Chelsea and her husband and their three little boys live in a 1940’s colonial right next to a big apple orchard.
They are slowly renovating and turning this house into a home, and Chelsea is a firm believer in the fact that you can make a house truly beautiful without spending a lot of money.
When they first bought their house, they went through some difficult times. “My husband lost his job several months after we bought this house,” she shared. “The Lord took care of us and he found another job, but there was no budget—there was no money for furniture or all the pretty things I wanted to do, or hire a contractor to renovate the house.”
This experience taught her a lot about how to be resourceful, and how to make a house feel like a home. It’s truly possible for a home to be beautiful without spending a lot.
She discovered that local auctions are a great place to find quality items at amazing prices. Her leather sofa, which usually sells for about $8,000, they got for $300. Her white chair cost only $1 and she found a West Elm rug for $40.
She’s also a huge fan of Amazon Warehouse. Her living room rug, a Loloi, was $180 less than normal listing price. She has found everything from furniture to pillows to lighting there and highly recommends it—and Facebook Marketplace, too. That’s where she got her Restoration Hardware sofa, and her beautiful French doors with original hardware.
“You don’t have to have a lot of money to make things beautiful.”
They want their home to be cozy and inviting, full of character, and a home that accommodates their daily life with three boys—both functional and beautiful.
One of Chelsea’s tips is to keep furniture practical, like her leather sofa (easy for cleaning), and washable, slipcover chair. She also budgets for fresh flowers weekly: “They’re food for the soul.”
Whenever possible, they’ve kept elements and character that are original to the home. In her kitchen, they still have the cabinetry and the stove, but they’ve made some fun updates with a little paint and creativity.
And, they pulled back multiple layers of linoleum on the kitchen floor to discover the original hardwood floors still intact. They were able to refinish them, with a pickle-whitewash finish.
“I love having pieces that have a connection to the home,” she says, “that are not only beautiful but actually meaningful.”
Find Chelsea on Instagram: @life_in_the_yellow_house
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