Do you know the Broyhill Fontana furniture that was pretty popular in the 90’s?
Shortly after we were married we found a great sale on the queen headboard and purchased it….with the thought of having the whole set. Little did we understand the headboard would be the cheapest part. The things no one tells you when you are young.
EVENTUALLY, we saved up for different pieces throughout our marriage and now have a bedroom set – 2 nightstands, headboard, and full dresser.
“But why buy a set? Aren’t you guys mismatch hodgepodge?”
That’s a great question!
Salvage Sister will take this cause let’s face it, she picks out the furniture:
“When I was little, I had such great memories of my parents bedroom set.
The set was nothing fancy as we never had a ton of money. I’m not even sure where they got it, but they had it for as long as they were together (my mother passed away when I was 17).
It was familiar and comforting to me. The place I remember conversations happening. It felt like home.”
The only thing is……..
….some people like to decorate more than others.
Salvage Sister likes to switch things up maybe more than her mother???
Well, what does that mean for the matchy match furniture set?
Recently on a periscope the suggestion came up to paint it.
(If you would like to follow along on Periscope, you can find Salvage Sister as @salvagesis.)
This has been thought about over the years. In fact, we want to develop wood that you can change color with a remote control. Wouldn’t that be so cool? Okay, if someone invents this, give us a cut of our idea.
At the end of the day though we have to count the cost!
“What does that mean?”
Another great question. You guys rock!
We have to count not only the financial part of doing a bedroom set makeover BUT also the time cost.
Basically it comes down to …..”Does this fit our goals?”
Do we feel like it is something worth INVESTING our resources into?
You know what?
Whether you intend to or not, you make this decision everyday.
When you choose X that means Y won’t happen.
For some Y doesn’t matter and it was a purposeful choice.
But here’s the kicker…..
For some Y is important, but it just got left behind because X was there and seemed like the right thing to do.
Now this DOES NOT mean we are anti painting. Obviously, we have painted furniture so that is not where we are going here.
We are just referring to this ONE decision.
At this point, Country Living is not pounding on our door for a photo shoot. This isn’t a decision that is keeping us up at night. We are sleeping just fine.
The set is still in great condition and it isn’t hideous to us.
That means, we are just waiting for this style to turnaround…come on back 1990’s.
Hmm…….wonder how long we will need to wait for that to happen!?!?
-OR-
The change might happen as our time and goals change, but for now we are waiting.
While we wait, we might FIGHT with our kids or Pick some Blackberries. That’s the way we will:
Make the most with what we have!
How are you at counting the cost?
Today’s Homework:
1) Know your goals. What are you working toward?
2) Ask yourself, “Is what I am doing right now put me at where I want to be?”
Oh my goodness Ya’ll! Today you have hit several nails on their impervious heads in my world! A while back I had told my counselor that I was going to start a goal setting journal. I did but it’s just nearly empty. Sad. Even my goals had no goals! Your post has definitely helped me to open my eyes! I am SO GLAD to see that others also can choose BOTH sides of the goal coin! I thought I was the only one struggling with that. Indeed it can cause many a dilemma for me at times. And the entire furniture re-vamp plays into it all! Just yesterday I was looking at marked down cushions for my glider swing. Mine is in my living room in lieu of a couch. LOVE it here! BUT, even the mark downs were way out of my budget. So….guess I will be making some slip covers instead. 🙂
Did I say THANKS for your post today? THANKS! You’ve definitely helped this older gal tremendously!
Bonnie Banks recently posted…The Big Acorn Race Update: We’ve Got a Cover!
Oh Bonnie, we are so glad this brings some relief to you. There is so much pressure to never give up that we may never leave something that is dead. And the energy we put into the dead is energy we needed for the alive. Many blessings to you!!!
I have the same furniture..and just changed out the knobs to brushed chrome and it made a world of difference.
Dawne, I agree. New hardware can make a huge difference. Thanks so much for stopping by!
For many years I have shopped garage sales where a set of sofa tables (3) cost $15 over new being $500 on up. Most of the time I refinish them or paint them to match what’s in my favorite catalogs such as pottery barn. If I find something better or decide to trade them out I ALWAYS have made money on my old furniture at MY garage sale. I still get ‘new’ furniture, new to me AND I am usually not any money other than paint or stain etc. and I still have my money from selling my old stuff. There is so much you can do to perk up furniture if you really want to. Chalk paint is my latest obsession! At present I am cutting down an old table I found for $5, and making it into a coffee table for my family room. I always get compliments on my re-furbished furniture and its a lot of fun too! Tks for reminding us to keep doing what we’re doing to save for our families.
Oh Susan, a lady after my own heart! I bet you create beautiful pieces! That’s a real talent!