That luxury hotel look can be yours with a fluffy duvet, coverlet and comfy pillows.

An easy and relatively inexpensive way to freshen up your bedroom for spring is simply to switch out your bedding. As the nights get warmer, you’ll want to remove some of those heavier blankets and sheets anyway, so why not swap your dated linens for something new?

People are surprised that we rarely suggest custom bedding for our Style on a Shoestring clients. While I love that option because you can be very specific about what you want, and that is important in some cases, most of the time we can find gorgeous fabrics “off the rack,” saving you money and time.

That said, however, we almost never buy a matched set with duvet, sheets, shams, pillows, etc. Instead, we do a lot of mixing among different bedding lines to get a more unique look. For example, we might use a duvet with its shams but then add shams from another line and pillows and sheets from yet another, creating a custom feel.

Bedding that already has a gathered, pin-tuck effect eliminates the need for ironing.

Many clients like to go for that luxury hotel approach with fluffy layers and a folded-back duvet with a coverlet underneath. This is a super-plush style that looks and feels comfortable. Another popular trend right now is pin-tuck bedding—stitched pleats—that doesn’t require a lot of ironing or maintenance because it already looks “messy.”

Surprisingly, all-white bedding is much more user-friendly than you might think. I recently added a white duvet to our master bedroom because I wanted to test the durability since a lot of clients request it. What I found is that even a splash of orange juice from one of my girls who crawls into bed with us on Saturday morning is easily bleached out, something you can’t do with colorful bedding. That duvet, which I picked up for less than $100, still looks as crisp and clean as the day I bought it.

If you’re on the market for new bedding, think of it like you would clothing. In the same way that you wouldn’t wear silk every day, you probably want to reserve those silk bedding fabrics for the seldomly used guest room. Is green-living a priority for you? Seek organic or all-cotton fabrics. Consider shopping discount stores such as HomeGoods or Tuesday Morning to find great deals on high-thread-count sheets. And then pull from various lines at your favorite home decor favorites (West Elm, Pottery Barn, local boutiques, even Target) to create the style you want. Just remember not to buy too many extras—you want your bed to be comfortable, not an overdesigned nuisance.

We can help you select new bedding, or with any of your design and remodeling needs. Please click here for how to contact us.

With the right plan and remodel team, you can have a dream bathroom like this in just a few weeks.

As we enter into the new year, you might be thinking about doing a little remodeling of your home. Remodeling was our most popular service at Style on a Shoestring in 2011, and for good reason: you can reinvent your home much more economically than selling and buying a new one.

What I’ve found in consulting on remodels is that a lot of people think remodeling has only one path: Hire a contractor, write a check and wait for the room(s) to be finished.

Not only is that not true, it’s probably the worst mistake you could make with your home. Contractors are wonderful and they never cease to amaze me with their work, but they’re typically not designers. So unless you are an extremely educated consumer who knows every detail of your home remodel project, you will need a designer. I cannot tell you the number of clients who have contacted me too late – after they realize the kitchen they thought would be perfect is far from it, or the furniture doesn’t fit in the new room, or the carpet is making the paint give off an undesirable peach hue.

Although you shouldn’t rely solely on your contractor, the remodeling process does typically start there. Make sure your contractor is license and insured, and that you feel comfortable in your relationship with him or her. The contractor should understand what you want, and provide you a quote in writing. Once you select your contractor, do some shopping for materials and note what they cost so you have a better idea of your budget.

Next is the designer. If you go with a full-service firm, they will have a designer on staff who can help you. Conversely, some design firms employ contractors. But if you use a contractor who works alone, you should still consider hiring a designer, not necessarily throughout the project but perhaps for just a few hours to help you choose materials and select colors. That little extra expenditure could very well save your entire remodeling project.

For example, before hiring us one of our now-happy clients tried to manage her remodel on her own. Guess what? The painter she selected didn’t know recessed lights were going to be installed in her ceiling, so not only did she overpay since he bid on painting the entire ceiling, but he had to return to patch and paint around the lights, adding to the project’s cost. And that’s just one small example of how a designer’s guidance can save time and money.

Seemingly simple decisions such as where to place lighting can cause problems if you don't work with a designer on your remodel.

At Style on a Shoestring, we do all levels of remodel design work, from one-time consultation to complete project management. If we manage the project for you, we are there from start to finish to make sure your blue wall is the right shade, your cabinets are hung properly, and your new sectional doesn’t overpower your room. We help you stay in budget, and we double-check everything throughout the process to give you the best possible results. Because that’s what really matters to us: your happiness.

If we can help you with any aspect of design for your remodel, please contact us.

Our custom furniture maker in Mexico can create a multi-use unit that fits your entertainment niche perfectly.

A few years ago we were shopping in Baja – we’re always looking for unique items for our clients – and we met a woman who owns a custom furniture store. She is a designer herself, and she has a whole crew of woodworkers on staff who can make anything, she said.

Of course we were a little cautious because we wanted to make sure these items would be up to par with our requirements (yes, we’re picky!). So we asked Sandra to make some iron and wood wall art for us. It turned out amazing! We soon discovered this little shop could produce anything – any piece of furniture, and even banisters or staircases. All we had to do was show her a picture or sketch, and the next thing we knew we were picking up furniture or accessories that were exactly what we had envisioned.

So what does this mean to you? Savings! To be sure, Sandra and her team don’t do “cheap” work – they are true artists – but we do save our clients about 30 percent over retail by using her services. And there’s no worry about going to Mexico – we handle all the delivery so you don’t have to.

If your home is Spanish style, our custom designer can make decorative iron grates like these for your vents.

My favorite way to use this resource is for built-in entertainment centers. Many San Diego homes have those family room niches that are supposed to hold your TV and audio equipment. But good luck finding furniture to fit that space perfectly, right? When we call on Sandra, she has her workers make a unit that does slide seamlessly into the space we need. Plus we can customize it to the client’s preferences, such as including various sized drawers, a tray for the DVD player, slats to organize movies, glass doors, or whatever we want.

With custom furniture – whether it’s a TV console, a sideboard, or a coffee table – you get a uniquely sized and styled item just for you. It looks complete and clean, and gives your whole room that “I spent a fortune” look for a lot less money. And who wouldn’t love that?

If we can help you with custom furniture or any of your design needs, please contact us.

This budget-conscious kitchen remodel had terrific results using modern IKEA cabinets.

Most people assume that hiring an interior designer must mean you need $50,000 minimum. While it certainly is fun to do a project based on a dazzling budget, our mission at Style on a Shoestring is to show how you can get great results working with a modest amount of money too.

Case in point: We recently completed two kitchen remodels using IKEA cabinets. For one (pictured) we used an espresso-colored cabinet; the other is white. Both turned out really nice, and the clients saved at least a third and perhaps half off of what custom cabinets would have cost for their kitchens.

There are a few things you should know before you jump on the IKEA kitchen bandwagon, however. First, don’t try to order the cabinets yourself at the store—designing a kitchen is a complicated process that will not be made easier if your cabinets are the wrong shapes and sizes. IKEA employees are friendly and helpful but they’re not trained interior designers.

That said, IKEA’s kitchen planner tool (found here) is a user-friendly way for you to play around with different designs you might like. Once you decide on the basic feel you want, we can flesh out the design and show you how different accessories enhance that look. Note: IKEA cabinets really only complement modern, contemporary and coastal looks, so if you have your heart set on a Tuscan kitchen, for example, this approach won’t work for you.

IKEA cabinets are sold flat, meaning they have to be assembled. At Style on a Shoestring we work with a contractor who specializes in putting these pieces together, and since they do it frequently they are knowledgeable about the frequent quirks we find in these cabinets. They also order and deliver everything for the project.

Even with our experts constructing the cabinets, though, we do run into some issues with the quality of IKEA cabinets as far as fit goes. Both of our recent kitchen projects required some extra attention to get the cabinets to align properly. This wouldn’t happen with custom cabinets, of course, because they would be made to fit the space exactly, even if your vintage home has an uneven ceiling or floor. So just be prepared to have patience with IKEA cabinets if they need to be adjusted.

Overall, IKEA cabinets can be a terrific solution if they fit your style and you are willing to forego some quality and variety deficiencies to satisfy limited resources. As always, we are happy to help you with IKEA cabinets or any design needs—just contact us for a consultation.