Head Here For The Most Affordable Mid-Century Modern Bedroom Set

Mid-Century modern styles are here to stay, and I personally love West Elm. But unless West Elm is having a site-wide sale, it can be difficult to find thrifty priced mid-century modern furniture. So what is a thrifty minded designer lover to do? For your next bedroom set, look no further than Living Spaces! 

I came across the Alton bedroom set at Living Spaces, and was very pleased with the quality, style, and most of all, price! It is pretty much a replica of West Elm's Acorn collection  but half the price. And for just $99, they will deliver and assemble it for you. My client and I got super lucky and even scooped up a floor model of the Alton 6-drawer dresser. It was already assembled, fit in my minivan, and came out to be 74% less than West Elm's dresser. Amazing deal!  

Here's how it breaks down - a 50-60% savings for the exact same furniture as West Elm. ThriftyMama approved! 

westelm.com 

westelm.com

westelm.com

The best way to organize your child's desk

My almost 5 year old loves arts and crafts - drawing, coloring, construction paper, glue sticks, googly eyes, beads - you name it, he has it. Dollar Tree is our best friend for those items ;-) 

But having all this stuff comes at a price. I always strive to keep my workspace clean and clutter free, and my son's desk drives me crazy. He can never find his scissors, glue stick, or eraser when he needs it. And he likes cutting out his artwork and taping it onto the walls. I love that he likes to display his artwork proudly, but it further adds to the disarray of his desk.

I was wandering around IKEA yesterday and came across an amazing find. The SKADIS pegboard series.

Image credit: IKEA.com

I had been looking for a pegboard to help organize his desk vertically, and this was exactly what I needed. I got the largest size (30x22) for $34, and a series of accessories that cost $1-3 each.

After getting home, I got right to work. Here's what his desk looked like before... 

First I took everything down and cleaned up. I kept his best artwork and set it aside for another project, and secretly trashed the rest. He didn't even notice (whew).  

Installing the pegboard was quite easy. I just needed a screwdriver and level, and it was up within 10 minutes. 20 minutes later, the whole set up was complete and I couldn't be happier! My son came home from school and was thrilled with the new set up. Having everything displayed like this encouraged him to keep it organized and he was able to easily put everything back into its place. 

Organizing desks vertically makes so much sense and IKEA's SKADIS series makes it possible to do that in an attractive way. The best part is, it's super easy to uninstall (and add to it), so we'll be bringing this to our next home with us! 

How Staging Increased This Home's Sale Price by $100k

Home staging is incredibly important when selling a home. It helps buyers picture themselves in the space, and can make or break a buyer's impression of a home. Staging companies typically charge a flat fee for 2-3 months, and then a monthly rental fee for as long as the furniture is rented. My client in Los Angeles was quoted $5000 to stage her empty home for 2 months, plus $750/month thereafter. After evaluating her options, ThirftyMama was hired to help her select furniture for staging that would also work in her new home. Each piece was selected with the new home in mind and we selected modern and affordable furniture that the client would love for years to come. 2 birds with 1 stone.

After the home was put on the market, the home owner received her first offer in 1 day at full asking price. In a sudden dramatic turn of events, the home next door (an identical townhouse) was placed on the market for $100k less. The buyer dropped out of escrow to purchase the other home (which was not staged by the way). 

After several more weeks, my client received interest from other buyers, still at the same asking price, $100k over the neighbor's price. And today, I'm so happy to say that escrow has closed at full price! 

Had the seller hired a traditional staging company, she may have spent $5,000 to stage the home, then removed the furniture when she went into escrow the first time, and then paid another $5,000 to re-stage it after falling out of escrow. Not only that, with ThriftyMama's Staging Service, the seller got to keep all the furniture and decor for her new home. 

With the money she's saved, she has hired ThriftyMama to design a kitchen renovation and a garage conversion in the new home! Now that's what I call value!  

Best Store for Affordable Boho Tapestry Wall Art

Boho tapestries are showing up everywhere these days, and I've seen my share of tasteful ones and those that are just... well, cheap looking. They really do add a lot to room decor, and I personally love them. My favorite finds though, have always been from Marshalls. Running between $10-$20, I've found many different patterns, colors, and sizes that have all been high quality at a ThriftyMama price.

I've always been curious about ones on Amazon, however. I have yet to take the plunge to try one of these out, they do seem good based on reviews. This one on Amazon for $19, drew my attention while browsing the other day, though I usually prefer tight weave tapestries.  

Would love to hear from YOU about where you get your Boho tapestries! 

Photo credit: amazon.com

Best deal for affordable, modern furniture and home decor.

Target just released their Opalhouse collection in April 2018, and it is amazing. Some of it is too ornate and flowery for my taste, but there is so much to love in this collection. Here are my top 5 favorite items. 

First, there is the gorgeous Tropical Palm 2 pack Framed Wall Canvas.  $75 will get you 2 pieces of fairly large artwork to upgrade your space immediately with color. I shop a lot for wall art, and have never seen anything this large and beautiful for such an incredible price.  

Photo credit: target.com 

Then there is the Large Rattan Basket for $35. Rattan is making such a huge splash now, and Opalhouse does it right with this basket. You can use it for house plants, or to store throw and other items. The size is just right to place next to your favorite arm chair. 

Photo credit: target.com 

Next is the Teal Pom Pom Stripe Oversized End of Bed Throw. For $30, this throw looks amazing at the end of a bed, draped on a couch, or over arm chair. It's very soft and comfy, and looks great. I just adore this simple black and white pattern with the little pom poms and tassels.  

Photo credit: target.com

Faux trees are my jam... mostly because I have the brownest thumb in the world and can't even keep succulents alive. Enter, the Artificial Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree. It stands tall at 72" and looks amazingly real. I hope they make more of these in different shapes and sizes, because I seriously want one for each room in the house! It is $129, which is a great price considering its size. I usually shop at Home Goods or Marshalls for faux trees, but I'll be coming back to Target for this one. 

Photo credit: target.com 

The most expensive item on this list - but definitely the best IMO - the Myna Tufted Velvet Arm Chair. It's $269, but it blows the affordable upholstered armchair competition out the window. Super comfy, super stylish, and very affordable for what you get. You can read more about that in my other blog post. 

Photo credit: target.com

Great job Target! 

Where to find affordable modern arm chairs

West Elm has some amazing accent chairs. My personal favorite: the Phoebe Chair. Everything from the sleek lines, the luxurious cushioned seat, and those brass legs… it’s an amazing accent chair. But at $499, it’s a touch too pricy for this ThriftyMama.

Photo credit: Westelm.com 

I shop a lot at Home Goods and Marshalls to get the best deals on discounted furniture and home decor. I absolutely love going for decor, wall art, and faux plants. But for furniture, it’s always a hit or miss, and it’s hard to find a consistent selection of mid-century modern styles. I have found that accent and armchairs usually range from $250-$300 at Home Goods, and are often larger in size. I once tried arranging these two armchairs while shopping at a store and just couldn’t make these more traditional styles feel as modern as I like. And at $250, I felt like I was settling. Shopping also requires a strong eye for interior design since the experience can be overwhelming with the number of choices. 

I also love Living Spaces, but fully upholstered armchairs can be more expensive here. I got lucky while shopping for a client, and snagged a $650 armchair for $181 as a floor model. But other than those rare occasions, upholstered armchairs here are priced similarly to West Elm. 

However, Living Spaces does have an amazing mid-century inspired option: The Aldo Chair. At $250, it’s affordable, easy to assemble, and very comfortable. Highly recommend! 

Ikea also has a selection of affordable chairs, with my personal favorite – their new Remsta chair. It’s absolutely adorable in yellow, but very small. It works great as a chair to put in the corner of a bedroom, but not as a main feature in a living room. But at just $149 a chair, you really can't go wrong with picking one up during your next Ikea trip. 

So, if you are searching for a fully upholstered, perfectly plush and modern accent chair, look no further than the Myna Tufted Velvet Arm Chair from Target’s new Opalhouse collection. It’s equally comfortable and stylish as the West Elm Phoebe Chair, and about half the price, at $269. When I saw this on display at my local Target, I scooped it up, and went to a neighboring Target to get a 2nd one. I absolutely love the brass legs, and the size feels just right– sleek enough for a small space, but big enough to give it presence, even in a large room. I personally love the velvet blue color, but I’m sure the blush and teal chairs would provide an amazing pop of color as well. Target’s new Opalhouse collection has so many amazing pieces, and I’ll be posting about that soon. Great job, Target!