Living large on a small budget. It’s not about money. It’s about home style!
Cowboy Chic: Interior designer tips to add some rustic Western Home Decoration to your home style with luxury Flea Market Finds for a ‘Rustic Big Chill’
I’m always up for a challenge when it comes to home style. Many of you know that I was at my vacation place out West recently. When it came to redecorating my Wyoming home, I wanted something that was very different from how we live in New York City. Something that was both very cozy, rustic, and Western. The launch point for my design inspiration came from vintage Roy Rogers and Dale Evans memorabilia, and then I took it from there.
I loved every minute of the “acquiring” phase for my Western home decoration and rather miss not having a place to redecorate (yet) these days. The FocusOnStyle Contributing Editor at Large and a Guest Expert in the C’est Chic Crash Course, Brad Boles has been nestled far off away in Kenya and busy working on some Western design projects. I thought that besides my “hunter and gatherer” approach to decorating, it would be useful to have Brad breakdown some cheap chic interior designer tips so you can add a bit of Western rustic flair to your cowboy retreat… or even create a snuggled down atmosphere to your home, anywhere.
Take note, that just like many of my unexpected vintage finds, Brad is using flea market finds to create a very rich look., proof that you can live large on a small budget. His main accent is blue, while I were to red. What’s your favorite home color? – S.H.
Every time we embark on new design ideas for the home, we are often faced with the daunting task of where to begin. Most of us don’t have the luxury of hiring a decorator. You don’t need to be scared of your own shadow when it comes to getting flirty with style and design. No matter where you live in the world from – east to west, north to south – there are no limits to what you can create.
If you’re at home on the ranch, interiors inspired by the American West can bring out your wild side. Use a vintage wingback chair, with a mid-century modern chrome floor lamp. Add to that cowhide carpets combined with an array of found art and mirrors from flea markets to adorn the walls. Stack your pillows and throws, double strap them with old leather belts, and place them on a weather beaten steamer trunk. Pillows and throws can be had at most overstock stores with great designs for any taste. Collect old road signs. They are easily found in flea markets around the world.
The Horse wallpaper in Smoke I found online with an adhesive back for easy removal, The blue spode dinnerware and turin I carried back from London. The pine Buffet Cabinet came out of a farmhouse in Connecticut
Use tone-on-tone horse wallpaper in a dining room. There are many companies online that offer a large variety of non-glue wallpapers. So, when your mood changes, you can remove the paper with ease. Vintage-inspired wallpaper sets a rustic ambiance and adds that designer touch to any room.
Be on the lookout for blue and white Spode-inspired dinnerware and brass candlesticks in all shapes and heights. A rustic retreat can always use decorative animal antlers over a fireplace. There are many companies that make them out of Paper Mache if you don’t want the real thing.
When it comes to the bedroom, a mission-style wooden bed with linen-wrapped side tables anchored with metal milk cans wired as lamps, and including gunnysack-wrapped lampshades works wonders. Any local lamp and shade store can convert almost any object into to a lamp surprisingly inexpensively.
One of the more important details are bed linens. This is often where the most glaring mistakes happen. When redecorating a home, linens are often overlooked. Egyptian cotton is the most luxurious and doesn’t have to break the bank. Forget about a high thread count. That’s just a gimmick. You’re throwing your money away buying linens with anything over a 300 thread count.
We can’t forget the bathroom, the most romantic room in the house. A beautiful claw-foot bathtub in the center of the room and polished-concrete floors stained with coffee grounds give just the right warm glow. Claw-foot bath tubs don’t have to cost a fortune. Source one at your local salvage and wrecking company. Find an old tiered plant stand, sand and paint it white, and place it next to the bath with oils and bath salts in antique decanters.
An old wooden wagon wheel can also be wired as a chandelier over a farmhouse-inspired dinning table. If you’re feeling more French, a chrystal chandelier gives just the right twist! Don’t be afraid to mix and match the chairs around the table, as long as they are all of a similar height.
Don’t be afraid to let your inner child out. Mix and match patterns from stripes to solids. Layer your space in sumptuous and indulgent accoutrements like vintage silver trays, trophies, and old leather books that befit a well-seasoned collector.
I hope this will inspire you to think outside of the box. Make sure you check back. Keep you eye on FocusOnStyle. It will delight you with the pure and the simple. Let me inspire you!
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Caption Lead Photo: This chair was only the bones when I found it at the Brimfield Flea Market, I left the back exposed and used a deep blue Chanel Velvet. The mirror was found in my mother attic. The vintage sign came from the 25th street Flea Market in New York City
Photos: Brad Boles