So what’s really worth it when you are remodeling or designing a space?

My questions to you are:

• What do you touch daily?

• Where is the traffic in your home?

• What do you intend to have long term?

• What is your consistent design style (that allows you to select your base furniture as mentioned above), and what smaller items can you interchange when you feel inspired?

This should help guide your decisions.

Splurge:

Those kitchen pulls that you don’t want to admit you open with greasy hands might be something worth splurging on. You touch them all day, every day and they are the adornment of your kitchen.

Plot twist. If you are not willing to up the price on quality consider color. A matte black is not going to show smudges. We choose two different styles from Amazon in our Kitchen.

Splurge:

Kitchen Cabinets with soft close cabinet hinges. Once you experience your cabinets no longer being slammed shut you will never go back. Quality wood cabinets will not deteriorate when you have water spills. In addition, they will be able to be sanded and repainted down the road if you choose.

Splurge:

How about a quality lighting fixture?

Maybe its hanging over your dinning table, or maybe its a lamp in your living room you read with every day. If you see it daily and love it, its worth investing in. No one likes cheap light bulbs or harsh lighting so consider you bulbs when you make this purchase.

So while we are on lighting think about this. Its not a huge expense to have done, but something I swear by. Put a darn dimmer in your dinning room or in your living room. Ambiance makes the room. Its worth the cost of wiring.

Splurge:

Additional items worth the splurge are your couch, bedframe and your mattress. You spend way to much time on these items for them to be uncomfortable. In general, when it comes to cushions/headboards and general cloth items you will have long term they should be high quality. No one wants to roll toward the middle of the bed each night. And the last thing you want is your couch to lose shape or you mattress to be made of who the heck knows what.

Save:

Backsplashes are an easy way to update a kitchen or bathroom. Simply using white subway tile and customizing the grout can make a room look clean and crisp.

Another great option is to find your local Habitat for Humanity Restore. Habitat for Humanity receives donations from construction sites and resells these items. “Proceeds are used to help build strength, stability, self-reliance and shelter in local communities and around the world — a good deal for you, your community and the environment.”

Its a great way to find quality tile for smaller spaces at a very affordable price. We found our decorative kitchen tile that’s used above our stove there, and could not be more in love.

Save:

Rugs. I mean, unless its a Ruggable that you can literally wash weekly, this high traffic item can be found at any department store.

My personal favorite is a large woven jute rug from Ikea. I think it cost about $130.00. Here is a similar one on Amazon. Not bad at all my friends. Similar sized rugs can cost you an upward of $500.00. And for what?

Tip:

Its important to make sure you have the correct size rug for your space. In a dinning room for example, your rug should have enough room for your table and chairs to be centered in the middle. To small of a rug will look cramped and cause your chairs to be halfway on the carpet and halfway off. Not a great thing.

Save:

Why not save on trendy dinning room chairs and stools? Someone is always moving. You can easily find these second hand on places like Facebooks neighborhood next-door.

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Throw pillows and blankets. These do not and should not cost a fortune. Check out TJ Maxx or Marshalls. I like to have a few that I can change out seasonally, or based on my mood. Extra brownie points for being able to wash them.

Save:

Why not save on Art or prints? You can find high quality items on Etsy that can be printed at home for under $20.00. A simple frame is an easy item to pick up at Ikea or Target. You can easily create a galley wall by grouping a combination of three or even six frames.

Save:

Table accessory’s such as books, bowls and vases can be found second hand or on places like Amazon or Marshalls. These are interchangeable by season or feel .