Looks for Less: RH Hacks for the Home
I love all things Restoration Hardware. The color palette, the rustic look of their furniture, and how their rooms always look lived in and inviting. That being said, I don't always love their crazy price points, and sometimes I find myself saying "Should I buy this chaise lounger or should we book a two week European vacation?" Womp womp. When buying your "forever furniture" it can be beneficial to spend a little more so you don't end up replacing things or can move them from one location to another without breakage (that's you IKEA!) Although their new RH Grey Card can soften the blow a bit (which I recommend if you are buying a home, or furnishing multiple spaces; you get your money back with your first purchase) I found I can stalk their look books and sometimes mimic their designs for a lot less. But I'll always come back for their Christmas decor and gifts, like these fur accent pieces Back to the hacks: here are a few of the RH looks for less I came up with for our own first home.
1. Framed antique manuscripts RH Retail: $275/piece RO Hack: $13.99/piece RH inspiration photos
I wanted this look for our bedroom; simple documents in frames above each nightstand.I started with purchasing simple brushed frames at Hobby Lobby, at $21.99 a piece and 50% off that, I was getting a pretty good 2 for 1. I also had about ten documents from a previous trip to DC a few years ago. My husband is obsessed with all things Abraham Lincoln and at every history gift shop we went to he picked up copies of any historical document they had for sale. Each one being around $3. How sweet of me to display something he ultimately picked out in our bedroom. Double win. *The frames were 12x16, the documents were 13x16 and I had to iron each piece before I could put them in the frames. I also put them long ways so it would flow with the large manuscript print I purchased for above our bed.
2. Corbel Glass Console table
RH Retail: $1295 RO Hack: $29.99
RH inspiration photos
Okay so this was more of an abstract hack. It turns out hand carved wood corbels are hard to come by, and the depth of this table was 22 inches, and I only had about 16 inches of free space in our master bedroom. I liked the look of the glass top and I desperately needed a vanity. What I came up with was a play off this RH piece, not so much a replica. I found plaster columns, again at Hobby Lobby, for $29.99/piece and they were also BOGO. I had some extra paint from our daughters nursery so I used that to lightly distress each column. I also had a piece of glass from an old dresser, but if you don't have slabs of thick glass lying around you can get one cut at a local glass shop for around $30.
3. Neutral curtains with rope tie backs
RH Retail: $380 RO Hack: $26.00 RH Inspiration photos
I loved the rope tiebacks but not at $105/piece. I went to Lowe's and had them cut 2 yards of rope, and it was 58 cents a yard! I could've gone a bit further and found some nice hardware to tie them back, but the curtains I found at TJ Maxx ($24.99 for two panels) covered the back end, so I just pulled the ends together, wrapped with some chic duct tape and clipped on an extra shower curtain ring I had, and the tie back was complete!
