Hello all, I hope this put up finds you doing properly and staying wholesome! We’re lastly again residence in CT after spending the previous ten weeks at our home in NC (we have been there for a deliberate journey in early March and determined to simply keep put as soon as all the college cancellations and coronavirus restrictions took place). I want it was below higher circumstances however it was fantastic having the prospect to get a lot accomplished on our home, together with including some ending touches to our front room that I’m sharing with you as we speak!
It’s so rewarding to take dated rooms and switch them into one thing lovely, however what’s even higher than lovely is that our areas develop to mirror each me and my household – our fashion, what we love, and the way we dwell. I believed it will be enjoyable to share how I adorn to make a house really feel like “us” so I’ve partnered with eBay to share my 5 greatest suggestions for making your house uniquely yours! (put up consists of affiliate hyperlinks – full disclosure assertion out there {right here})
1. Select Colours & Patterns That Carry You Pleasure!
I like adorning with neutrals however taking part in with colours and patterns in a room is enjoyable too! What I’ve realized from some fairly costly previous errors is to stay with easy designs and impartial colours for giant, costly residence purchases like sofas and eating tables. With a impartial base, I can then add the present colours and patterns I’m crushing on with issues like pillows, throws, and different cheaper accents (you will discover all of those and extra in eBay’s home decor section {here}). As my style evolves I can change these cheap accents up and at all times have a room that I like with out having to throw a ton of cash at it.
So whereas I went with a easy, impartial sectional for our front room in NC, I’ve added in some fairly style particular accents together with this I’m-completely-smitten-by-it blue wallpaper:
Just a few months in the past I purchased three rolls of it to paper our small powder room (keep tuned for that…) however then I couldn’t cease considering of how nice it will additionally look lining the again of our bookcases, including some coloration & sample to the ocean of white:
I measured and realized I’d solely want yet one more roll to make it occur so I looked for it on eBay – once I solely want a roll or two of wallpaper, it’s the primary place I look! You wouldn’t imagine what number of high-end wallpapers you will discover for much less! Usually they’re from individuals who ordered a number of rolls to wallpaper a room and ended up with an additional roll that they will’t use or return in order that they’re promoting it at a extremely discounted worth. These are only a few of the attractive ones at the moment listed (Scroll & click on/faucet to buy every one):
Clearly my wallpapered bookcase dream was meant to be as a result of whereas I didn’t discover my wallpaper crush on eBay the primary day I appeared, a few week later somebody listed a double roll and I snagged it for about $100 lower than I in any other case would have paid (see {this put up} for easy methods to simply arrange an eBay alert just like the one I did to be notified of the brand new itemizing). After a number of hours work, I now have pattern-lined front room bookcases that make my coronary heart sing:
You may test if this identical wallpaper is at the moment listed on eBay in any of the completely different coloration choices {here} if you happen to find it irresistible too! And in order for you some tips about styling your bookcases, try {this put up} the place I share my tried and true shelf styling suggestions!
Together with including colours and patterns you like, including the scents that make you content is vital too (it’s loopy how a lot you notice your house has such a particular scent if you come again after being away for some time!). Whether or not you’re drawn to the odor of contemporary flowers, cinnamon, or vanilla, including diffusers or candles in your favourite scent helps personalize your house. My favorites are Voluspa candles as a result of not solely are there a number of scents that I’m particularly hooked on,
(Anthropologie high additionally discovered on eBay – discover different blue & white Anthro tops {here})
however I additionally love that they arrive in essentially the most lovely glass jars and patterned tins that you should utilize round the home after the candle is used up.
For spring my favourite is the Mokara scent (notes of mokara orchid, white lily & spring moss)! Voluspa candles are pricier than many others (they’re made with higher elements that burn cleaner) however I’ve been capable of finding each new and used Voluspa candle tin choices for much less on eBay by purchasing them {here}.
2. Show Your Collections!
You guys in all probability already know this about me – I’m a didn’t-realize-it-was-happening collector of brass animals. I didn’t got down to gather them – I simply couldn’t resist once I stumbled on an particularly cute one and after a number of years of this, my brass animal menagerie had was fairly the gathering (“assortment” sounds loads higher than hoarder of brass animals doesn’t it?! 🙂 . A few of my favourite finds over time are from eBay, together with this brass swan planter that typically holds contemporary flowers on our espresso desk:
and different instances may be discovered sitting on our open kitchen cabinets crammed with fake florals:
In the event you’re additionally smitten, you will discover brass swan planters similar to mine in various sizes {here}. And take a look at my most up-to-date addition that’s certainly one of my all-time brass animal favorites – I imply come on, inform me that you can resist a pair of those brass pig bookends I simply added to my cabinets…
(Anthropologie bracelet additionally discovered on eBay – see others {here})
So stinking cute & distinctive and it’s one thing that makes this house really feel like ME (and my oldest daughter too as a result of she has a factor for pigs 🙂 ).
In the event you occur to even have a love of brass animals, these are a number of different present eBay finds which might be nothing in need of cute:
In the event you search eBay for no matter you gather or perhaps a passion you have got, it’s possible you’ll be stunned by the distinctive gadgets you will discover to brighten with! Tennis lovers can snag a pair of {these vintage tennis rackets} to hold as wall artwork, music lovers can create an artwork wall utilizing covers of {these vinyl albums}, and lovers of vintage furnishings items have over 100,000 choices to select from {here} (if you happen to don’t wish to take care of furnishings transport, you may restrict your search to items inside a sure mile vary of the place you reside). So many potentialities!
3. Showcase Household Photographs & Artwork
Get these photographs off of your iPhones and into some lovely frames! Whether or not it’s a big grouping of household photographs alongside your staircase or individually framed photographs sprinkled all through your house, nothing will make your house really feel extra such as you than showcasing your favourite recollections. I’m a little bit of a body junkie and search out frames which might be each bit as distinctive because the photographs that I put in them. One in all my all-time favourite photographs is of each of my ladies in our window seat snuggling with Hope (we miss her so a lot…) – I discovered the right scalloped body for it on eBay whereas looking their bone frame options {here}:
(Anthropologie high, AG denims, and J Crew bow slides additionally discovered on eBay – discover related Anthro tops {here}, AG denims {here}, and J Crew bow sandals {here})
EBay has extra of this body and different related bone frame options {here}.
And you probably have any budding artists within the household, body their artwork even when it’s a easy Kindergarten drawing! I framed artwork items that each of my ladies had created all through the years and hung them over the daybed in our upstairs touchdown. You will discover an enormous mixture of frames to select from on eBay and the search function makes it simple to slender down your search to something particular that you simply’re in search of. You too can search by model akin to for Pottery Barn frames (which you can see {here}).
4. Create Area for the Issues You Love & the Manner You Dwell
Once we first moved into our CT residence, we mechanically put our household room furnishings within the small room close to our kitchen and our workplace furnishings within the a lot larger room with vaulted ceilings as a result of that’s how the earlier house owners used these areas. After about two weeks of the 4 of us making an attempt to cram on a small sofa to observe TV we realized these rooms weren’t going to work the identical method for us and we did a room swap. Greatest resolution ever! In case you have a room in your house that goes largely unused and end up needing house for one thing else, repurpose that unused house!
Making your home be just right for you doesn’t essentially must be one thing as big as a whole room swap both – it may also be about merely portioning off more room for one thing that makes you content. For Jeff, this implies taking an enormous chunk of our completed basement so as to add an indoor biking station (therefore the rationale why you’ve by no means seen our basement!). One of many areas I’ve carved out for myself is the additional countertop and drawer house in our kitchen to have my Nespresso machine, huge collection of pods, and low mugs:
It’s in all probability far more valuable kitchen house than the typical individual can be prepared to designate to espresso however a very good Nespresso or two within the morning is a every day ritual I LOVE and having this beautiful little nook of the kitchen makes me so blissful! I’m such a Nespresso fan that I purchased a second machine for our home in Carolina and have critically thought-about getting a smaller model for journey. In the event you’re serious about hopping on the Nespresso prepare, an incredible machine to begin with is the Vertuo (it’s the one I’ve) that’s one of many least costly fashions and can make both espresso or espresso relying upon what kind of pod you set in it. You will discover each new and used Nespresso machines for much less on eBay {here} and take a look at their different kitchen merchandise {here}.
5. Take Your Time!
The rooms in our home that really feel essentially the most like me and my household are people who I’ve taken my time with. It’s so price it to attend till you’re certain of what you need for a room and be affected person discovering the right factor as a substitute of dropping a load of cash on one thing that’s “adequate” simply to get it accomplished. In our front room that I shared earlier on this put up, you might need observed that I solely shared the bookcase within the left in my pic. That’s as a result of whereas I acquired either side wallpapered, I haven’t but discovered any equipment that I like for the opposite aspect and didn’t wish to spend tons of shopping for issues to take a seat on a shelf that don’t converse to me simply to get it accomplished. Empty is okay whereas I’m taking the time to seek out issues I like or which have particular which means to me and my household.
Right here’s a bit of tip I take advantage of once I’m looking eBay and discover one thing that I like however is above my finances – I merely put it on my Watchlist (simply click on the “Add to Watchlist” coronary heart by the merchandise). I’m then notified if the worth modifications and typically the vendor will even ship a private lower cost supply – ready and taking your time can positively repay! One other tip for smaller budgets is to seek for used and/or classic decor finds on eBay – whereas over 80% of eBay listings are for model new gadgets, their used decor finds are nice for small budgets as a result of usually you should buy the merchandise, use it for years, after which resell it for near what you initially paid for it.
I actually ought to have added a tip #6 of “take heed to everybody else however make your personal remaining resolution” to spherical out this put up! Getting adorning enter is nice however in the long run it’s YOUR home and also you’re the one which has to find it irresistible so go along with your intestine! There have been a number of adorning dilemmas with our grasp rest room addition that I went forwards and backwards on – I ended up going with my intestine on all of them (despite the fact that I wasn’t 100% certain my intestine was proper) and so they all turned out as I had hoped in the long run (phew!). Talking of our addition, now that we’re again in CT I’m able to lastly wrap that child up! A go to from the electrician, set up of my floating cabinets, and some equipment are all which might be standing in the way in which of me ending it and I’m hopping proper to it so keep tuned for the ending touches and massive reveal quickly!!
XO,
Replace! I simply observed that the eBay Dyson retailer at the moment has some nice reductions PLUS an additional 20% off if you use code PICK2SAVE at checkout! My Dyson stick vacuum is certainly one of my all-time favourite purchases – if you purchase licensed refurbished from the Dyson eBay retailer, they arrive with a 6 months elements and labor guarantee (I acquired my handheld on a budget that method and it’s nonetheless going sturdy). For Dyson stick vacuums, I like to recommend the v10 or v11 fashions in both the Animal or Absolute (Absolute is similar as Animal however comes with an additional hardwood flooring attachment – I’ve the v10 Animal) – these are the 4 choices (two refurbished and two new) at the moment listed that match the invoice:
