Finishing Touches To The Entryway

I am a lover of all things old. And if you’ve known me for any length of time, you are already well acquainted with that fact. I am also a lover of frugality. The blending of old and economical decor is a driving force in how I create and enhance my home. I love beautiful things. And unfortunately, many beautiful things come with a not so beautiful cost. So when I discover a piece that marries my two favorite qualities together, I am one happy lady. And that can be said of this lovely antique chair that I found at a small antique shop last weekend. It was the ideal look and price that added the perfect finishing touch to our entryway.

After what had been a rather stressful week, I decided to head up to The Lamb’s Tail, one of my favorite local antique shops, to browse and find inspiration. They were having a garage sale of sorts with inexpensively priced items in need of new homes. I happened across this gorgeous chair, and it struck me as a perfect fit for my home. And for only $20. I had no intention of buying anything that day though. I just needed some fresh air in the country and to catch my breath for the afternoon. I ended up leaving that visit without it. The next morning, however, the entire sale went an extra 50% off. Now, $10 was a price I could really justify. I drove back out, paid the ten dollars, and came home satisfied with the great price and how well it blended into my space.

When I find pieces like this for my home, it excites me to be reminded that it doesn’t have to cost as much as culture tells us it does to create beautiful spaces. I find myself becoming more and more discouraged when browsing social media apps these days. There is a greater push than ever that signifies to everyday people like you and me that we need to always have the biggest, the best, and most expensive pieces to create homes that are beautiful and enjoyable. But that is neither truth nor wisdom. Whether it is conscious or not, the message seems to be growing louder and more prominent on social media apps and advertisements. And what is pushed as “inexpensive” alternatives to those designer brands is often times a shocking expense to many women looking to nurture and design their homes. It has become out of touch with the everyday woman.

I want this to serve as a reminder to you that you don’t need to break the bank to create spaces that you will love. Nor should you. Almost everything in our entryway is either from an inexpensive antique shop, an estate sale, a garbage pick find, or from a store where I purchased it for a steep discount. I often talk to others who feel that they are failing because they cannot keep up with our world’s outlandish standards to keep up with the Joneses (who are often times up to their ears in debt). And that breaks my heart. Our homes should be a refuge from the stresses of the world, not the source of it. It is perfectly ok to buy secondhand. It is ok to have projects be put on standby because of other expenses in life. We don’t need to have it all right now. We don’t need to have only “the best”. You are not failing if your home doesn’t resemble Pinterest and Instagram. If you are cultivating a loving home environment, you are succeeding in the most important ways possible. And trust me when I say that I need to remind myself of these truths often.

I hope that my blog gives you encouragement in your journey with your home. I hope it is a testament to the idea that home is a truly beautiful thing, regardless of whether you can afford “the greatest” or not. I hope it serves as a reminder that creativity and innovation can lead you toward your goals in ways you maybe never thought possible. Your worth is not dictated by the labels behind your decor pieces (or anything else for that matter). It is not dictated by the amount you spend (or don’t spend) on your furniture and renovations. It runs infinitely deeper than that. It is humbling to see what lessons we can be reminded of by an old $10 chair. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts today. It has been heavy on my heart these past weeks, and I hope you leave here feeling encouraged and inspired today. Thanks, as always, for being here!