Mixing high style, retail finds and creating a "point of interest"


photo courtesy of Lauren Liess: Pure Style Home


photo courtesy of Linda Merrill Chameleon Interiors

This week listen in as Joni, Megan and Linda talk about high style on a budget, doing the high/low mix and creating a "point of interest".  If you could buy just one piece of furniture or art-what would it be?
       

                       
   
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Comments

Great piece ladies! Loved hearing all your trips!!!!

Gotta Love Joni sharing her love of the IKEA sofa. I try to get lots of people to use it as well, but I have yet to convince my MIL!!!

If possible could you ladies add the websites for the to the trande vendors Joni was talking about. I tried searching google during the piece and came up empty handed!

Thanks!

P.S. Joni your IN HER SHOES piece is up for tomorrow! I can't wait!
Terry said…
This SRT is a favorite. I like y'all discussing vendors. I like your differences of opinion. I like the idea that you can have a nice room without $3000 chairs.

Y'all almost - but not quite - hit my button which is the value of using a pro. In design discussions there isn't much middle ground between garage sale treasures and European antiques. Both require design talent that most of us lack. Most of us live in between where there are 1000's of ways to do it right but millions of ways to do it wrong.

Yes, please, please link to the sites and blogs y'all mention. I can't hear you very well and I'm a poor speller anyway.
My Notting Hill said…
So glad to see the photo of Lauren Liess's living room and the oversized print! She's as talented as she is nice. Great topic. Thanks. Michele
Lauren said…
Thanks SOOO much for the mention & the photo!! :)

Just loved this post.. haha I'm totally like that 20-something person Joni was talking about using ikea! we've got lots of "upgrades" planned for the future but the only way for us to get the look i wanted now was go high-low (or lots of low with some high ;)

I think this post really hits home for a lot of people and it's a skill I think ppl can get better at. Lots of my clients don't want to spend a lot so I end up doing a big mix of custom & retail to get the look they want for less.

Thanks so much again for putting my print on here!!!

xoxo,
lauren
I'm all about Ikea... but I can't handle the poor quality on the sofa that Joni's so in love with. The cushions on that sofa are really bad looking to me. Is it just me? I'd rather look for a great sofa on clearance that's made well- even if I have to work around it. I think the key is to be willing to watch and wait for what you really want at a price you can/will pay. And maybe be open to "rethinking" things a bit to make a good deal work.
Chris Kauffman said…
Oh I am with you Joni , you know I am , with my many Ikea sofas and chairs , they are great for someone like me who doesn't have $3000.00 to spend on the sofa I would really love , the family comes first , I had those Ikea sofas when we were starting out and still have them now at 36 , and they are very family friendly and pet friendly , washable and good looking , I think it is about time for a new slip for one of my sofas as well , I think I may just have to drop $60.00 for a new white one a whole lot less than the custom one I am having made for my non slipcovered settee.
Come see the new slip I made for my ottoman , I think you will love it .
Chris
Just Beachy
Katrina said…
I am the classic - my rooms evolve over time. I usually start with an empty room and throw too much in there to start, but as the months go on, things start to come in and out. I change my style and look so often, and try not to follow any rules. I have been following Pure Style Home too, and just love her taste! Thanks for sharing :)
Anonymous said…
I loved this post- especially Joni's advice on how to achieve a high end look on a budget... I would love to get the web address of the Chinese furniture Joni was talking about...
I love a room that looks as though it has evolved over years. Mixing high/low is probably the #2 trend in design today. #1 is low/low. Not in a bad way, but I see so many incredibly talented people creating spaces with virtually no budget at all. (Joni, if they keep making fun of you, do a radio show with me...ha ha ha...just kidding girls..I love the SRT.)
Anonymous said…
Joni, you are so right! There is so much available today to make decorating a home (tastefully) affordable. And it's not only because of what's available, but it seems design is so much better today than it was say, in the 70's and 80's. Kinda like fashion. Remember what we were wearing back then -- all that polyester!

I'm so amazed when I read the blogs of these young women and see how beautifully they're decorating their homes.
Oh, I just love Lauren's home that she is putting together, it's fabulous. Most of us are on a real budget, so this is a great discussion.
Love this post because this is my passion. Joni mentioned that there is no reason why anyone can't have a beautiful home. I totally agree with her and it's so exciting being in this business when we have so many resources and options.
Thanks ladies, you are awesome!
Fargerike Dagny said…
What a great topic! Absolutely loved the discussion! I would like to add ebay as a great resource for getting vintage vases, lamps and pretty much everything at ridiculous prices. I got a stunning Murano lamp for $30 (sells for $1000 in antique stores), milk glass is ridiculously cheap as well as vintage art. Oh, and vintage frames!

I did a post on affordable art a while ago (they ship worldwide, and give personal service, i.e.: send them a topic or description of what you're interested in, and they'll send you an e-mail with a selection of available images):
http://b-living.blogspot.com/2009/09/affordable-and-unique-art-for-your-home.html

This company also makes HUGE wall art, I'm getting a 170cmx60cm print of an old Norwegian postcard for $90! It's really stunning, and can't wait to put it up on the wall :)

Wish we had some of those HUGE markets/antique fairs you've got here in Norway though!!

Thanks for all the good ideas!

xoxo
dagny
Love, Love, Love this podcast! It took me years and years to figure out what you guys just shared. I figured out early own about buying antiques and vintage over new stuff...but the thing that took me a while to realize was that everything I bought for a room didn't have to be "high end" and it was ok to mix in the less expensive pieces. Makes the whole room feel "highend" without spending a fortune. Thanks for the tip of the Copy Cat Chic blog...great info there.
Susan
AnneHH said…
Please let us know the links to the furniture lines that Joni and Brooke recommend. I can't find them online either. Thank you!!
cotedetexas said…
AnneHH:
there were http://noirfurniturela.com/

and

http://www.artesiacollections.com/index.html
cotedetexas said…
AnneHH:
there were http://noirfurniturela.com/

and

http://www.artesiacollections.com/index.html
All that is Pie said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
Could you please info on the blog you mentioned that compares items in different price ranges?