It’s easy for me to keep things because they’ve been useful or good enough in the past. Or because it feels like a waste to buy something new (that I like) to replace something that I already have (that I probably was given secondhand in college). Just this week I got rid of a bookshelf that tilts to the right, which I’ve been moving from place to place for the last eight years. I honestly should have let it go a while ago. There’s nothing wrong with being selective when it comes to big pieces and purchases, but it’s also okay to pull the trigger and to make it a priority to be intentional with a space. For me, an intentionally designed home – even on the cheap – just feels inspiring, refreshed and mature. This Brooklyn Heights brownstone apartment wasn’t just moved into – the new tenants made it a place that reflects their taste and spirit by starting fresh with furniture and hiring a designer. Ebonie and Dave, both attorneys, wanted to be closer to friends and better transportation to and from work.

When they moved from Sunnyside to Brooklyn Heights, they decided to really settle in and make their new apartment into a home. dining room chair stuffingThe dingy paint, rough walls and older kitchen were worth the natural light and layout in this 850-square-foot brownstone. best chair bed sleeper“We love our jobs, but we spend a ton of time in sterile office environments. used barbershop chairs for saleWe wanted a home that felt the opposite of that environment – interesting, expressive, calming, and casual,” Ebonie says. chair leg caps with feltDesigned by Jill Danyelle and executed by Ebonie and Dave, this home is the inspired, layered and sophisticated apartment that can take them away from the office completely. deck chair canvas prints

There are bits of mid-century, coastal and global elements coordinated perfectly throughout the space.retro chrome chairs for sale With Jill’s design and direction, Ebonie and Dave have created a refined space they love. wedding chair covers south africa“It took quite a bit of work to turn this apartment into a place that felt like home. black folding chairs ikeaWe moved in during the summer and spent many a weekend painting when we would have rather been hanging in the park. used stadium chairs for saleWorking with Jill was amazing and I really learned a ton about how to put a room together and the importance of measuring and planning before making any purchases,” Ebonie says.

“I really wanted this apartment to feel like home. I think we really accomplished that. I think something about turning 30 makes you want to get it together and get a coffee table! This is our first apartment that has felt grown-up and complete.” —Lauren brass birds – eBay ceiling light fixture – eBay kilim rug – eBay brass coffee table – eBay small Indian table – eBay smaller artwork – eBay bentwood chairs – eBay leather pouf – eBay hanging quilt – eBay large mirror – Craigslist task lamp (painted gold) – IKEA shelves (painted gold) – IKEA sisal rug – IKEA 18″ blue pillows – West Elm tablecloth – shawl bought in Mexico Carved wood side table – World Market Paint – Half Moon Crest by Benjamin Moore Jens Risom Walnut Green Vinyl Lounge Chair – Modern Montage headboard – West Elm rattan stools – eBay ceiling fixture – Crate & Barrel

linen bedding – CB2 throw at end of bed – West Elm Wall paint – Whitestone by Benjamin Moore nightstand paint – Island Getaway by Benjamin Moore Rug – Land of Nod wall cabinets – IKEA Lighting – Crate & Barrel Painting – flea market desk lamp – Etsy Wall Paint – Chantilly Lace by Benjamin MooreElbow grease has made a comeback. These days no one wants to hear how your interior designer transformed your living room. Everyone is too busy taking courses in upholstery or learning to hang wallpaper. In a devilish combination of the credit crunch and the desire for an individual living space, we are all desperate to do it ourselves. When we bought our house at auction last year it consisted of three ruined flats with a tree growing out of the ground floor. Dozens of potential buyers inspected it, inhaled deeply, speculated that the refurbishment would cost at least a million pounds, and decided to do something else instead.

We didn’t have a million pounds anyway, or even half a million, for the rebuild. We had about half that, and no more. During the next six months I cultivated a bargain-basement mindset and here is what I learnt. 1 Take your pick Don’t use your old builders out of habit, hold a beauty parade for the best deal. for a painting and decorating team, received dozens of applicants, then we interviewed four of them. We didn’t choose the cheapest, but we got a good deal, and a team of brilliant painters. Several were very good looking, too. Some refurbishments and repairs qualify for partial VAT exemption, or zero VAT rating. Check www.hmrc.gov.uk for details. 3 Out of site out of mind We decided to visit the site every day. A blocked-up door and a misplaced window were just two of the wrongs righted. Remember, mistakes can be rectified much more cheaply if they are spotted straight away. 4 Courses of action Learn about plastering, damp-proofing, double-glazing and all the other areas of expertise involved with a major refurbishment.

, www.thediyschool.co.uk or www.i4diy.co.uk to find courses in plumbing and plastering. If that’s a bit too much, a day sitting down with your site manager going through every single plan and detail is a must. 5 Always look for a cheaper substitute We ordered Bisque radiators for our previous house. This time I went to B&Q. Can you tell the difference? Only in the cost: the B&Q version was about £150 cheaper, but radiates the same amount of heat, and I can still sit on them. Think likewise with paint: get ideas from a Farrow & Ball colour chart, but have it mixed in a DIY paint shop. Do this across the board and you will save a lot of money. 6 Make do or spend? Don’t assume that retaining the original is always cheaper. It might be more economical to replace worn wooden floors than to mend them. The same could be true with ceiling mouldings and cornices. Remember to allow for rubbish removal, scaffold hire, plant hire and so on in your budget. Bear in mind that professionals always have a contingency fund of 10-20 per cent to cover unexpected costs.

You should do the same. In an older house you are likely to use it. ) sells unwanted and ex-display kitchens for a fraction of the original cost. The company currently has a six-year-old John Lewis kitchen for £1,950, including granite work tops and appliances. If you were to buy this kitchen new, then you would expect to pay about £15,000. I saved thousands of pounds buying Villeroy & Boch tiles, plus grout and adhesive from Dado Ceramics in Warsaw (www.wpb-dado.pl). They arrived on giant pallets about three weeks after I ordered them. If you don’t speak Polish, you will need a Polish friend to order them for you. If your language skills don’t stretch to Polish, but include, say, French, try Castorama ( www.castorama.fr ), which has stores across Europe and is well worth looking at for sofas, baths and kitchens. 10 Keep it simpleTowel rails are shiny and hot. Taps go on and off again. ) will fulfil most hygiene needs. A local seamstress altered our old bedroom curtains to fit our new windows, then used the remnants to recover a tattered easy chair.

We pulled our Roger Oates striped runner off the stairs of our old house and hammered it down on to the stairs in our new one. It won’t work, said the experts, and your carpet will be ruined. Actually, it looks great. Become au fait with internet bargain sites such as Gumtree or eBay. Freecycle lets you know who is chucking out whatI found six vintage Seventies velour-covered dining chairs on eBay for £10.50, and a G Plan side table for not much more. If you are going to venture into auctions, online or in person, always set yourself a price limit and stick to it. I found four vintage chandeliers from Criterion Auctions in Islington for about £50 each. Meanwhile, our children yearned for a china hen for boiled eggs at breakfast; a £1.50 bid on eBay solved this problem. 13 Cushion the blow I took all our cushions along to a Cushion Amnesty in a pub, and swapped them for new ones. If you want to hold a Cushion Amnesty, the only rule is that people bring as many cushions as they take away.

Simply email your friends, set a date and hold the “swap” in your own home. 14 Shop and save Visit department stores or flick through interiors magazines to get inspiration, then go elsewhere for the kill. We needed 12 lights in the hall and spotted some lovely glass ones at Heal’s for £100 each. Then I visited Sparks on Holloway Road, north London, where I found a job lot of a dozen Heal’s-type lights for £10 each. That was a good day. 15 No flat refusals Be optimistic about flat-pack furniture. I bought a £55 desk from Ikea for my son. Yes, it took me five hours to assemble. Yes, my fingers bled. The flat-pack route may be arduous, but it’s worth it, particularly for children’s furniture that will only be scribbled on. Make sure you put all the screws and Allen keys on a tray. You might find the confidence to embark on an entire Ikea kitchen. Keep walls clear until the house is finished, so you start with a clean slate. If you don’t have enough pictures to go around, use blown-up photographs or maps.