and have NEVER seen one before at a SHS. It was $4 and folds flat with a quick motion yet will be wonderful as a hamper and way to transport laundry to the laundry room in the basement of her building. Try asking for what you want out loud or telling another person what you want or need and see if it finds you. I sometimes say a quick prayer telling my Heavenly Father what I want and he many times helps me get it. I always try to give a gratitude prayer when he does help me find something I am looking for.This little side table we purchased at a retail clothing store that was going out of business and selling off display items. I guess it got wet and damaged so I am going to take up sand paper and paint and we will paint it burgundy to match the room as the base is black.
The frames for some of her things hanging are one's I had or purchased at SHS and painted black with spray paint as it is so quick and easy.
Decorating can be fun and easy. If you put something together and you don't like it, nothing is lost. We moved her room around in our heads many times and gave the pros and cons of each place the bed could be and why it would be good there etc. In the end, away from the outside cold wall and window were her best bet. the window on the headboard side of the bed goes to a sun room so it is a warm wall. The other inside wall has a bathroom and the toilet would be flushing right next to her head all night if the room mates were using it or had company. So, part of making a good living space in decorating is making the space functional. Knowing how hard it is for Princess two to sleep anyway, I knew that would bother her so we discussed all these things before actually moving any furniture.
I think her room actually looks bigger now with a full bed than it did with the twin against the wall. I like that it has a theme and focus and I like that SHE likes and is happy in it. Sleeping at night is a big thing and having morning light coming through the blinds into my eyes when i was in her bed one night for a visit, I wondered how she could sleep with the cold coming in and the light first thing as well as the bed rocking back and forth. We figured out after taking it out that the frame wasn't put together right and caused the frame to be loose so ever time I turned, it shook and made some noise. We did her room for way under $100 and the frames were even from the SHS and were $8. The new ones they sell are $54. They had a NEW in the box but used as someone had it in their garage for some time set of frames for $20 but I opted for the used as they had wheels on them so I kept hers for my new full bed and gave her my new ones as we put bed raisers under the frame so she can store bins under her bed to keep them out of site and for storage if she needs it. All in all, a fun weekend with my girls and Princess TWO's smile is worth all the rush to get it done before the concert.
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