How I Created A Budget Friendly Cottage Living Room (with a Hint of French!)



When I purchased my mobile home sixteen months ago, I had a decor vision of Cottage style mixed with French Country. I also envisioned a mostly neutral color palette with subtle touches of color. I wanted my home to be warm, welcoming and comfortable. Nothing too fussy, nor too trendy. My goal was to create timeless rooms, and I needed to do it on a small budget.

Because I spend my at home time mostly in the living room, I concentrated on that space first, and it's taken me all of the time I've lived here to finally be able to say it's finished, except for a ceiling fan which I need to address. 



Yes, it's very dated and unattractive, and I don't like it. I could replace it with a light fixture, but honestly I like having a fan in the summer. It truly helps to keep my home cooler and saves on my utility bill. So, I'm still ruminating on how to resolve this decor dilemma without breaking the bank. We'll see.

Fortunately, I already owned the big ticket items for this room. All but the vintage wicker rocking chair were purchased while I worked at Pier 1. My employee discount had made everything quite affordable.

Clockwise from the top left: Chair and ottoman, wingback chair, console, bench,
floor lamp, area rug, vintage wicker rocker, loveseat.


So with these pieces as my foundation, I formed a plan. My neutral colors would be the colors in my area rug: white, gray and tan. Fortunately, the walls were already painted white by the previous owner, and the paint still looked great. No work to be done there. The overall color in the carpet is tan, so that worked too.

I placed the rug and arranged my existing furniture in a way that seemed most pleasing to me. I prefer to "float" my furniture in the room, which basically means keeping most of it away from the walls, especially the seating. I also wanted to provide easy traffic flow from the kitchen through the living room to the rest of my home, which I did by directing traffic behind the loveseat. The living room is 16' long by a little over 14' wide. After all the furniture was arranged I still had 3' at the narrowest point behind the loveseat (between the loveseat and the bench with the plants), which is basically the width of a typical hallway. Plenty of room to navigate around the furniture to the rest of the home. Check.





I then turned my attention to window treatment. Surprisingly, I found exactly what I wanted at Walmart. The embroidered curtains were $8 a pair, and I also found the curtain rods at Walmart on clearance for $1 each. Yes, $1 each! So for $27 + tax I was able to dress all three windows in a style that I love. Honestly, I would have chosen these curtains even if money was not an issue. I like them that much. They're so pretty.



I have to add here that I've never installed curtain rods in my life, and I was really nervous about getting it right. But with the help of Youtube and my cordless power drill (some day I'll do a post about what tools every woman needs to own. . .I've learned so much) I installed them with merely one hiccup -- a stubborn screw that did not want to participate. Nevertheless, I put that pesky screw in its place and got the job done.

Next the fun part began -- scouring thrift stores for end tables, artwork and miscellaneous decor.  Ninety percent of the decor in this room is thrifted or DIY. I want to show you that you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a charming home.   

One of my first purchases is the "Faith" wall decor that I made over by painting the word "faith" white, and dry brushing the symbols with white chalk paint. I only  paid a few dollars for it. I bought the boxwood wreath at At Home during a sale. The little table is a $7 Habitat Restore makeover.



I like to grow geraniums indoors, and although these aren't currently blooming, they will make a show soon when the tree outside loses its leaves and allows for more hours of sun through this window. The table is a Goodwill purchase, priced at $15. Although it's a reproduction, it reminds me of the tables I saw in Victorian parlors when I was a little girl. Its stone top is perfect for holding flower pots. 



I shared in a previous post how I created the French Country sign using a $2 cabinet door from Habitat Restore.



I prefer to hide technology like TV screens, however for now the exposed screen is okay. I've thought about an armoire, but I like the openness that the console gives to the room, and I feel when you look at the room overall, the TV is not glaringly prominent.



I wrote about this corner of the living room in an earlier post Table Reveal and Other Chit Chat -- where I shared how I made over a yellow orange oak table into a French inspired beauty and chatted about the white sunflowers and the french print -- and this remains one of my favorite spots in my home. Recently I added the pillow -- a $12 find at Big Lots. You can tell by other decor in my home that I'm fond of birds (bunnies and flowers, too!). Anyway, the pillow pulls all the colors in that corner together. Sometimes you find something quite by accident that just says, "I'm perfect. Buy me!"



Although I don't do a great amount of fall decorating, you'll notice a few touches in these photos. The pumpkin in the photo above rests in a thrifted filigree silver dish. I think I only paid a couple of dollars for the dish. I've had the gray bird for several years. A clearance item at Pier 1. The little lamp is a combination of a $2.50 thrifted truly ugly lamp base with great bones that I painted with chalk paint, and a linen shade -- in its original wrapper -- which I found at the same thrift store for $3.00. 

If you follow my blog, then you're very familiar with the my DIY layered framed mirror to the right of this corner, inspired by my friend Kris at Junk Chic Cottage.




Moving along to the west wall. . .

I wanted a simple bookcase to hold my small stash of books and memorabilia, such as my late husband's Bible on the bottom shelf, along with my quite used Bible. I found the bookcase at Goodwill for $10. It's not real wood, but I didn't care since I planned to paint it white anyway. Chalk paint to the rescue. One of the things I love about chalk paint is that it adheres to laminate very well. The $8 print above the bookcase is from Habitat Restore. The white vase and flowers I already owned. The vintage platter is a $2 thrifted find. 



I do use a fair amount of real plants in my decor. They add life to the room, and I enjoy watching them grow. I like terra cotta pots for the way they age with use, taking on a special patina. And they're pretty inexpensive. 



Putting this vignette together was a lot of fun. The "Paris Bouquet" wall hanging, if I'm not mistaken, was the first decor piece I found for this room, purchased at a thrift store for $8. After I hung it, I thought it needed a basket of flowers held by a shabby chic plant stand underneath it. The plant stand was a super find at Goodwill. I walked in one day and they had just set it out on the floor for $12. Oh my! It was perfection. I found the basket at Joann in the clearance section, and the roses and hydrangeas were part of a big bundle of flowers I bought at the end of the season for 60% off (again at Joann). With the 50% off coupon I received for that big purchase, I bought the hanging chalkboard  and wrote in French "hortensas et roses" which means "hydrangeas and roses" in English. (But I bet you knew that.)  I wanted to give an impression of a French flower shop. 



This is what started it all, and its color was what prompted me to use the color I did for the French wall hanging over the TV.



Finally, the last piece of my Cottage Living Room (with a hint of French) is this corner. For the vintage rocker, I covered an existing chair pad by slipping it into a sham I picked up for $2 at ARC thrift store. It fit perfectly, and I think it's in keeping with the vintage vibe. The hand carved curlew behind the rocking chair was purchased years ago when my late husband and I were on vacation. At the time we collected shorebirds and this curlew is one of our favorites.



I had kind of a hard time deciding what to do with the wall in this corner, and came to the conclusion that it needed a little vintage shelf.



The shelf  is one of two I purchased at ARC thrift store for $2 each. It was originally black, and of course I painted it with white chalk paint. I found the little wall vase at Hobby Lobby in the craft section. It was a natural wood before I painted it to match the shelf. The white berries came from Dollar Tree. The vintage Johnson Bros. Harvest Time plate and brown chrysanthemum transferware vase came from ARC thrift store. I paid $2 for the plate, and $3 for the vase. I saw the exact same vase on Etsy for $26. Replacements.com sells the plate for $17.99. So, I think I scored on both pieces.

Last, but not least, is the table/magazine rack I picked up at Habitat Restore for $12 (more about that in a minute). I fell in love with the sweet vintage vase. Again, a thrift store find. . .less than $3.




This is the table before. . .



It was pretty beat up, and needed some plugs to fill those screw holes. But it was all wood and sturdy, so I felt with a little work I could give it new life. Don't be afraid to bring home an orphan like this. Believe me, you can't hurt it, no matter what you do. 

So, my cottage friends, that's the story of how I created a budget friendly Cottage living room (with a hint of French!). I hope you enjoyed this post. It was a long one, so if you stayed through the whole thing I very much appreciate it. And I hope I've inspired you to decorate with a fresh attitude. It's really so much fun.

God bless you, and I'll soon be back to share more of my decor additions in the kitchen

Hugs,





27 comments

  1. Absolutely darling. You've created/recreated so many cute items. This room is so cozy. I know you must love it.

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    1. Thank you, Barbara. I do enjoy spending time in this room. It's very comfortable. xx

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  2. You place looks so great Nancy. You have put a lot of love into this room. I love the layered mirror with the old vintage frames. Thanks for loving my layered frames to give you the idea. They look beautiful. Our homes are our sanctuaries so they should fit our style and make us feel at home and safe. You did a great job. Bravo on doing this all by yourself too. xoxo Kris

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  3. I love your living room! It’s so pretty and cosy looking. I love your couch and chair,that style is right up my alley. I’ve really enjoyed all the decorating you have done. Hugs,

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  4. BEST POST EVER ! REALLY, REALLY ENJOYED TOUR OF YOUR LITTLE NEST! I ADMIRE YOUR ENERGY AND WHAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. THANKS FOR SHARING.....

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    1. It's my pleasure, Barb, and thank you for the very sweet comment. I appreciate it. xx

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  5. What a lovely room you've created! Just in time to cozy up for winter! Blessings to you and yours. Joy

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    1. It's important to have a cozy place to hunker down in the winter, isn't it, Joy? I'm looking forward to decorating the living room for Christmas. Blessings to you and yours, as well. xx

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  6. Hi Nancy....Your home is lovely. I too enjoy shopping for thrift finds, my 15 yr old Granddaughter has become a great fan as well. We go to a huge Goodwill and Habit store when we're out and about, I have found some really nice things at both. Do you have a Big Lots in your area, I gotten some wonderful items there too, I'm in Maryland. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.!

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    1. We do have a Big Lots. It's a little bit of a drive for me, but I did go there on my vacation and found the bird pillow on the gray chair. I like Big Lots. Thanks for visiting, and have a great week! xx

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  7. You've done it, Nancy!! Your home is a wonderful reflection of you and what you enjoy. What a blessing it is to have a home--and an even bigger blessing when we're able to personalize it. I just love everything you've done. It's inspiring! I understand what you mean about ceiling fans. Sometimes they're not exactly what we want to look at, but they really bring comfort when needed. I wonder how it would look if you painted it the same color as the ceiling. Maybe it would fade into the ceiling more. Just an idea. Blessing to you!

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  8. Aw, thanks so much for your sweet words, Pam. And thanks for the suggestion on the fan. It's one I've been considering. So many options! Hugs.

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  9. It’s just lovely, Nancy. I love reusing things, too. Chalk spray paint is my friend. It does a beautiful finish.

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    1. Thanks, Joy. I just recently discovered chalk spray paint, and I do like it. I need to get one of those contraptions that has a trigger on it, though. You fit it on the spray can so you don't have to use your finger to hold down the spray nozzle. My finger gets tired and it's hard to continue spraying when that happens. :)

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  10. Just lovely, Nancy! You've created quite a charming cottage style retreat for yourself. I love all the decor touches you have peppered about and I think you should write that tool post! I just got my first drill and I'm so excited. I'm so impressed that you put those rods up on your own...enjoy!! Hugs!!

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  11. Thank you for inviting me into your living room. You did an amazing job, putting it all together, and the best part, it didn't cost you an arm and a leg. Every item, just blends with each other. Cozy, lovely, just perfect!

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    1. You're so sweet, Bonnie. Thank you for these words. I appreciate them and your visit! xx

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  12. WOW!!!! Everything looks so cozy and inviting. Good job! The thrill of the hunt, for finding just the right pieces is always just as much fun. I think you really pulled it together...5 stars!!!

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    1. Well, thank you so much. You're very kind. You're right about the "thrill of the hunt". It's really so much more fun than just walking into a store and buying something off the shelf. I think for me it's also a lot about creativity. I love making things over into what I envision they could be. Have a great week! xx

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  13. You have made a warm and inviting home. It appears so peaceful. I have always enjoyed seeing your do overs and this is just wonderful. Thankyou for sharing the end result along with how you managed to work up thrifty projects. Maybe the Habitat store will one day have a ceiling fan a bit more appealing. But like you, I need the fan in the summer, so keep it going until you decide for sure what to do different. Lynn and Precious

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  14. Your home is so charming and peaceful looking.

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    1. Briana, thank you. It makes my day to read that! xx

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  15. Your room is so cozy and inviting! I love how you've found things on a budget and made them your own. We have a little magazine table like yours beside my sweetheart's big chair. I'd love to paint it but for now he like it the say it is. I can envision it painted - maybe some time in the future!
    ~Adrienne~

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  16. The room looks so warm and inviting, Nancy, and very much you! Well done! I wonder where I'll sit when I come visiting, all the chairs look very comfy.
    Amalia
    xo

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  17. beautiful transformation ..
    you've long been gifted in that area!
    i love all the creative and thrifty
    touches so much. we're rethinking our
    home - the home itself and even the
    locale. might be near time to make
    a move. :)

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  18. Nancy it's absolutely beautiful, you have acheived what you set out to do - to create a warm, welcoming and comfortable room. You should be very proud of what you have done, and how you have done it on a budget :-) x

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