Affordable Style: Eclectic Color

It's supposed to be 49 DEGREES today! Plus some rain, but I don't even care right now because that snow is going to MELT.

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Just in case Mother Nature is feeling open to suggestions, I thought I'd go with happy colors today. At this point, anything that keeps it from snowing or being below zero again is a good idea. Let's all think springtime-y thoughts! Send out those positive vibes.

This room re-creation was a little tougher than normal, mainly because of that Kermit green sofa. Fun fact: when we were couch shopping after the move, I kept eyeballing one that was a similar color. It just draws you in. We ended up buying a light gray one, which was obviously the more versatile choice, but sometimes I wonder if we should have done something a little more fun.

Anyhoodle, let's see how we can make this space happen on an approachable budget:

>> So here's the thing about sofas: it's the one place in a room you don't want to skimp. If you can only afford to splurge on one thing, treat yo'self and get a fancy couch. Don't be fooled by the "almost identical" version at Macy's for half the price. I made that mistake and got what I paid for. Learn from my youthful folly. (Which is not to say that ALL furniture quality is foretold by price. IKEA is the obvious exception to that rule.) The delightful green number above is from Room & Board and is $2,000, which I know is a lot to drop on one thing, but please treat your sofa like more of an investment than we did. If you don't want to buy new, you could also look for a nice piece on Craigslist and have it reupholstered.

>> The love seat is $750 (West Elm!), which I don't think is totally outlandish, especially for a piece as versatile as this one. I can see it working with a lot of styles and spaces. You could literally have it in your house for the rest of your life and it would always look slammin'.

>> On the other side of the coin, the rug and side table are two places where you can see some savings. Like all rugs, this one (from Wayfair) varies in price depending on the size you need, but a 5x8 is only $265. (Snap!) The end table is a crazy-affordable $52 from Amazon. Let's go ahead and toss the picture frames into this category, too. They're part of the Ribba series from IKEA and are only $18 each.

>> Let's talk about those pillows, which are really the beating heart of the whole room. If I had to guess, the floral fabric was where the design started. The floral version I found (via Etsy) is $41, the bright pink one is only $10 (from World Market), and the "get it girl," which totally makes me laugh, is also from Etsy and rings in at $38.

So are we in a springtime-y mood now? How do you like this room? Would you ever get wild with your sofa upholstery? Anybody else ever make a cheap-o seating purchase and live to regret it?