To me, my parents were the original fixer-uppers. I lived in three different houses with them, and they always had a vision for taking a tired, dated house and fixing it up. My favorite was an old 1911 two-story with a striking front porch and three-season back porch.
I always knew I would want an old house with good character and bones but great fixer-upper potential. So I had grand ideas when my husband and I moved into our 1923 craftsman house back in 2009. We spent a lot of time peeling wallpaper, painting walls and putting in new floors.
My aesthetic back then was heavy, formal and traditional in warm Tuscan colors. Now, almost 10 years later, with the influence of shows such as “Fixer Upper” that feature light, airy, rustic and white-washed homes, I found myself wanting a different look.
I thought investing in a traditional look was going to be, well, timeless, and therefore affordable. Little did I think of children being incompatible with such a formal style or that my tastes might change. So now what? I want rustic pieces that can take a beating. I want to lighten and brighten. I want a more authentic look that speaks to who we are: My husband is a writer and I’m a history teacher and world traveler. Most of all I want to do it while still affording daycare and diapers.
Well, the truth is my method doesn’t change much. Patience is a part of the equation. My home has always been a gradual hobby. It never feels like the makeover is “done.” The other part of the equation has been thrift. I’ve always had champagne taste on a beer budget, as my mother often reminds me. If you, like me, find yourself wanting to start over, here are some affordable ideas and a breakdown to your approach.
There are three layers to home décor: your house, your big furnishings and your light décor. In each room, strategically decide where making changes will create the most dramatic transformations. If you’re like me, you’ll have to temper that against expense and ability. Ask yourself, “What do I dislike most?” Then work hard to get rid of it. Also consider, “What do I want most?” and find a way to get that.
GOOD BONES
When it comes to your home, hopefully you’ve picked one with good bones, layout and character, as those are hard to add without expense or contractor capabilities. Joanna Gaines is always tearing down walls and installing dramatic light fixtures, hardwood floors, antique doors, big windows and French doors. However, there are simple and affordable things you can do to update your home if you don’t mind investing some sweat equity.
Peel that wallpaper and put up a new coat of paint. Sand down that dark woodwork and paint it white. Replace those generic builder-grade door knobs and light fixtures with antiques.
Following a recent makeover, Brea Wiblemo’s living room now has an airier feel as she incorporated lighter elements such as the lamps, pillows, throw and mantle pieces to offset the heavier tones of the furniture.
In my house, painting the bathroom cabinets and putting on new hardware was cheap, but went a long way. To be honest, this layer of décor is where I’m not changing much. My house has a beautiful open-floor plan, huge windows and tons of craftsman character. I also don’t have the energy to repaint the entire color scheme or the heart to paint over the exceptional woodwork.
OUTSIDE THE BOX
The middle layer of décor includes large furnishings such as beds, couches, tables, chairs, end tables, hutches, lamps and area rugs. This is my favorite layer. It can be really fun to find great deals on these things and think outside the box. For area rugs, look for indoor/outdoor rugs on sale at the end of summer. They are larger in size, cheaper in price and more durable.
Brightening up old lamps made a dramatic difference in my living room. I had to spend a little money here to replace formal Tiffany-style lamps with glass-base lamps and linen drum shades, but it was strategic spending that returned an impactful yield. Do you have an old lamp base that you could spray paint, install a new shade on and upgrade to a different room?
Remember to take what you’ve got and work with it. Don’t be afraid to modify pieces and move them around your house. Can you keep your furniture but slipcover it or change up the throws and pillows? Bonus points for keeping the pillows and recovering them.
Be creative. Can you find some trunks or suitcases to make an end table? Can you stack antique crates to make a bookshelf? I love taking a fall drive to pick up a piece of furniture I found scouring Craigslist. Pick up your favorite coffee drink, tune in some Jay Unger on your Pandora internet radio and stop off at antique shops along your way.
It’s amazing what new paint and hardware can do on a piece of furniture with good bones. I used to avoid cheaply veneered pieces and only looked for real wood; however, chalk paint makes most everything fair game. Etsy, a website focused on handmade and vintage items, has unique hardware to make pieces look one-of-a-kind.
This harvest table and chairs were another set inspired by a scene from Pottery Barn. Instead of paying catalog prices, the table and chairs were found on an online marketplace and given a fresh coat of paint, along with new seat cushion covers to complete ensemble.
I once pined for an outdoor living room featured in Pottery Barn. I wanted it for my back porch, but it was well out of my price range. Instead I found my version of a harvest table on Craigslist, refinished it in antique white and recovered the chair seats with outdoor fabrics from ebay that matched the catalog.
I used the same outdoor fabric to sew the matching pillows for my hammock and Adirondack chairs at half the cost of the full-price pillows. Those Adirondacks were a pair of assemble-your-own chairs from Ace Hardware for $30 each, compared to $300 each in the catalog. I even found a used bar cart to fix up, coming in about $1000 dollars cheaper than the inspired version.
Maybe you’re like the Gaineses and have a carpenter friend to commission for furniture. I don’t, so garage sales and secondhand fixer-uppers work for me. Better yet, hand-me-downs from grandma. I’ll never understand why someone would go for generic, box-store furniture when grandma’s hope chest or china hutch needs a home. It’s those pieces that tell a story and make a home special.
THE FINAL TOUCHES
The final layer of design is light décor. Think of it as the jewelry and accessories on an outfit. They complete the look and can dress it up or down. Like jewelry, this layer can be cheap or expensive, vintage or new. Light décor in a room could be textiles such as curtains, blankets, pillows and table dressings. It’s also your wall hangings and knickknacks.
This layer can be challenging, as it requires arranging items with balance, finding pieces that authentically reflect who you are, and tends to need updating the most, requiring lots of turnover. Like purging your wardrobe of unfashionable items, it’s a good idea to update the light décor around your house every so often.
Don’t be afraid of blank spaces, it gives you room to envision something new. I find myself examining some of my formal and Tuscan pieces that are starting to look dated. I consider if they can be repurposed, and if not I sell them. In their place I’m looking for things that lighten and brighten. In my front porch, I took down curtains and let in more light. I replaced dark textiles with creamy throws and burlap pillows. I swapped out formal paintings for a gallery wall of travel pictures.
A la Ms. Gaines, I’m trying to add dimension with wall hangings. I found an old window to put above my mantel from which to hang seasonal wreaths. I’ve swapped out china and crystal for grandma’s milk glass and stoneware. I’ve switched my table lines to whites and creams. Throw in a few oversized clocks and lanterns, some books and candlesticks, greenery and flowers and we’re almost there. Enjoy making small changes with seasonal décor.
Lastly, edit carefully. Clutter detracts from good design. Make sure each piece makes you happy.
As a parting thought, remember that a home is a sensory experience. Design only engages the senses of sight and touch. Make your house feel more like home by incorporating the senses of smell with sound. I light a candle and put on Billie Holiday when my guests come to visit, but I do this when I’m by myself, too. Make your home your happy place, always.
