We had so much fun furnishing our first home! I relied heavily on influencers/bloggers/friends/every source imaginable for inspiration throughout this *long, expensive, ongoing* process, so I’m hopeful that sharing our final purchases will help someone else pull the trigger on great pieces.
I wanted the general vibe of our home to be earthy yet sophisticated, with a “beach chic” feel that felt welcoming yet energizing (can you tell I had way too much time on my hands at the height of Covid to think through this…?). Our move back to Georgia was unexpected and the start of a new chapter for us, and we both agreed green was a perfect accent color to symbolize all the newness in our lives. I’m a bit of an all or nothing girl, and you’ll notice I went a little overboard with the “accenting,” but overall I’m so happy with how everything turned out!
We shopped primarily at Serena & Lily (I’m obsessed with everything they make) — their pieces are more on the expensive side, but the quality is absolutely incredible if you’re looking for investment pieces. A few tips for those going through the home furnishing process and cringing at the price tags:
- Cash Back. Always check Rakuten and RetailMeNot for cash back opportunities. I’ve been using Rakuten since 2016 on every possible online purchase — it’s seriously incredible. Sign up here and you’ll make $30 immediately. RetailMeNot posts the latest and greatest coupon codes and will often share cash back offers as well. Both are game changers when you’re making big home purchases!
- LikeToKnowIt. Use liketoknow.it to see what pieces look life in real life. This was my go-to app during the furnishing process — if I liked a couch I saw online, I searched the exact name in the app and validated my initial thoughts before making a purchase. This helped us make quick, educated decisions on everything from rugs, carpets, dresses, even toasters. Game changer and so helpful during this process!
- Canva. Use Canva to plan room layouts + experiment with different designs and colors. They have an easy image background removal tool — screenshot images of products you’re considering, remove backgrounds, and play with a room layout until you’re 100% satisfied!
- Pinterest. Last but not least, I’ve always found Pinterest to be amazing in the traditional sense (creating and following boards for inspiration), but they recently introduced “idea” pins that are AMAZING. Again, great way to see real life application of looks you’re loving before spending the money!
I’ll continue adding to this list as we finalize rooms (like I said, forever an ongoing process!), but I hope this gives you some inspiration if you’re in the thick of furnishing! As always, I’d LOVE to hear any ideas you have on how you’ve made this process more affordable + efficient!
