Meet Salt Lake City-based Sara Charlesworth, the voice behind lifestyle blog Chalk White Arrow. We at Broke & Chic are huge fans of her budget style, beautiful photos and great eye for decor.
Sara’s home has recently been nominated for best home design on Apartment Therapy. Way to go Sara!
Check out her amazing home as well as our Q&A where she dishes her decor secrets!
- Bed Frame: $60
- Dresser: $300 Ikea
- Clothing Rack: $20 Ikea
- Side Table: $150 at a local boutique
- Comforter: $90 West Elm
- Map Above Dresser: $39 Urban Outfitters
- Light Above Nightstand: $4 Urban Outfitters (She then tied the yarn on the edges)
Broke & Chic: How did you get your inspiration?
Sara: I knew I wanted the house to reflect a definite style. I would find an item I knew I wanted to use in each room that I really liked; whether that was a piece of art, a light fixture, or even just a pillow, and then build from there.
Did you get any of your stuff from thrift shops?
Yes! We found both our coffee table and foot stool at thrift shops. A few of the wall hangings and light fixtures were thrifted, as well as a bunch of other decorative items. I love mixing new things with old pieces to give a well-rounded, eclectic, mid-century modern feel (if that makes any sense).
Moving is never fun. How long did it take you to get your new place the way you wanted it?
Seriously, so much longer than I excepted. Between painting all of the walls and ceilings white, organizing and finding all of our things, waiting for some new furniture and getting the whole place settled and put together, I would say it was a good 3-4 months before I finally felt like we had finished.
- Couch: $1,200 Restoration Hardware
- White Chair: $0 (she had it since she was a kid)
- Coffee Table: $90 thrifted
- Foot Stool: $45 thrifted
- Brown Chair: $150 Paisley Pomegranate
- Credenza: $1,400 Thrive Furniture
- Rug: $600 Dwell Studio
- Lamp: $30 Ikea
- Lights over Credenza: $90 for the pair at Paisley Pomegranate
In your picture frame collage, where are the photos and frames from?
Honestly, most of the frames are from Target and Ikea. The photos are randoms I have collected over the years. Some are from small Etsy stores, a lot of them are photos I have taken on my own (family photos and vacation spots) or inspirational quotes I liked and had printed.
We love the black paint and chalk board wall! Was it difficult to do?
No! It was really extremely simple and on our smallish walls it only took me (by myself) a few hours to complete. It goes on fairly easy and drys pretty quickly. The only difficult part was that it tended to splatter when rolling it on the wall. I would recommend using a good drop cloth and wearing grungy clothes.
- Desk: $100 Ikea
- Rug: $250 West Elm
What advice would you give someone who’s on a budget, but wants to re-decorate their home?
Shop around. Visit thrift shops first. Make places like Ikea and Target your friend, however, don’t purchase something just because it is inexpensive.
If there is a quality item (furniture, decor, etc) that you can see yourself using for years to come, I recommend taking more time saving up for that instead of settling for a less expensive piece you’ll replace a year later. We made this mistake so many times, and in the long run we ended up paying so much more than we would have if we had just purchased the item we loved in the first place.
What was your favorite room in Sara’s home? Let us know in the comments below!
Read More:
- Budget Decor: Paul and Evi’s Modern Amsterdam Apartment
- 7 Design Tricks To Make A Small Room Appear Larger
- Budget Decor: 5 Friends, New City, One Amazing Apartment
