The objective of my blog is show others my approach to creating a beautiful home and lifestyle when time and resources are at a minimum. As a wife and mother of two, like so many blog readers, I don’t have the patience or inclination to complete time consuming DIY projects that require loads of expensive tools. The image above is a great example of an attractive, family friendly look that is achievable on a limited budget and wouldn’t require a huge time commitment to pull together. Let’s examine what we have:

A White Slipcovered Sofa: I love me a white slipcovered sofa for its versatility and the ability to toss it in the wash whenever there is a spill. Believe it or not, white is one of the best choices for a slipcover. They can be stain treated, you don’t have to worry about fading and simply switching out the pillow covers can give you a new look.

Simple Tables Painted White: A single visit to a thrift store would be all it takes to find a pair of end tables, or even two tables of different styles that could be sprayed white for a consistent look. I imagine the owner of the space above looking beyond the finish of tables and concentrating on ones with an appealing shape and scale that works with the sofa. The coffee table, which appears to be pine, looks as though it received a coat of white to the base but the top was left as is in an effort to avoid the need for constant upkeep.

Inexpensive and Creative Use of Accessories: The accessories in this room are without a doubt my favorite element for a couple of reasons. First, the use of multiple patterns and colors gives us a sense of the homeowner’s personality. I envision a young, single woman with more creativity than cash. She loves to sew and uses scraps or remnants that she buys at a discount to sew her own pillows when she is craving a new look for one of her rooms. Short on money for wall art, she frames more of her fabric scraps in inexpensive embroidery hoops. (I have no doubt that this frugal girl would use those 40% off coupons that Hobby Lobby and Michaels offers weekly to get the hoops at a discount!) Finally, this thrifty homeowner knows how to embellish what’s plain to make it special. Plain white lampshades get a fresh look with the addition of ribbon, a quick and low-cost way to get a finished look.

A Neutral Background: If you love to switch up the look of your space quickly and without spending a small fortune, going neutral with your wall color and high ticket pieces is a smart choice. Let’s say our young, single homeowner got engaged to a man who wasn’t about to live in a house with even a hint of pink, it would be no problem to update the space in an affordable manner. Swapping out the pillow covers for ones in his favorite colors, replacing the wall art for another piece (maybe a thrift store mirror with its frame sprayed in a coordinating color), and removing the pink rug and ribbon on the lampshades would result in a more masculine look while still retaining the feel that our homeowner loves. The best part, all of this could be completed in a single weekend.

The simple principles that were used to pull together the look of this room are an accurate representation of the type of information that I like to share on my blog. If you are interested in saving time and don’t want to sell a kidney to afford the lifestyle you desire, stop by my blog for more strictly simple ideas for your home.

Thank you Amber for allowing me to be apart of “If My Blog Were a Room…”