Budgets flex, time is tight, and tastes evolve, but you’ll never regret making your home feel comfortable for life right now. “I’m someone who is totally fine with placeholder decor.” However, some projects—like hanging hard-to-match-up trellis wallpaper in an office with three walls of windows—are best left to pros. Ruthie saves by doing finish work like caulking and painting. Damage from a leaky pipe prompted a strategic renovation in the primary bath. Ruthie was able to salvage the original tile floor and unique sconces, which helped offset the cost of a new double vanity. She repurposed a large mirror from another room and had a glass shop cut holes for the sconces’ wiring. With Greek key trim glued to the edges, basic Roman shades look custom. A fruit tile fireplace surrounding Ruthie and Greg’s bedroom and yellow tile in the guest bath are part of the old-home charm. “All the quirky details have so much magic to them,” she says. Ruthie emphasizes that floral + geometric + animal print equals success. Blocks of color create resting points. For example, she framed the fireplace tile in the primary bedroom by painting the mantel Smoke Gray (Rust-Oleum enamel gloss). To create a strong headboard wall that provides storage, Ruthie flanked a vintage screen with IKEA wardrobes. She refinished them with a laminate bonding primer and chalk-finish paint that she dragged a toothbrush through in crisscrossing lines for a raffia texture. An acrylic tray table makes a handy nightstand that’s light enough to move. Ruthie scoured discount websites to furnish daughter Emmeline’s room and scored the bedding from an estate sale. To get the best estate sale deals, Ruthie signs up for emails to preview offerings and often holds out until the second day when items are more likely to be deeply discounted. When son Everett requested Batman blue walls, Ruthie delivered with a half-wall treatment he won’t tire of as quickly. A kid-height loft bed creates more playroom in the tight 7-foot-wide footprint. Wall decals add playful pattern without long-term commitment. To update the guest bath’s original yellow wall tile, Ruthie installed a modern vanity and painted molding crisp white. She painted abstract raindrops on the walls for some restrained pattern.
