One of my favorite home decor and tabletop sites is having a two-day flash sale with 20% off sitewide. Fete Home has been one of my favs, for a while now. All of their pieces are so well curated by the founders..if you missed my post on them re-read it HERE. In the meanwhile here is a sampling of some of their chic wears….Check out their entire assortment at www.fetehome.com.
One of my favorite places opened back up and it is the perfect place for a little social distance, mask-wearing browsing….The Fairfield Antique & Design Center is a gem not too far away in Norwalk. I have to say that the dealers who display in their booths there have the most amazingly curated selection of antique goods. They are really great about always changing up their merchandise so it is not the same place twice!! I stopped by last Saturday and picked up a few treasures. I really had to restrain myself…there were some really really good things. I just kept snapping photos….. I have to say as far as antique wears go, you can pick up some really fabulous pieces as all their prices are extremely fair. It’s worth a drive. Happy Antiquing….
There was a great selection of chic iron outdoor furniture and this basket bag was really the cutest…I should have brought it home with me!!!
If you need throw pillows..the selection was one of the best that I’ve seen
Love those modern bar stools…and artwork
And I love these modern chairs too and this cool black and white artwork…
The selection of wicker items was really unique…I loved the thermos…I am sooo mad that I left it behind…
I love everything in this photo…the Gracie Wallpaper screen, the turquoise garden stool and the bamboo cane corner bench
I loved everything at this vendor, the green stools, the metal pagoda lantern and the French ice bucket/cooler were so hard to leave behind…
How gorgeous are these bamboo shelves?
These brass dragon candleholders are sooo chic….
I fell in love with the quills in the silver cups…
The vintage Americana selection was beautiful…
There is a beautiful collection of vintage bags…
How gorgeous is this Dolce coat..Betsy…are you seeing this….
There was a great selection of designer shoes and fashion coffee table books….
These foo dogs are gorgeous…
It was soo hard for me to leave this gorgeous goddess behind..
There were so many beautiful Asian statues…the turquoise was my favorite…
These lanterns were so gorgeous in person..they would look so great on either side of the fireplace….
The center was filled with decorative objects
Hallelujah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOME GOODS in NY has opened again!!!!! Our Port Chester Home Goods opened yesterday. My friend Alicia went and sent me some great photos (the one above for example) and I knew I needed to go and do a round-up. I would RUN if you are local. They had a great selection of EVERYTHING>>>>>>>except for beach towels (I went looking for my friend Katie!!!!!). But they did tell me that they were putting more things out everyday….OMG!!! And the prices are great…actually more than great…tons and tons of clearance prices……It’s all going to go fast so get up and GO!!!!!!!
These garden stools were fabulous!!! And there was a pair…..
More outdoor pagodas!
There were a bunch of these cool mid-century looking side tables!
These orange studded nesting tables were gorgeous!! There also was a set of white…..
How amazing is this teak bench!!!??
This small navy and grass cloth chest is out of this world, and look…$49!!!!
There was a pair of these gorgeous bamboo loveseats….
The fabulous mirror from the Westport location was also here…
I was dying over this gold bamboo floor lamp….
This mid-century modern chest was gorgeous in person…
Such a great outdoor set!!!
This bench would be a great size for the end of the bed…and I loved the pattern….
Here is an image of the pattern up close….
This lemon melamine set is perfect for summer outdoor training…
These light blue garden stools would look perfect on a patio….
As I was checking out, the lady in front of me was buying this incredible whale beverage cooler…..
This chair was beautiful….I love the wooded beaded arms and legs…it would look great in any room…
How cool are these planters?
And lastly, these planters were my favorite…You should see them in person……
If you have been following me for a while then you know how much I love to set a table!!! I cannot get enough of festive plates and colored glasses. That is why my friendship with Amanda from Back Country Mercantile is a match made in heaven. She is so talented and curates heirloom tabletop items such as glasses, flatware, china, and other decorative items or “Celebrating Les arts de la table”, as she likes to say!!!!. Amanda is currently working on her own line of gorgeous glassware so stay tuned for a post on its debut later in the year!!! Meanwhile, I have showcased some of her beautiful items for you, mostly everything is available on her WEBSITE. I was so lucky to be able to visit her showroom in backcountry Greenwich this week and pick out some of my own goodies. I also LOVE her INSTAGRAM for tablescape design inspiration. Definitely take a look and follow her!!! Bon Weekend!!!!
Here is Amanda’s newest collection, the “Patriotic Heart”…already in love!!!
This vintage place setting is everything..it reminds me of something my grandmother use to own!!!
Here is one display of some of her vintage glass wear!
More Vintage china….it is soo much like my grandmother’s wedding china!!!
More patriotic love!!!!! Love how she incorporated the glasses and vase too!!!
A cake plate is the next thing on my Back Country Mercantile wish list!!!
Love this Fenton vintage ribbon cake plate, I have a similar one that is ages old!!!!
I am sooooo close to ordering one of these adorable fruit dishes…Fabulous for sure!!!
I have a soft spot for milk glass, these sunflowers look so beautiful..sometimes is really is all about the container!!!
Amanda’s out of this world milk glass collection!!!
These are what I chose..I love this pattern it is called “Eye Winkler” by Fenton in the aqua…..It was really hard to choose just one pattern…Amanda tells me that most of her clients mix and match patterns for their table….hmmmmmmmmm something new for me to try!!!!!!!!!
What a great color…..I love the way Amanda styles her pieces….
She also has a beautiful collection of vintage tea cups and saucers.
On Saturday my good friend Kelley and I decided to take a trip to the Westport Home Goods. Since our local stores will not open for a couple of more weeks, we thought it would be fun to see what the Connecticut stores had to offer. We made it in right before a line formed (its one in and one out and masks are required). The store was pretty crowded so it was hard to get good photos. I had to snap quickly and I could not arrange the items as nicely as I would have liked but I did find a bunch of things so I hope this gives you some decorating ideas. I cannot wait to do a follow up post when our New York locations open.
This was a great smaller shelving unit…it would be perfect in a home office..
I went looking for a cool rattan outdoor table, no luck but I did find a bunch of rattan planters and candle holders. I wish I brought that one on the right home with me!!! It was so good looking in person.
I also loved the look of this standing planter, it would be great painted a fun color!
I am in desperate need of a small decorative light for the bar cart in my dining room. I fell in love with this but really wanted something taller.
These lamps were a much better option for a bar cart but they looked so good as a pair that I decided to keep looking…
I am really into the blue and white look these days..there were a ton of options…
The mirror selection was out of this world…I fell in love with this mirror…it would look good in so many places….
There were also a bunch of plastic glasses for outdoor entertaining..my friend Betsy would have LOVED those bee glasses but they only had 4..I’m on the lookout for a bigger set for her!!!!! Also, I’m dying to try the silicone stemless wine glasses..they were $8 for a set of 4!!!!!!!!
I don’t know how I passed up this oval lantern..it was fabulous!!!!
How cute is this outdoor love seat!!!???
There was something about this mother of pearl cabinet that stood out for me..it would be so great in a pool house or a beach house…
Of course you know I cannot resist an asian garden stool!!!
They had a large assortment of garden pagodas. These would also look incredible painted fun colors and placed on a patio. They also had solar lights built in…
My friend from Miami posted these cane design glasses and I immediately fell in love…they also had those beautiful pink greek key glasses.
This cane light would look perfect on a porch or covered patio….they are really hard to find so I was surprised to see it there….
There was something about this artwork that caught my eye…the photo really does not do it justice…they are polished rocks framed in a shadow box and really stunning in person…I wish I had a place for these…sooooo cool!!!!
I cannot resist a bamboo mirror either…this one was a great size…
and lastly there are no words to how beautiful this mirror was..I hope someone goes back and buys it…..
While spending a lot of time at home things around the house can start to feel a bit old and tired fast. You may decide that it is time to do some renovations. It’s a great way to add value to your home and make everything feel more welcoming again, but improvements can be expensive. Many people find themselves in a tough situation because they want to improve their home but they don’t want to spend a lot of money. But what if you could make the changes that you want without breaking the bank? As long as you follow these tips, you can save a lot of money on home renovations.
Repair Instead Of Replace
If you are renovating a room like a kitchen, for example, you may decide that you are going to replace all of the appliances in there. But that is going to get expensive very quickly, so you need to find another way. The thing is, those appliances are probably fine and if they do have any small issues, they can easily be fixed by an appliance repair company, which is a lot cheaper. As long as you take care of your appliances properly, there is no need to replace them every time you do work on your home.
Clean Instead Of Paint
In some cases, when paint is peeling off the walls, it’s best to strip it back and give the walls another coat of paint. However, when it comes to the exterior of your home, there may be no need to paint the walls because they may just be dirty. Moss and grime builds up over the years and even though your walls don’t look great, the paint underneath is actually in good condition. If you use a house washing service to clean the walls off, you may find that they look as good as new. This will be a lot cheaper and quicker than stripping back and painting your entire house.
Compromise On Materials
Imagine you’re looking at some new tiles for the bathroom and you find some that you fall in love with right away, then you check the price tag and realize that they are very expensive. If you are not willing to compromise, your renovation budget is going to be stretched. The thing is, you can get budget versions of the most expensive materials that will give the same end result. The only difference that you will be able to notice is the big difference in price, so be willing to compromise. You can also save a lot of money if you use reclaimed materials in your home instead of buying brand new.
Set A Budget And Stick To It
If you start shopping for materials and making plans without a budget in place, your spending will spiral out of control in no time at all. But if you draw up a clear budget so you know exactly what your top limit is, you will find it a lot easier to stay under budget and work out where to spend your money.
As part of your budget, you could consider asking for help from at least one professional in your home renovation journey. You don’t want to get the construction team in to do it all for you, and we get that/ however, there are some jobs that you shouldn’t do yourself around the home, and it’s these that you should budget for a professional. For example, you could clean out your gutter yourself, but replacing the gutter systems? That should probably be left to a team of experts who know exactly what they’re doing. This is the time you should budget that little extra so that you can afford to have someone who knows how to work a ladder check out your gutters and give you some feedback. Home renovations don’t have to be mega expensive: you just have to know when to ask for help!
Follow these simple tips and you can cut the cost of home renovations in a big way.