Change Artist
For SherryToudget decorating is as
much about giving herself options
as it is about conserving cash.
“Spending thousands just doesn’t
work for me. I like to change my
look too often.” White walls, a
sisal rug, and a slipcovered sofa
and chairs— $1,200 for the set on
clearance!— let her do just that.
Each spring and fall, she swaps out
accessories, most found at Scott
Antique Market, her favorite flea
market, and gives her room a whole
new look. Here are Sherry’s tips
for getting maximum style and
versatility at minimum cost.
Keep upholstery quiet. A sofa in a solid
light-color fabric can always be dressed up with
pillows and a throw. “Keep your big-ticket items
neutral, and your accessories will give you all the
style you need,” Sherry says.
Make your own unique lamps. Sherry
turned a glass jug into a lamp for her kitchen
counter,
opposite
, using a bottle adapter kit (less
than $10 at hardware stores). The lamp behind the
sofa,
top left,
is a vintage finial that she had wired.
Use what you have in a new way.
Two examples of Sherry's creative repurposings:
The side table in the sitting room
off the kitchen is
a woven trunk,
oppositey
and the display bracket
near the kitchen window is an old copper down-
spout. “I was green before it was cool,” she says.
Accessorize and organize with trays.
They're flea market staples, Sherry says, so grab
them when you see them, whether in galvanized
metal, wood, or silver (even tarnished). “Every-
thing looks better on a tray.”
If
you like it and it’s cheap, buy it. When
oversize wooden cutting boards caught Sherry's
eye, she snapped them up though she wasn't sure
exactly what she was going to do with them. Now
they lend rustic character to the backsplash,
left.
“For $15, what an impact,” she says.
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS |
MAY
2011
|
BHG.COM
6
Q
