12 July 2009

Price My Space

That Nester. Always coming up with brilliant ideas! I love seeing what everyone has spent on the things in their homes. I guess I'm just nosey. If you're visiting from Nesting Place, be sure to enter my giveaway from Monkey See Boutique.



I was hesitant to share my family room because I'm still in the process of implementing a beautiful redesign done by Layla from The Lettered Cottage. If you want to see her plans, click here. But, as The Nester says, "It doesn't have to perfect to be beautiful."


I'll start out with something that I love.

  1. We purchased this green sofa off the showroom floor at Ethan Allen about 6 years ago. We paid about $1,200 for it. Best furniture money we ever spent. It has held up so well to boys and butts. I don't regret investing in a good sofa for one second.
  2. The Ikea ottoman for $69. Blah. It has served it's purpose but will soon be replaced with a beautiful coffee table made from an old door. I can't wait to show you!!!!



For contrast, here's my blue sofa. I call it big, blue ugly. I bought this sofa about 10 years ago as a part of a set that included a chair-and-a-half that's now in my son's room. The set cost about $1,000. I am so done with this sofa but we're not in the position to replace it now. Those goofy flared arms take up so much space and it just doesn't work with the other pieces we have.

It was definitely a lesson in sticking to neutral colors and classic lines for your major pieces of furniture. Lesson learned. I'm working on a slipcover for it now. If you want to see why the back cushions are green, click here.



  1. The leather recliners were about $950 each 7 years ago. We bought them from a North Carolina furniture retailer (Rose Furniture) that has since gone out of business. I'm basically happy with them but, again, I wish I had gone for a slightly more classic shape like rolled-arms.
  2. Goodwill side table - $5.00. It will get a coat of paint in the next few weeks.
  3. Goodwill dresser - $25.00. It was really beat up and I spent at least 15 hours repairing and painting it. If you want to see "before" pictures and the whole process, click here.


  1. Painted black side table - $10.00 at the fleatique store. Click here to see the "before" pics.
  2. Wicker chair - $15.00 at the fleatique. It used to be a yucky green. Before pics here.
  3. No sew pillow - $2.00 in supplies.


The area rug is one of my favorite things in the room. It's a large, custom sized rug (about 11'x13'). I simply bought a piece of carpet from a carpet store and had them bind the edge for me. Most carpet stores will do the binding for you for $2-$3 a linear foot. The whole thing cost me less than $300 and it's still going strong after 8 years.


  1. These were my first window mistreatments. The fabric that I used was about $3.00/yard on clearance and the wood and brackets were about $10. Total cost? About $15.
  2. The mantle decorations were both thrift and splurgy. The boat was a splurge (for me) at about $65. It came from Whiteflower Farmhouse and they have smaller, less expensive versions. Love it!!! The frame came from someone's garbage. Cost? $0. The candlesticks were on clearance at Kohls a few years ago. $4.00 each.

    This little corner table is one of my favorite pieces. $25 at the fleatique. Do you notice anything odd? I didn't paint it!

    Total cost for this room? Around $4,200 plus some misc costs over the years for accessories that have come and gone and come and gone.

40 comments {Click here to leave a comment}:

The Nester said...

Rose went out of business? I shopped there when I was looking for my sofa!

LOVE your fireplace and how you have it set up-- it's so cozy. And I had one of those HUGE armed furniture pieces too it was like I parked a volkswagon in the living room.

Unknown said...

Great space, Kimba! Love all your great finds -- especially the free frame!

edie said...

Kimba,
I love your Goodwill pieces! I have a few things from there, but nothing that cute!

Thanks for sharing,
edie

Our Complete Family said...

Love all of the things in your room! The wicker chair part is my FAV!
Happy week ahead~ Les

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Oh, Kimba, I LOVE your room. :) I like how you mix thrifty finds with pieces you've found in furniture stores. Wow, all these fabulous rooms are making me feel self-conscious. ;) I need to win the lottery or something so I can redecorate, haha. Visiting from The Nester's party. :)

Lettered Cottage said...

Kimba, everything is coming together SO nicely...can't wait for the final reveal!!!

Layla
The Lettered Cottage

Scooper said...

I love how you have a splurge and a garbage freebie all cozied up next to each other on your mantle!

Scooper said...

I love how you have a splurge and a garbage freebie all cozied up next to each other on your mantle!

Cheryl @ a pretty cool life. said...

Looks great! I just adore that dresser!

Anna Whiston-Donaldson said...

Now that was fun! What a treat to get to know where stuff came from and how much it cost. My fave? Your little goodwill dresser. Adorable.

Carmen @ Life with Sprinkles on Top said...

I had that same set of blue furniture. I loved the oversize chair. :) I bought it about 10 years ago too at JCPenney. It was my first set of new furniture and I also bought light pine tables to go with it. It's long since gone now. I love your family room though. It's so roomy and of course it's decorated wonderfully.

Emily said...

I love your green sofa and your fireplace!

Gwen said...

I really like those leather chairs! I can see myself wrapped up in a book in one.

Unknown said...

I love the changes you've been making! You've really found some great tables and dressers thrifting, and you know I ADORE that!

Amy said...

You have some great finds in this space!!! Thanks for sharing!

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Your room is just gorgeous. I love the pieces you have. I too have learned a very expensive lesson in picking furniture that is neutral and has classic lines. You have done a wonderful job with your furniture and accessories. Hugs, Marty

Melissa Stover said...

my furniture has huge arms too and it is annoying but the kids love them. they sit on them. and unfortunately my living room furniture is holding up extremely well after 7 years. so no replacing it any time soon.

i like the blue though. i need more blue in my life.

Southern Fried Gal said...

Always love to see your transformations. I so need to open my eyes more when at the junk stores...

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

I love this room! I never noticed before how it opened up to your eating area. So great!! Everything looks lovely, I especially love your mantle decorations and the area with the leather chairs too! :)

The Beauty Bargainista said...

what a beautiful room, and I cant wait to see it all finished after your makeover too, Its going to be even more stunning!! :)

Ann said...

The Ethan Allen Sofa looks real comfy...I love your floor...

The Blushing Hostess said...

I adore the color of that sofa with the leather, deep, rich, sophisticated but still a winking nod to the girl who lives there. Well done, looking forward to the table!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I love the leather chairs, the dresser, and the area rug best. :)

Leslie said...

LOVE the white empty frame!!

Please check out my blog if you have a minute.

We're helping Natalie's Peace of Mind Fund

www.creativecrafting08.blogspot.com

These Are The Days said...

I love your decorating style Kimba...your house looks so classy and cozy.

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Kimba, nice job in this room, girl! Looks great. Where did you get those 2 pretty lamps between the 2 leather chairs. I love those!

Brenda Pruitt said...

I like the leather chairs, the style of them. But then I like chairs that don't take up a lot of visual space. We've all bought things, brought them home, lived with them a bit. And grown to hate them. I call it live and learn! The good thing is that we can replace them eventually. I love that boat. The cost was worth it. It just makes the mantle!
Brenda

Decor To Adore said...

You have so many great elements in your room!

Anonymous said...

Love the wicker chair and the mantle! Nice job!

Richella Parham said...

Your room is looking great. I love the fact that you're implementing Layla's plan little by little. It's encouraging to me to know that someone with your talent for decorating sometimes asks for help on some projects. I need to do the same thing.

Hope you're having a great week at the beach!

Kristi~The Slipcover Girl said...

what is fleatique? sound so fancy! love your space...feels so warm and snuggly..and I can't wait to see the slipcover you're working on!

Keisha Lynn @ Project Campbell said...

I love your space! I really love the black goodwill dresser. I am always on the look out for those!

stephanie h said...

I love your space! Seriously, very cozy! :)

Anonymous said...

Spacify has a collection of Sofa Set with an array of modern designs. Each has its own great look that will find a way to enhance your home.

Amy said...

Adorable! I love all of your thrifty finds. I have to say our favorite piece in the house is our china cabinet from a secondhand store that was an old eighties desk with hutch that I redid. I think it is all the pride in the work I did. I don't have an attachment to any other piece than that :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Kimba, Just hoping you can tell me what and where is the fleatique store. Thanks Meadow

Jennifer Juniper said...

I love this kind of stuff...I spent money on my large furniture, but all accessories have been gathered from here and there (TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Tuesday Morning) or I made it myself.

I hate to spend on that little stuff, tastes change so quick!

Kimba said...

Meadow - Fleatique is my word for something in between a flea market and an antique store. If you live in western PA, I can tell you specifically where to find a few. If not, just look in your yellow pages under antique stores, thrift or secondhand stores.

Kimba

monkeyseeboutique said...

I love your Goodwill pieces and what you did with them! I am on a hunt now...beautiful room. I am inspired!

Anonymous said...

I love the room and really like the color of the walls... would you mind sharing the paint color?