Sue Pitchforth is a home styler and virtual consultant who just helped a Canadian woman furnish her entire home for less than $1000! Enjoy, darlings!

 

 

It started with a phone call. After the death of her husband and living for several years in a furnished cottage, Kris purchased a beautiful home across Canada and needed help to make it feel like a new, peaceful space. The most interesting piece? She was starting from a blank canvas; and she wasn’t kidding – she had a bed, TV, desk, and computer.  That’s it.   

She was excited, but overwhelmed, as she was literally beginning with an empty house. A house she was planning to keep empty for the first few years as she found the right pieces to help her decorate. But your home doesn’t need to take you years and years to finish! It also doesn’t need to cost a million dollars to look beautiful and feel special!

The biggest piece of decorating any home is finding your style. Homes can only be as beautiful as the thought we put into decorating them! And finding your style and choosing items that fit your personality is an important piece of that!

Over the last year, I’ve helped Kris furnish and decorate nearly her entire home, all for less than $1000! Here is the journey.

 

Where to begin? So much to do when furnishing a home!

Once Kris had moved in and had a chance to breathe, we had many conversations about the big task ahead. She couldn’t get her head wrapped around furnishing her empty home without a big budget and without knowing what to buy. So our plan was created. She would scour Facebook Marketplace, yard sales, and thrift stores and we would furnish her home just a few dollars at a time.

The biggest misconception is that furnishing any stylish home requires a big budget – but if you have patience, a computer, and a car – you have everything you need!

The first step in starting to decorate an empty room is in creating a vision; understand your style and how you want the space to look and feel! Kris was really unsure of this and that led to stress, but take a deep breath! There isn’t a time limit on finding the right pieces to fill a room!

Our plan was to take each day and each piece at a time, to curate the perfect space for her, within a year’s time. First, Kris had some research to do, figuring out where the thrift stores were, joining Facebook Marketplace, and keeping track of all the yard sales around her new home, Prince Edward Island. Our weekends would be busy with texts/photos and videos of potential “finds” for her home.

 

Don’t underestimate a yard sale!

Yard sales and Facebook Marketplace are great places to find pieces, but they do require some imagination, especially if you want a deal! I invited Kris to open up her mind to new ideas, new ways of looking at pieces, and the idea of repurposing and painting her “finds”.  And she was game!  She had never painted a wall before, let alone a piece of furniture – but she had the drive and patience so we were set!

Bringing pieces together to furnish your home

A wing chair, vintage dresser, and retro suitcase table became the foundation for her new reading nook. Wreaths from the Dollar Store outlined with a vintage frame and unique pieces of pottery helped finish the look and make it simple, yet stylish. We arranged the TV on top of a vintage dresser, which also acted as extra storage!  A rug, loveseat, and coffee table were added.  A large basket holds extra throws. Another chair and ottoman were angled for extra seating. 

In the kitchen, one of the first things I suggested she remove was the upper cabinet over the peninsula.  It took up so much visual space and once removed, really opened up the entire kitchen! It made the space more visually appealing and usable – perfect for Kris.

Kris also shared with me her dream of having her own dressing room.  The white pieces she picked up at yard sales, the wicker chair was free at the side of the road, and the rug was added.  All accessories were purchased at thrift stores. A perfect space for her to get ready for the day!

Since Kris had made the move across Canada, she needed to create a guest room for those that wanted to visit her in her new space. She wanted to create a room where her guests would feel welcome and comfortable.  Once she saw how we brought the room together, she was thrilled and knew that her guests would love it!

 

 

 

How barn doors became a great piece to furnish her home

One of the best finds from Kris’ hunting on the weekends was a set of barn doors she picked up from an old barn. These barn doors became foundational items we could use throughout her home. Barnboard pieces were made into the perfect shelves for her kitchen, and we added hairpin legs to a piece of barnboard to create a unique table for her guest room.

 

 

It doesn’t take a lot of money to love your home

I hope that you were inspired and have realized that having a beautiful home doesn’t necessarily equate to the amount of money that you spend.  My design mantra is,  Surround yourself with things that you love and you will love your home. 

 

Some of Honey’s favorite home decor items for under $50

 

 

How do you decorate your home in a way that speaks to your soul? Tell us about your space!

 

 

About the author:

Sue Pitchforth is an interior designer, stylist, and virtual consultant. Her business, Decor Therapy Plus, has helped people over the last 20 years achieve beautiful interior design transformations on small budgets.

 

** Please note that items purchased through links on this site may result in a commission for Honey Good.