The other Friday, I had extra time in my schedule in the afternoon. SO, I *finally*A redid my coffee table in my living area – something that I had been meaning to do! I get extremely inspired by Pinterest for ideas on how to decorate my own coffee table as well as some of my favorite fellow influencers and figured: why not give these design ideas that I’ve LOVED a whirl?!
I have recently been watching A LOT of Chelsea Fagan’s The Financial Diet (TFD) and it has become a FAVORITE of mine (!!) on YouTube and one of the quotes that really stood out to me when she interviewed a well-known interior designer was on the lines of the fact that designers get inspired by those around them – they don’t just whip things up on a whim. As someone who LOVES interior design and prefers to design my own space herself, this interior designer’s quote REALLY stood out to me and rang true to myself. At the same time, I find SO MUCH inspiration from simply ordinary, everyday people on my social media feeds, rather than my favorite celebrities (but, yes, there is something VERY inspiring about the interior design done by Martha Stewart, Rae Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman, and a Washington, DC classic The White House done by United States First Ladies). Not to mention, there is ALWAYS inspiration to be found in stunning hotels such as The Greenbrier in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia (which I aspire to stay at/visit someday!); The Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC; The Colony in West Palm Beach, Florida (which I also aspire to stay at/visit someday!); and many other iconically designed hotels/resorts. BUT, I find everyday lifestyle and home decor to be the most aspirational and attainable both financially and practically speaking to myself and most other people, which is why I find it to be super inspirational and applicable to my lifestyle and home. For example, I dog sit for my Mom’s friend Ms. Gwyn who has a beautiful preppy and coastal, New England-inspired style home nearby my own. Ms. Gwyn has DIY-ed a lot of her home’s aspects and discovered many charming thrifted antique pieces and/or pieces from her own travels, including many summers to Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Ms. Gwyn’s home interiors are super inspirational to me and fits the mold of what makes her her in a gorgeous, unique way beautifully. At the same time, Ms. Gwyn’s home’s interior design is much more attainable and affordable to others.
One of the key things to do when redecorating your home is to simply use what you have, as opposed to buying brand-new things. At the same time, shopping secondhand is ALSO a unique way to find some charming, high-quality pieces that can be used in your home for years to come. I chose to do both of these things when redoing my coffee table. Monthly, I go on a thrift store run, as thrifting is one of my newfound favorite hobbies. I mean, who doesn’t LOVE finding Lilly Pulitzer or J Crew or practically any other name brand item for under $15?! And, on my June thrift store run, I came across two gorgeous petal platters for $7 each from Arhaus – a name brand home store – along with some new books that I found of interest for under $10 when combined. I ended up falling in love with these two bowls, and, $14 later, I had a basis for a fresh and new coffee table redo! So, books and platters in-hand, using the basket tray and wooden-inspired balls that were originally on the tray, I grabbed a few pieces that I had laying around my home without a place to calls its own for more memories to be made.
Besides the books and platters from my most recent thrift store haul, the items that I used in my coffee table were all already at my home. They include: a woven round tray with handles and the wooden/beaded decoration balls that were in the tray, a woven turkey that I had thrifted earlier this year, Thompson family crystal from my Dad’s side, a coaster that I was gifted from my Aunt Bell from her family’s trip to Israel when they went in 2010, a Kate Spade Home deco-dotted tea plate, a Dollar Tray heart platter, and *of course* A LOT of books! Needless to say, it only costed me $20 to put together a redo of my coffee table, making it unique, accessible, and welcoming to others and myself.
While I am only sharing the up and close details of this coffee table update of mine, I did have a lot of fun taking 30 minutes to make it happen. I don’t know about y’all, but I LOVE and always feel more fresh and ready to conquer the world or sleep while watching Jeopardy when I have an updated space!
XOXO – Katie <3