budget decor

March Design Favorites Round Up by Mackenzie Collier

Source: Anthropologie

March came and went, which was a good thing here in the MCI office since we were super busy, producing fresh designs left and right! This month, we also introduced a new design service called Room Service—which has been pretty fun and exciting. March was great for design, and we're so excited to move forward and spring into April. 

Of course, like always, we end the month with a roundup of a few of our favorite things, which we featured each Friday on our Instagram

Anthropologie Tulip Chair 

This gold velvet tulip chair was our first Friday Fave for spring, and it couldn't have been a better choice! This chair from Anthro is a biomorphic design piece, which means it draws inspiration from natural patterns and organisms. We also love how it's a vintage inspired piece from the 40s, and you can customize it to whichever color and/or fabric you feel works best for your space. 

Source: Anthropologie

Caressi Colours Kitchen Taps

These fun stainless steel kitchen taps are so fun and a great way to brighten any kitchen without completely conforming to one specific color. These taps come in 12 different colors, which makes it even harder to choose!

Source: Caressi

FLOR Palm Reader Rug

Textiles are a great way to incorporate trends, and we love the use of the currently-trending palm pattern here! FLOR square tiles are perfect for any size room, and each square can be easily replaced or clean when needed. Being 100% recyclable, these are perfect for just about any home—especially those with kids! That's a sustainable design trend that we are over the moon about! 

Source: FLOR

Cathy Terepocki Ceramic Stools

These ceramic stools from Anthropologie were a favorite from Aleah, and we totally understand why. They are multipurpose and can be used as alternative seating in just about any space since they are easy to move around and can go just about anywhere. The geometric motifs and metallic accents are an added bonus. 

Source: Anthropologie

Which one of these is your fave? Comment below and let us know!

Five Low Maintenance Houseplants You'll Love by Mackenzie Collier

Houseplants, who doesn’t love them? They are aesthetically pleasing, purify your indoor air and can brighten up just about any space. They are the perfect, inexpensive way to change and freshen up just about any room.  If you don't have a green thumb, picking a plant that has a chance of surviving longer than a month can be a bit challenging. We've put together a list of five plants that are some of the easiest to care for as well as versatile for any space. Oh, and did we mention how easy they are to take care of?

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Aloe Vera

This plant is definitely the easiest plant to take care of and it’s also a good one to have around the house. Not only can the leaves from Aloe Vera be used for the healing of cuts and burns, but you only have to water it when the plant’s soil is completely dry, which can be every two to three weeks (depending on your climate). 

 

 

Photo by Domino

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Snake Plant

Also known as the Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (oof), the Snake Plant is a pretty popular houseplant and is the best kind for those who forget plants need love. It thrives in a pot and rarely needs sunlight or any attention at all. Place it in the bedroom —possibly in a cute plant stand like this one—since it does an excellent job at releasing oxygen at night. 

 

 

 

Photo by Suburban Bees

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The Chinese Evergreen

Talk about a plant that thrives in what some would think are intolerable conditions! This plant, with its colorful green leaves, is a very durable houseplant that can grow exponentially in poor light and in pretty much all conditions. Although it prefers humid air, misting it a few times every week is an easy fix if the air is too dry. 

Photo by Bakker

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The Rubber Plant

The plant that can prosper in extremely low temperatures and bright but indirect sunlight. The rubber plant can grow up to 8 ft tall, but if you’re not up for it, just make sure to keep them in a small pot. Keep the soil most in the summer and a little drier during the other seasons.

 

 

 

Photo by Miss Moss

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The Spider Plant

The Spider Plant is the houseplant that can easily adapt to almost any condition. It's the perfect plant to place in the bathroom since they don’t really like a lot of direct sunlight, and it's super pretty in hanging baskets and pots. Although they are easily adaptable, it’s best to keep the soil moist and use distilled or purified water when watering them.

Photo by BritCo

Welp, there's our list on the top houseplants just about anyone would have a hard time killing.

Also, all of the plants listed, except for the Chinese Evergreen, are pet friendly. Of course we thought about your four-legged friends as well!

Comment below and let us know which one is your favorite or any other tips and tricks dealing with houseplants!

Lulu & Georgia Anniversary Sale on All Home Decor! by Mackenzie Collier

Lulu & Georgia is offering 25% off sitewide with code HBD—it's their best sale of the year! All rugs, furniture, accessories, bed & bath decor, lighting, gifts, and more. Even their new stuff! If you're looking for playful, pretty, fun home decor, this is a great resource.

Glamorous, bohemian chic, vintage eclectic or cutting edge, Lulu & Georgia offers a bit of shine for every personality.

Here are a few selections available now...

Wallis Swivel Chair in Dijon

Wallis Swivel Chair in Dijon

Yassmin Pendant

Yassmin Pendant

Enya Chair

Enya Chair

Opposites Pillow

Opposites Pillow

Mallory Settee

Mallory Settee

Brycee Side Table

Brycee Side Table

Briggita Chair

Briggita Chair

Aelfie Lounah Flat Weave Rug

Aelfie Lounah Flat Weave Rug

Get shopping—the sale ends soon!

Anthropologie's Fall Sale: Our Favorite Home Section Deals! by Mackenzie Collier

Limited Time: Extra 30% Off Sale Items

The design gods are shining down upon us! Anthropologie is offering an additional 30% off sale items right now! That includes room & wall decor, bedding, hardware, lighting, rugs, curtains, and kitchen & bath accessories (sadly, it does not apply to furniture). You can also get select monogram mug & glassware for $7.

We put together a small collection of our favorite sale items—get them before they're gone!

Not sure how long the sale will last, so hurry up and get to shopping!

Get the Luxe Look for Less by Mackenzie Collier

We love the classics, the high-end originals—we marvel at their fine details and clever ingenuity—but we also realize not everyone who wants a cool space to live in can spend $7500 on a lamp. (Personally, we'd rather spend our money on experiences, not necessarily on things!) If you're willing to compromise on some features, you can achieve almost any look for less. Here are a few options for awesome-looking, quality products that won't break the bank... 

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This Mathew Hilton table from Design Within Reach is made of solid walnut, which sounds fancy, but solid wood has a tendency to contract and expand with the weather, making it less stable at times. This piece is 59" in diameter, while the similar piece from Article is 73" oval. Both say they seat eight, but it may be a tad crowded at this table.

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This piece has an ash veneer stained in a walnut finish. You wouldn't be able to refinish this piece, but veneers tend to be more stable than solid wood furniture, so it's a trade off. This piece is also a touch bigger than the DWR counterpart, making it more comfortable for 6-8 people.

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"An inspired take on the modern forms of 1970s Italian design," there's no denying this Restoration Hardware chair is a sophisticated selection. It's scaled slightly larger than the West Elm version, but both are made from top grain leather (that's the next best thing from full grain leather. Top grain leather has had the top few millimeters sanded off to eliminate imperfections).

Slightly smaller than the Restoration Hardware counterpart, this West Elm piece offers the same cool industrial style at a significantly lower price. It does, however, lack the built-in lumbar pillow. If you're in the market for a $4000 chair and want the best available, RH would be the best choice. If you are looking for something to do the trick while your kids are still in their "color on everything" phase, this West Elm chair is a great option!

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This 115" sofa by Mathew Hilton for Design Within Reach has articulating headrests, which is super cool—you can adjust them to just the right angle and height for reading or watching TV, or fold them out of the way when not in use. It's also made in Italy- hence the price tag.

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This piece has the same minimal yet cozy lines as the DWR piece but at a fraction of the price. This piece is made of FSC (SUSTAINABLE) kiln dried hardwood right here in the US. It's even deeper and longer than DWR version—134" wide as opposed to the DWR's 115"—so you can probably squeeze an extra friend on here. If you can live without articulating headrests, I'd save the money.

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This piece is carved from a single block of sustainably harvested kiln-dried wood, which is great, but coffee tables are meant for feet and cocktails and buttery popcorn, so I'd be a tad worried about stains.

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I actually like this design better than the RH piece because lifting the sphere up a bit shows off the shape more. I also like the structured architectural base, it juxtaposes with the smooth sphere quite well. It's cement, so it will be really durable and you won't get ring marks from wet glasses.

DWR Serge Mouille Three-Arm Floor Lamp.jpeg

So if you're the kind of person who needs the BEST lamp available, this Serge Mouille lamp is the one for you. Its three arms swing freely in any direction so that you'll need never fear a shadow. It has elegant lines and exquisite hardware. And the price tag? Well...

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This lamp by Target (pronounced Tar-zhay) may be less flexible and a bit smaller, but it still has that modern insect look to it that sets it apart from your mother's old Pottery Barn wood & linen deal.

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Both of these rugs are 100% jute, handwoven, unbleached, and will inevitably shed for a while. So what makes them different? This one is woven into a latex backing, while the PB version is woven into wool. Personally, I'd prefer the wool. I think the cost difference here is simply a matter of comparing the textures (this one looks more expensive), but this chunkier version may be tougher to live with.

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Pottery Barn | Chunky Wool & Jute Rug ($719)

You might compromise a bit visually on the smoother texture here, as compared with the RH version, but frankly, a thicker texture is much more difficult to keep clean, so I would opt for this one anyway! Have you ever tried to clean a spilled bowl of quinoa out of a textured jute rug? No? Oh. Err, me neither.