4 budget friendly finds for a LUXE home

It was brought to my attention that its hard to find things that are "affordable" on blogs and the internet. When it comes to the home, I have an issue with people so worried about spending money on items that you spend a LOT of  your life in. Most people I know, will spend thousands of dollars on shoes, that actually do awful things to your feet, back, etc. However, at the same time skimp out on good quality chairs because you don't want to shell out the cash. While its incredibly important to have proper support while you are home sitting on your furniture, and you spend a good amount of time there. It's where your guests sit, too. It's a lot like skincare. Most people spend a fortune on their clothes, yet wash their face with 5$ face wash. Hello! Your face is the most important part of your body and you're stuck with that forever. I'm all for a good bargain and some drug store products are just fine, I'm just trying to make a point here. You've got to keep in perspective where you spend your dollars and where you pinch and in the long run how is it going to affect your life. I know we all want to live a long, beautiful and very comfortable life. So invest in things that are going to last you throughout seasons, no? On that note, I wanted to share a few pieces for the home that I think are basic essentials for getting the high style look you want that you don't want skimp out on and why. I'll also give two priced out options...

A black wing backed chair. You shouldn't skimp on your chairs, where you spend plenty of your time. Even just one of these chairs will give your home a pop of chic, but you won't want to skimp because these are pieces you want to last and give good support on your back.

Shop it: Target black wingback chair $650     |   black wingback chair $850

A mirrored console is so essential in any luxurious home. Mirrored pieces just scream luxury. Invest in quality because you don't want the mirror to crack easily and you want it to be able to hold several items as well as balance correctly. I have some bad experiences with poor quality mirrored pieces. I've used both of these in homes and they have been well worth the price. 

Shop it: Target mirrored console $250 |  mirrored console $629

A small tufted ottoman can be such a great piece for extra storage and for extra seating. I've had some poor quality ones that didn't last a min, the legs broke off, etc. These two are very chic and good quality options in taupe shades, which go with pretty much every look and style. 

Shop it: Target taupe tufted ottoman $59  |  taupe tufted ottoman $221

Fabric is a place where I just do not believe in skimping, durability is everything and it is absolutely worth it. Believe me, you will know the difference of lying your head on poor fabric and especially when walking on rugs. Having animal print in the home is also fabulous. Period. I am a huge believer in leopard print but the more luxurious and stylish look right now is grey tiger prints in soft fabrics. This is such a high end look and here are two price ranges to get it in your home .

Shop it: grey tiger print pillow $199 | gray tiger print rug $140-$600

How to go for GOLD like a pro! [DIY edition]

It's no secret that I just LOVE gold in the home. I truly believe that gold adds an element of luxury, similar to what jewelry adds to an outfit. A few years ago, the only way to go gold in the home was vintage as there just wasn't enough of it in the marketplace. That OR you could just paint it. Back then, I loved to paint anything and everything gold and I still do. While today you can just head over to HomeGoods or even Hobby Lobby and pick up gold accents for the home, I am still a fan of the gold DIY. I get emails and call all the time asking me about how I added gold to this table (in photo above). Today, I will share with you my favorite ways to go for the gold. 

PAINT THE ACCENTS: I'm a big fan of metallic ceilings AND metallic furniture. I once walked into a boutique in Soho where I saw a round Saarinen tulip table and the bottom of it was chrome. This is what gave me the idea for painting my clients tulip table gold and It ended up being the most fab thing in the room. You could not walk into the space and miss the table. It's different, unique and a totally cool twist on the table. In the same project, we painted the ceiling gold. It was literally a showstopper and looked so fabulous in photos. I still to this day get asked about these GOLD projects. 

[In this project the painters used BENJAMIN MOORE Metallic Glaze paint in Gold.  Several coats were needed for the ceiling AND the dining table. ]

I've painted mine at home too, total DIY. Here it is in the early stages of the dining room decorating process. Now for the HOW TO PAINT IT: Metallics can be very hard to paint as most of the metallic paints are a sort of thin, see through paint. The TWO keys to successful metallic painting are layering on about 3 coats + using the same direction of brush strokes. You've got to be very careful in this process because the brush strokes show up in the finished product. I chose an up and down stroke for a sunburst like impact on the bottom of the table. 

In addition to painting accent furniture and ceilings. I'm all about PAINTING HARDWARE GOLD. I can not tell you how many kitchens, baths, etc that I have seen updated by just painting the hardware gold. It's easy and affordable and looks so GOOD! 

I loved this BEFORE/AFTER from A Prudent Life's ORC. She got some inexpensive but modern silver pulls and painted them gold. The cabinetry looks much more polished now, don't you agree? I also loved this kitchen makeover featured on One Kings Lane. The gold hardware gives this very old kitchen the glamour that it deserves. 

For any and all hardware, I suggest spray paint. For any other gold project I like regular hand painting because the messy vibe of that looks more authentic.

TIPS FOR SPRAYPAINT: 1. Rust metal primer. This one is hands down the BEST. You must prime metal for an even coat. 2. Pick the right gold. [I like this Gold Chrome one , but that is my personal preference. I see a lot of this Metallic finish. You will always want to do a top coat of the semi gloss Polyurethane for a nice finish. 

I am also a huge fan of incorporating VINTAGE BRASS. Here in my old living room, I have a lamp I found for 3$ at my local thrift. Such a score and once I polished it up with some brass polish, it became brilliantly beautiful and new! I love the look and feel of vintage golds, polish really does wonders. What you want to look out for are beautiful shapes and make sure there no green stains, those are the hardest to remove. I also am a fan of the vintage gold frames, they are made so well and the finish is beautiful. 

See how great this vintage brass lamp just turns this space up to an entirely different level. What you also see here is that it doesn't have to be a very modern space to incorporate the glam gold look. This sort of shabby chic, rustic look now has a really luxurious feel with that touch gold vintage gold. Another way to add gold without going overboard is with gold mirrors. I'm obsessed with gorgeous gold antique mirrors but they can be pretty pricey. I once found this old mirror at a thrift shop for about 8$, it was pretty ugly wood and I LOVED the shape of it so I gave it a gold makeover and voila! 

[ Now the mirror looks fab and glam. See the gold leaf makeover I did on the desk here. ]

1. For all vintage brass, make sure to clean it up with brass polish. This is a must! 

2. Metallic craft paints. For my dining table I mixed Martha Stewart 'rose gold' with Anita's craft in 'classic gold'. This was such a pretty finish. 

3. Creative concepts Leaf metal in Gold. I use this on mirrors, small items and anything I do with artwork. It's the most gorgeous look, the key with this look is using a clear glossy glue. I'm currently out but its in the gold leaf isle at the craft store. 

With these things at home, you can go for gold at home with CONFIDENCE.