When decorating don’t forget about your ottomans and stools!
Here are ottomans I have done for some of my clients:
Before
Now after. My client was actually thinking about getting rid of this ottoman, and now it is perfect in her living room.
Before
After
Before
After. What beautiful barkcloth material this client had.
It is not a big surprise that I love ruffles. So it is only natural that they would make their way onto my curtains, and those of my clients.
Sometimes changes don’t have to be very big to make a big difference. This chair is from Ikea. My client liked the chair, but wanted to personalize it, to help it reflect her style a little more. 
I took off the original skirt (which was straight with corner pleats) and added a ruffled skirt to the chair. A simple change, but it gave the chair have a whole new look and feel.
Sometimes changes can bring comfort as well! This client had a beautiful couch, but the cushions had seen better days and were lacking support. 
We changed only the cushion and this couch has a whole new look and literally a whole new feel! We used foam and a down envelope to give this couch comfort. I love it when the cushion is one solid piece as well as when the bottom cushion is made from different fabric.
How fun is this!
Sometimes a small change can make a giant impact!
A friend of mine was redoing her dining room and wanted to have it done in time for her cooking club that was coming over. She solicited help from The Decorologist. Kristie, from The Decorologist did a wonderful job. I wish I had a before of the picture of the dining room, but you can find it at The Decorologist. But here is the dining room now. 
Isn’t it beautiful?! I know they had a wonderful cooking club! Who wouldn’t have a great time eating in this beautiful room. I think my favorite part of this room are the pictures on the wall. The pictures are actual photos of my friend’s grandparent’s farm that she used to go to as a child…I love how Kristie made this room beautiful and personal.
I did the wing chairs that are in this room.
Here is the before.
And here is the after.
I started thinking about what made the dining room so welcoming and inviting and thinking about how I decorate. I realized that very little of what I have in my home I brought straight home from the store and started using it. Many of the things in my home have been modified in someway. I have items I have painted and slipcovered throughout my home. I really think that is a big part of what makes a house a home, that it reflect you and who you are. I have bought furniture from big furniture stores and I would say I regret most of those purchases. Some of the most cherished things I love in my home I have found at yard sales or antique stores, brought them home and made them mine. That is my favorite thing about slipcovering, you can make almost any piece reflect your style, it is a one of a kind piece found only in your home, and can’t be found anywhere else.
A couple of months ago, I spotted this beautiful ottoman in a magazine.
I found the ottoman at an online store with a starting price of $900.00!! Add $200.00 more dollars if you want the largest size and then another $200.00 on top of that for shipping. You could be looking at about $1300.00 for this ottoman. It is beautiful, but I don’t have $1,300.00 to spend on an ottoman.
Although I didn’t have $1,300.00, I did have this “lovely” ottoman in my Goodwill pile as well as some linen fabric. I decided to drag it back out and make my own ottoman. This is the before….
And this is the after….much better!!
I put the ottoman in our entry way. I love it! So here is my version of the 1,300.00 ottoman.
Have you spotted something in a magazine you love? I’d love to help you create it for your home and I promise not to charge you $1,100.00 for an ottoman!
