Making a Room Gorgeous Doesn't Require a Lot of Money.

I've had my mind on decorating a lot this past year as I bought a new sofa and a new chair which you can see here. My intention was for the new sofa to go in the living room, but I love my old one so much, I switched them around—new one in the family room and old one back into the living room. I truly wanted a new look for the living room but that 20 year old sofa has been my favorite from the get-go and it'll stay in there. But it still made me think of what else I could do to make it look differently so I bought the new Ethan Allen chair with a bit of French flair to it with the plaid fabric. It's also gorgeous. Well, to me it is!

The old chairs now sit in our family room waiting to be taken over to granddaughter's new home. I spoke with her recently and she doesn't have room for them right now. She and her hubby are shopping for new furniture and can't make up their minds on what to buy. She said to bring them over and she'd put them both in her office at work to have a cozy place to sit while they straightened out the new house. Hubs and I are going over soon and since it's winter we don't want to have to take our truck over with the possible threat of snow so we've decided to take them over at another time. In the meantime, our small family room has a full size sofa and 3 chairs in it! I hate to give 2 Ethan Allen chairs away but it might come to that if she decides she doesn't want them. My grandsons aren't married yet so they don't want anything yet. But they're good chairs and I've had them reupholstered twice and they are still in great shape. Here's a recent picture but bear in mind the end tables are about 25 years old, the coffee table is about 15 years old the lamps are 10 years old and the sofa is 20 years old. Only the 2 chairs are under 8 years old and all pillows are made by me:

So anyway, I was thinking about how many times we decorate in our lives. The rich probably do it on a regular basis every couple of years, but the average person only does it a few times in their life. We've decorated when we've gotten the money or moved into a new place through the years. This has me arriving at one certain thought: We don't have to buy all new furniture, just a chair or table, curtains, inexpensive lamps redone, new color of paint for the walls or even wall decorations and pillows can make a huge difference in a room. That also means a lot less money. And sometimes that can make the difference in doing something or not. Think about it. ;-)
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What a gorgeous entrance with red walls, that elegant staircase and dramatic black and white checkered floors.

A sweet country window with shutters, blue gingham curtains and a potted flower.

And then we have another dramatic entrance to a log cabin.

And a stunning pink rose.

I love the shabby chic look here also. Looks comfy.

Then the dramatic view from this restaurant somewhere in the warm climes.

Lovin' the round ruffled tablecloth. I'm still working on my chair seats for the French dining chairs. Or I should say, thinking of working on the chairs. I've been so lazy lately.

This striped headboard goes horizontal instead of the usual vertical. I have to say it's beautiful with the reds and those pillows.

My idea of a cute and homey kitchen eating area.

The colors grabbed me first but I love the side chairs with green seats and flowered backs.

A sweet little area in someone's delightful yard.

If you could find an old bucket, you could wallpaper it like this and have a gorgeous place to store wrapping papers.

Love these old vintage kitchens as they remind me of when I was a kid growing up.

Love these bucket containers for flowers from the garden. Ours will soon be blooming. Can't wait!

What a delightful family room for kids. Colorful with lots of books and slipcovers so mummy won't have to worry about the furniture. ;-)

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Linking up with Pink Saturday.