My friend Ashley has a friend named Angela…Angela and her husband recently bought a house and had a baby and Angela wanted to stay home with the baby so when it came time to decorate their new house…she was, like a lot of us, on a budget. Angela and her husband decided the kitchen was the first room they wanted to redecorate and their budget was $125. Ashley took up the challenge and with some savvy thrift store and retail clearance items…was able to give the room a fresh new look for $71.25! Because Angela and her husband had just recently moved in, Angela had a couple of boxes of items she didn’t know what to do with so we pulled from that too and put items she had used previously in the living room and bedroom in the kitchen….sometimes just thinking outside the “norm” can be an easy and inexpensive way to change up a room.
Angela loves the outdoors and wanted the kitchen to reflect that.
Here’s the before and after pictures with prices and ideas of how you can spruce up a room, even if you’re on a budget.
When Angela and her husband moved in, the main wall in the dining nook was this bright blue….Angela hadn’t hung anything up yet because she just wasn’t sure what to do….
This little corner area becomes a focal point with a mix of items Ashley found….mirrors are great ways to make a room look bigger too. Ashley found the mirror at Salvation Army for $5.00 and spray painted it white. The tall brown vase was bought at St. Paws Thrift for $17 (the most expensive item Ashley bought, but it’s still a small price for this great piece). Ashley also found the white curtain at Salvation Army for $2.45 and the empty metal frame was $4.00 at ARC…no need to put anything in it! The branches Ashley used in the vase came from Goodwill for $2.00 and the cool flowers (that light up), were something Angela had stored away that look perfect in the vase and room.
There’s nothing wrong with this side of the kitchen…it just needs a little “bit of something”…
On the top shelf Ashley added a wicker basket with the green plant in it ($1.50 Goodwill), the small wooden crate ($1.00 Goodwill), the wicker ball (70 cents Goodwill), and the blue candlestick she found at Salvation Army for $1.23. The plant adds some color and the wicker and wood pulls in an “outdoor” feel. The utensil holder on the far right side of the counter is actually the bottom half of a vase (with birds painted on it) that Ashley got on the clearance rack at Marshall’s because it was missing the top. And the birdhouse on the microwave follows the theme of outdoors, picked up at Salvation Army for $4.00. Ashley keeps it streamlined but with just a few little changes, it all looks fresh.
This side of the kitchen needs to be functional but it doesn’t have to be drab….
The “new” curtain above the kitchen sink makes such a difference and only cost $1.99 at Goodwill. On the far left wall area Ashley hung this great metal frame that Angela already owned. It was a mirror but the glass broke and she had been holding on to the frame….it looks great and adds just the right touch without making the wall look busy. The shelf on the left side gets a pop of color with the vase of flowers Angela had originally had on her kitchen table. The “simplify” sign, made of wood, was $4.00 at ARC and in a word, is what Angela’s all about these days…she wants to enjoy this time with her son. On the far right shelf, another basket of greenery was added ($2.99 at Goodwill), along with the porcelain cat ($3.50 at Salvation Army). Angela already had the metal wine rack hanging on the wall, which we all liked. Going with the brown and blue color theme, Ashley just drank two bottles of wine (not all at the same time) that came in these two blue bottles, rinsed them out and voila…just the right pop of blue. We did try four bottles at first but it didn’t have as much of an impact as it does with just the two. And thinking outside the box, Ashley picked up the plastic blue glass (sitting on the windowsill) at Marshall’s for 70 cents, to hold sponges.
Angela keeps her everyday dishes on these shelves so they needed to stay free of clutter. By adding two small shadow boxes Ashley found with blue flowers, she kept it easy for Angela to reach her dishes, but added some interest and color. The one on the bottom right came from Salvation Army for $1.23 and the one on the left of the middle shelf came from St. Paws Thrift for $2.00. Angela already owned the pretty blue canisters, this textured placemat (34 cents at Goodwill) just adds color without taking up space and it catches any sugar or flour Angela might spill.
Before…..
Angela obviously painted the wall! What a huge difference that alone makes. The metal picture on the wall is something Angela had out in the garage that she said she would never have thought of hanging in the kitchen. We hung it higher on the wall so that if anyone sits on the bar stools, they won’t be leaning up against it. The bar stools had also been in the garage and Angela never thought about putting them in the kitchen because she didn’t think they fit. Ashley brought them in and used them as an extra table area….we pulled the pillows from another room, added a couple of books in the colors of the kitchen and Ashley found the basket of green apples at Goodwill for $2.99. It all works great together, gives the wall personality without too much clutter and when they have company over they can take the pillows and books off in 5 seconds, and have additional seating.
I think this looks like an ad for Ikea! It doesn’t even look like the same room. Angela had this very nice wood tray that we pulled from another area and it’s perfect for the size of the table. Green apples look like “art” when simply displayed on it. In the fall, Angela can display small pumpkins and squash on it….she said she’ll do pine cones in the winter. A beautiful way to bring some nature inside. This is another place-mat Ashley bought at Goodwill for 34 cents. It again, adds texture and color without taking up additional room and protects the table from being scratched.
Angela and Ashley…celebrating the new kitchen and the fact that they came in UNDER budget!
If you’re interested in redecorating a room on a budget, you can contact Ashley at ashleygillit@gmail.com.
It looks great Ange & Ashley!