Recent Budget-Friendly Decor Scores

So, you guys.

I’m happy to report that our house–(I refer to it as a “house,” because the word “condo” doesn’t feel as special, but from now on when I say “house”–rest assured we do not own a million dollar single family home in the city of Chicago. Just making sure we got that straight!)–is coming along pretty nicely. 

Seeing as we let a year go by without totally “finishing” our previous apartment, it would appear we’ve made more progress on the new house in a matter of two weeks than we did in 52 weeks of living in our West Loop Loft. 

(Hooray!)

Also, being that furnishing a 3 bedroom home when coming from an 800 square foot loft is quite expensive, I’ve been real savvy about bargain hunting over the past few weeks. While we’re definitely not going to rush to finish everything, there are definitely some necessities we wanted ASAP. 

That being said, Wayfair/Joss & Main have become our new best friend. (No, seriously, they didn’t ask us to write this either. I’ve never even talked to anyone at the company!) 

They’re like my new Amazon. Everything comes super fast, and shipping is free. We already placed one big order, and are getting ready to place one more–so here are just some of our favorite items on that list. 

 

1. Bistro Dining Chairs

Seriously–I’m the worst. Remember this post that I did over a YEAR ago asking you guys what kind of dining chairs I should get? Yep. Never pulled the trigger on that one. Neal and I even got an argument over the fact that I couldn’t pull the trigger on the dining chairs. I have issues. 

Thankfully, the week before we moved, I had a glass of wine and said “ENOUGH ALREADY” and decided to end my wishy-washiness and just placed a giant Wayfair order–dining chairs being one of them. I have wanted these bistro chairs forever, and they are so affordable, and come in a set for just $156. SOLD. 

The best part? They arrived already assembled (whhaaattttt?), they’re really sturdy, and not to mention–they look amazing. Neal and I both love the mix and match look, and these ended up complimenting the two vintage chairs we bought to complete our dining set of 4 really beautifully. 

 

2. Mid-Century Platform Bed 

Seeing as we lived in a loft, we totally worked the “mattress on the floor” type thing. But now in our built-in-2007-condo–we figured it was time to grow up. Except not enough that we wanted to spend $1200 on a fancy bed–just enough that we found a sweet looking bed we liked for $239 and decided we should go for it. 

We both really love Mid-Century style, and the only other Mid-Century alternatives that we could find were West Elm beds for approximately one million dollars. So that wasn’t going to cut it. We have a LOT of other things to pay for this year that do not include expensive beds. 

(Side note: In hindsight, yes, I do realize I said “under $200 in the collage above” and this is technically $39 over that. But seriously, come on–a sweet looking bed for $239?? I think it’s close enough, yes?)

 

3. Gold, Full Length Mirror

I’ve been looking for a good full length mirror forever that didn’t cost an arm and a leg, and FINALLY! I found it! I’m so excited! We don’t have one currently and it’s getting a little annoying to stand on my bathtub to get a full view of my outfit in the morning, you know? 

 

4. Industrial Pendant Lights

Another item we’ll be ordering on our second round–I can’t wait to show you what our current kitchen lights look like. It’s like the worst DIY project gone wrong. I don’t know what company sells these and actually gets people to pay money for them, but they look like ice cube trays or votive candles turned upside down with ugly 80’s lamp cord string. It is SO. BAD. 

Thankfully, they’re pretty easy to swap. (At least, Mitch [Kelly’s husband] says so.) Let’s hope he’s right. Also–these pendant lights were one of my proudest finds to date. They are going to upgrade the look of the kitchen so much, and I seriously cannot believe they’re only $23. 

 

5. Copper Utensil Caddy and Paper Towel Holder 

The most exciting part of unpacking in our new place was the discovery of how much space we really had in the kitchen. Before, we didn’t have room for a pretty utensil caddy, something I’ve always wanted for the sake of convenience and also–[duh]–because they look beautiful on the counter! I love this copper one, and the matching paper towel holder–each at an awesome price. 

 

6. Patio Lounge Chair 

Now, THESE guys were a little tricky to assemble. Luckily Neal’s best friend, Russell, came over and helped us do it. After you get the hang of the first one, the second one is a lot easier. We ordered two just to make sure we really liked them–and at $99 and how cute these look–they can’t be beat. They’re a little springy too, so they’re almost like a rocking chair. They’re a lot more comfortable than you’d imagine, and the back is curved a little so it forms to your body. We ordered them in white, but they come in a lot of different colors! There are two more in our cart that I plan to order today so we have a complete set on the front porch. 

 

7. Indoor/Outdoor Rug

Rugs are another thing that are insanely overpriced, right!? Not this one! I scored this runner for the deck for–wait for it–$30. Amazing. I honestly think I need three of them for the front deck, and at that price–it’s doable! 

 

Have you scored any awesome budget buys lately?