Category Archives: Design On A Dime

The Hunt: Slipper Chairs

By ADD | Published: August 11, 2010
Now that our renovation is finished, I’m on the hunt for some great textiles and upholstery to infuse color and texture into our home.  But I’m also on a very tight budget.  I’ll be sharing some of the bargains I come across along the way.  These vibrant slipper chairs at Target are a pretty good [...]
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Chartreuse and Grey

By ADD | Published: August 10, 2010
I ordered this Dwell Studio duvet from Target a few days ago for our master bedroom.   It’s so hard to know what you are getting from Target online, but the reviews of this item were great and it was (ahem) cheap.  I hope it will look nice with our gray walls (?).  Here’s the [...]
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I have piles of these archival family photos lying around.

Decorate My Dining Room, Part 3

By ADD | Published: July 28, 2010
Good Morning DIY’ers!  Welcome to part 3 of the ongoing series, DECORATE MY DINING ROOM.  In part 2, I showed you the Flor carpet tiles that I’m considering.  I haven’t ruled Flor out, but I’m not sold on it yet either.  But don’t fret, there will be a carpet under that table when all is [...]
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This 1970's chair is another Granny goody.

Project: DIY Furniture Facelift

By ADD | Published: June 3, 2010
I received such positive response to my latest post about spiffing up Granny’s couch, that I wanted to write about another of Granny’s pieces, a 1970’s Chippendale style chair.  This faux bamboo chair had a black lacquer finish and a tan leather seat when it came my way a few years ago.  It was handsome, but [...]
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my bathroom isn't big enough to get a shot of the full curtain, so here's the bottom half!

Project: DIY Shower Curtain

By ADD | Published: May 13, 2010
When I was helping Becky decorate her rental apartment on a tiny budget, I found some great linen curtains at IKEA that  we purchased for her bathroom update.  I couldn’t resist buying some for my place as well.  It’s hard to find pretty fabric shower curtains that don’t cost a fortune, so I decided to [...]
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DIY pot rack in kitchen shelve brackets.

Project: DIY pot rack

By ADD | Published: May 7, 2010
Scott added this stainless steel rod last weekend to our custom kitchen shelving.  The open shelving with a long pot rack was one of the cornerstones of our kitchen design.  It’s definitely convenient to have pots and pans within easy reach of the stove and not taking up precious cabinet space.  The rod was thirty [...]
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Budget Rug Ideas

By ADD | Published: March 2, 2010
I have several friends who are looking for budget-friendly, traffic-friendly rugs that will pop with color and give dimension to their small spaces. I am also in the market for indestructible throw rugs as our tung oil rubbed,  vintage heart pine floors will need protection in high traffic areas. I’m not usually a fan of polypropylene [...]
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Becky's "new" coffee table in my old living room

Repurposing old furniture

By ADD | Published: February 25, 2010
I’m a diehard fan of repurposing.  Almost every stick of furniture in my home is either a hand-me-down from a benevolent relative or a thrift store find.  I also like to trade “white elephant” furniture with friends.  One man’s trash is often a DIYer’s treasure. Let’s face it, decades old furniture tends to be of better [...]
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Becky with Mike, her "Besta" Ikea angel

Makeover: Becky’s SOHO(so-homey) apt.

By ADD | Published: February 21, 2010
Becky & I spent Saturday at Ikea in Redhook blowing through most of her $2500 decorating budget.  Here she is with Mike, her Ikea design angel, selecting components for her “Besta” storage system. She decided to trade in her queen size bed for a full size model in order to gain some much- needed floor space [...]
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makeover: SOHO apt. on the cheap

By ADD | Published: February 18, 2010
My friend Becky has asked me to design her DIY apt makeover. It is a one bedroom rental with original tin ceilings & loads of potential. Her budget is $2500. We are heading to Ikea on Saturday for cheap storage solutions and to Lowes for some bold & beautiful paint. Stay [...]
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