High-Style, Low-Cost Ideas with Haus Design!

Happy Friday, ya'll! I have another guest stopping by to share some high-style, low-cost decorating ideas with you today!

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Hi!  I'm Barbara from HausDesign.  I have been living in Munich for the last four years and during that time I have visited many flea markets while traveling around Europe, as well as frequenting many that happen regularly right here in Munich.  I have found the markets to be an excellent source for design pieces, and getting the "look for less".  Check out these examples: 


My most recent find was this old milk crate - compare mine for $14...


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Photo and Styling by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

...with Pottery Barn's version for $99:


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Pottery Barn

I have loved and admired Kosta Boda's beautiful glass designs for a long time, but not the prices!


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Kosta Boda Atoll Votive - $50

I recently came across this old ash tray at our local flea market for $20 and loved the way it reflects candlelight - no one needs to know it was originally an ash tray. :)


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Photo by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Since that picture also includes books, I'll go there next...

I LOVE to buy old books at flea markets anywhere in the world.  The illustrations and binding are so pretty and unique - great for building an interesting vignette.  I bought all three of those for about $15 at another flea market here in Munich a few years ago and have continued to buy them as we travel.  I hope to use them to design a great bookshelf, inspired by this:


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Brooke Gianetti - Velvet and Linen Blog

And one last look for less!  Pottery Barn has these great green vintage bottles right now but I find them really pricey.  They run $99 - $279, depending on the size.

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Pottery Barn

I paid about $15 for the jug below at a flea market.  Mine is quite large so I think it's comparable to the $279 jug from Pottery Barn.  I also find this one extra special because it is an old fermenting jug - the writing on the old label is french and records the ingredients that were added over time.  By the way, there are literally dozens of glass bottles similar to the ones above at our local flea market right now!

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Photo by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

I hope you enjoyed my flea market "looks for less".  If you're interested, I am available for sourcing from these wonderful flea markets.  You can read more about my flea market finds here, or feel free to just contact me!

Thanks so much, Mary, for having me today!

Make up Vanities

I was strolling through Goodwill yesterday and spotted this adorable vanity;

If you squint your eyes you can read the price tag. . . yep, $5.00 is all they were asking for this solid wood piece of furniture that just needs a little TLC and DIY makeover! I picture it painted a creamy white, combined with a gorgeous starburst mirror and lucite stool. It was in great condition and so full of potential that at only $5.00 I was dying to snag it the moment I saw it. Unfortunately, I don't have any where in my house for a vanity (darn it) nor did I have the means to transport it so it didn't come home with me :( Although in actuality I don't even really wear much makeup, let alone spend very much time getting ready, what girl wouldn't love to have her very own vanity area?! Any who, here's some images to feast your eyes on!

via Martha Stewart

via Country Living

via Decorpad

via Lonny

via Sunset

via Decorpad

Do you have a vanity area either in your bedroom or bathroom?

Thrifting in Santa Cruz

I spent Mother's Day weekend with my boyfriend and my family in Santa Cruz. It's a tradition in my family to head to the beach every Mother's Day so this year we made the short trek again. You might remember me mentioning that I am helping my sister (who lives in a townhouse two blocks from the beach) redecorate her second story living area. I delivered the table to her this weekend (that I blogged about here) and now we were on the hunt for two chairs to go with it.

As we drove around town Saturday we kept our eyes peeled for garage sales in hopes to find something at a reasonable price. We spotted an antique store and take a look at what we found inside!

Chairs, chairs, and even more chairs! Too bad most of them had price tags over $50 and still needed some TLC. We were trying to keep our budget at around $30 for two chairs.

We spotted these already made over beauties, a pair of painted latter back chairs. Unfortunately they came as a set of four for $100 and the owner of the shop wouldn't split up the set. Darn it!

Next we hit up a flea market in downtown Santa Cruz. I could spend all day there trolling around and looking at all the hidden treasures!

Take a look at what we found there. . .

Two sturdy bentwood chairs for a grand total of. . . wait. . . $15!!! Jackpot! I plan to paint them a glossy white (they are currently chipped in several spots) and recover the seats in a fun fabric.

I'll share more on this project later! I hope all you moma's out there had a wonderful Mother's day!

A sign of the times

You know things are BAD in the economy when Ethan Allen goes out of business in a high profile shopping center in my area. . . and guess who moves in?. . . Goodwill. (Which is FINE by me!) And did you know that you could shop the Goodwill online?! Check it out.

via flickr