A tight budgeted princess with champagne taste

Some of my favorite clients are kids (they are so honest!). It is incredibly gratifying to see the smile on the face of a ten-year-old when you have gotten it "right".

Saturday I spent the day working with shopping with a darling mom who is getting ready to move into a new home with her 10-year-old daughter.

"Need ready-to-go furniture on the cheap for a tight budgeted princess with champagne taste" was how she contacted me.

They are starting with almost nothing (a clean slate ... my favorite) and a really tight budget ... also my favorite. I love the challenge and the gratification of helping someone on a "shoe-string" budget put together a home that is beautiful and comfortable and makes them happy to walk through the front door without putting them into debt.

Because they were starting from scratch and their move-in date is near we needed to work fast and find things that we could pick up immediately. I spent a few hours last week choosing a few key pieces (bedroom storage, nightstands) from Ikea ...

A few of my favorite Ikea pieces

... and Saturday we went shopping for what we needed to fill in with. We started at a big-box store for a few essentials (a sofa and dining table) and then went hunting for some more unique pieces from HomeGoods.

This is the perfect nightstand for my youngest client

HomeGoods can be hit or miss but I tell you there are days that I am there that I think I could furnish an entire house from just what is in that store. And that is kind of how it went on Saturday. They had fun and bright and eclectic pieces for a darling 10-year-old, and beautiful, elegant and rustic pieces for her mom.

This chest will add some flair to the end of a long hallway



A few more of our HomeGoods purchases

We found a beautiful media cabinet for the new TV, a fabulous white leather ottoman coffee table, two gorgeous linen dining chairs to keep the dining set (oh, wow, set is like a 4-letter-word!) from looking too ordinary (they will flank the 2 ends), a round ottoman for the master bedroom, lamps and bedding, and baskets and stools, storage containers and pillows galore. I can't wait to photograph and share the final project!

The desk and desk chair - Ikea / the rest from HomeGoods!

It was a highly successful day (the little girl was happy and smiling and so was her mommy) and when we were finished I checked my fitbit and it had registered over 10,000 steps! Woohoo!

Happy Monday everyone!