Finding the Right Chairs for the Living Room

I may have gotten a touch obsessive about finding living room chairs. I really wanted to find THE PERFECT chairs for our living room. You see, our living room is rather large, but also rather narrow. It is also open on both sides - from the dining room and the front entry. I did not want to block the flow of the room in either direction while also allowing for a conversation style seating and the ability to view the TV. A TALL order!

Toward the Entry

Toward the Dining Room

I used Houzz to find living room arrangements that were like my own, and came up with a plan for how to arrange the room. The original plan was to mount the TV above the fireplace, and have two fireside chairs sittting directly across from the sofa.

Although I really liked these wing chairs that were hauled all the way here from GA!, we were unsure about mounting the TV over the fireplace and felt like the set up did not fully take advantage of the big space in the room. So I went back to the drawing board. I will make a VERY long story short at this point. Around the fourth pair of chairs and a small stent in counseling  I became discouraged, starting to dislike our living room altogether, and generally wanted to give up on finding the perfect chairs.

The Use Whatcha Got Chairs. 

Originally I wanted to recover my existing club chairs 

but I could never find a fabric I loved for both chairs.

Vintage Pair of Craiglist Chairs - 

These barely made it home before I posted them back on Clist because they were too low and too small (although quite adorable)

Cream Club Chairs from Wayfair.com 

These look great but the room became unbalanced on the right side of the fireplace, 

and the chairs were too big to sit side by side.

Pair Floral Chairs from Pier 1

These were returned within an hour of purchasing them for being too blue.

Pair of Henry Bertoia Chairs. 

I thought these would add the perfect Mid-Century vibe, 

but again these were also too small when seated next to our large sofa.

Six pairs of chairs later, I was STILL unsatisfied with the look of the room. Would our living room EVER look right? Would this chair debacle end in terrible tragedy? I was beginning to think so. Until...

I found the perfect living room chairs for 20% off while perusing a local furniture shop.

I felt like Tom Hanks in Cast Away... 

And the living room (and me) lived happily ever after...

LUCKY NUMBER #7:

I hope this encourages all of you when you don't get it right the first time... I don't either!

The story of this room is a long one, but I am so happy to finally have gotten it just right!

Unlocking Craigslist

I often get the question "how do you find such great stuff on craigslist?"

Shortly followed by the comment "all I find is junk!" Well today, I am unlocking all of my secrets to craigslist shopping. for the greater good of all of us shopping on a budget.
I cannot wait to hear about all you guys find!

Adorable Pair of Chairs found on Clist

Secret #1: 

Search, Search, and Search Again.

Look for the same thing at least 3 different ways. 

Everyone thinks differently, calls things by different names - use this to your advantage.

For example, if I am looking for a sofa I would search: SOFA, COUCH, LIVING ROOM, LOVESEAT.

Search "COUCH"

Search "Living Room"

Search "Sofa"

The results are completely different with each search, and reveal many more items.

Secret #2: 

Check Craigslist Often & Early!

I love the Ipad Craigslist App because it remembers your search history. I can search the last 20 things I have looked through in about 20 minutes. I look about every other day in the morning to see what new stuff has posted - this ensures that I get the good stuff first!

Secret #3:

Search for high end brand names.

Don't just search "chair." 

Search: Pottery Barn, West Elm, Ballards. This applies to posting ads as well.

Secret #3.5: 

Don't just search big box retailers, search local well-known furniture companies too. 

For example, in Nashville, Sprintz Furniture is one of the largest retailers of nice furniture. I often search "Sprintz" to see what people are selling because I know it will most likely be higher quality items.

Which is exactly how we found this custom made sofa for our living room and the grey trellis rug...

Secret #4: 

Don't limit your search by price! 

$$$$$$$$$$$$

Most items on Craigslist are negotiable and marked much higher than they will actually sell for. Be willing to negotiate with the seller. Make a reasonable offer with the expectation that they may reject it or counter with a higher offer. Don't be afraid to ask!

Our CList Farmhouse Table. Accented by store-bought Parsons Chairs.

Secret #5 

Search wealthier sub-cities of your area. 

When a for sale ad is posted, the poster indicates a specific location. Search for those specific locations - I find that wealthier areas of the city tend to have higher quality items.

Secret #6: 

Search "ESTATE and MOVING SALES"!

Unless you are at a sale at the crack of dawn on a Friday morning, all of the good stuff for an estate or moving sale is gone. Often times these sales are listed on CList early and you can avoid striking out, or even can purchase items before the sale. This is the best way to get the best picks of the sale!

Like our ESTATE Sale Buffet table:

The Secret is Out! Now get to searchin'~
I love hearing about thrifty finds - craigslist, freebies, thrift stores, you name it - so share them in the comments section below! have questions? Feel free to email us as well.
Can't wait to hear about all your awesome finds!

Share this with others via PINTEREST....

A High End Look for Our Dining Room on a Budget

Traditional Dining Room by Portland Interior Designers & Decorators Vidabelo Interior Design

I LOVE this transitional dining room. It is elegant and fresh without being pretentious. It is inviting and comfortable while maintaining a luxurious feel. This is the look I wanted to create for our dining room. 

Here is HOW we created the LOOK FOR LESS!

Dilbeck Dining Room

Let's start with the table, bench, and slat-back chairs. We found this farmhouse style table on Craigslist for $380. The seller also included two additional slat back chairs (to be used in another area of the house) and two cushioned end chairs (seen below). We sold the end chairs for $100, bringing our total cost for the table, bench, and slat-back chairs to $280. Similar tables sell for upwards of $1500 like this one at Williams-Sonoma.

The end chairs pictured in our Designer Dining Room are custom tufted end chairs from the Interior Design company listed. I found some similar chairs at a high-end retailer in Nashville...

Even on sale, these chairs are $525 each! Blowing my budget right out of the water. So, we opted for our trusty Craigslist to bring us a deal. We found the white parsons chairs for $40 for the pair. Since we are not using a rug in our space like in the Designer Dining Room, we are going to add some texture and pattern by making Ikat fabric slipcovers for the parson's chairs like these from Ballards...

The total cost for the Ballard slipcovers is $474 (includes 15% promo code) so my plan is to purchase a similar  fabric for around $20/yard and sew these with the help of my mom. Each parson's chair needs 4-5 yards of fabric plus cording and additional sewing supplies for a total of around $250 for the slipcovers.

The BEST FIND by far in this look for less journey is the light fixture. Yes, this is the exact light fixture pictured in the Designer Dining Room. You can find it here, too. It retails for $559.90. While looking for similar fixtures online, I found this exact fixture in an amazon warehouse for $142.78 (free shipping and no tax!!!) Meant.to.be.

Last but not least: ACCESSORIZING! I love the decorative porcelain succulents in the Designer Dining Room. I found these similar accents at Target on clearance. $12.94 each plus the silver tray (also on clearance for $15) brought the accessorizing total to around $40. I was able to find the exact Porcelain artichokes used in the Designer Dining Room on amazon.com for $204. I found similar trays for around $50, but they can range up to $150.

So, what does the total look for less, look like?

Item	Designer Dining Room	Dilbeck Dining Room
Farmhouse Table	$1,600	$280
Light Fixture	$559.90	$142.78
Accessories	$254	$40
Upholstered End Chairs	$1,050	$290
Bench	$250	(included in Table price)
Slat-Back Chairs	$400	(included in Table price)
GRAND TOTAL =	$4,114	$753

THE LOOK FOR LESS, (much less). 

DINING ROOM: 80% Complete

Sources for our Living Room Revealed

I am VERY PROUD to say that our living room is 80% complete. We still have a few finishing touches to go -- possibly some wall art, curtains, and a new bench beside the fireplace, and maybe one day built-in bookcases --- but the progress so far has been Room-Changing. The best part: everything purchased was either clearance, final sale, or a Craigslist steal. I love a bargain! And I believe this is proof that you don't have to compromise quality or taste when you are looking for a deal. So here is the reveal...

but FIRST, a look at how this room has progressed. 

During the House Hunt: 0% Progress

Move-in Day: 0% Progress

Post-Painting: 30% Progress

Post-Sofa Purchase: 40% Progress

My favorite part about Craiglist purchases is the story behind each one, and getting to meet other avid craiglisters. For example, the couch is a CUSTOM-MADE sofa by Bassett  from a family of three with one on the way. They live right down the street from us, and recently went through a MAJOR home reno as well. They were the kindest couple, and gave us more than the couch (which turned out to be too big for their space once they got it home!). They passed along contractor names, paint colors, and upholsterers. Things you just can't put a price on.. and their home is breath-taking. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. 

Ty and I found this side table in Addairsville, GA at a thrift store on our way back from a wedding. 

Cost? only $35 for a solid wood table with leather top. SUCH a steal! The matching mercury glass lamps were purchased online at Target.com - they had a deal for 15% off home decor when you spent $75 or more (and I just happened to already have the perfect lamp shades). I would have spent 15% more if these had been purchased in-store. 

Those perfect pillows...

Usually I am a huge fan of buying fabric and making my own pillows, but when I saw these at Restoration Hardware on FINAL SALE right after I purchased the rug on Craigslist, I KNEW they were too perfect to pass up. I love how the medallion print on the pillows mimics the print on the rug. Speaking of, the RUG was another craigslist deal. The rug retails for over $1000 but we were able to get it for a fraction of the cost because a lady's chihuahua was allergic to the wool!  The other white sidetable we already owned - you may remember it from the guest room in the condo. 

The matching nailhead sidechairs are the latest addition to the room and the final touch. These were originally from a boutique in Buckhead, GA called BEE. Lucky for me, the lady who purchased them changed her mind and she put them on Craigslist. My in-laws were sweet enough to scoop them up and haul these giant wing chairs back to Nashville on their way to visit last weekend. 

Living Room: 80% COMPLETE! 

This week I showed you our living room steals, but next week we will go into the dining room (which you glimpse in this photo) to see how we got the look for less!