Hers.
I have a little massive obsession with geometric rugs right now. My biggest problem is that I’ve now run out of rug-needing rooms so, for the moment, I’ll admire from afar. And when Chris isn’t looking our attention turns to filling a room with a new rug, one of these beauties will be mine.
In the meantime, I thought I’d prove that a high-end looking rug didn’t need to break the bank. Note: all rugs priced below are for the 8′ x 10′ version.
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This one’s probably my favorite of the batch and while $599 isn’t a terrible price for an 8′ x 10′ rug, I found even better options.
Source: Shades of Light, $599
And here’s a very similar looking option at about $100 less but let’s not stop there!
Source: Rugs USA, $484.65
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We have a winner! A shocking $300 less than the high-end version, this next rug looks nearly identical!
Source: Overstock, $283.04
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If blue’s not your thing and you want something more neutral, Shades of Light has a trellis-patterned rug for $629.
Source: Shades of Light, $629
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If trellis and neutral are your thing but you’re having sticker shock at $629, I have a little secret to share. Decor companies normally geared towards kids rooms (i.e. PB Teen and Land of Nod) usually offer some age-generic items, such as rugs. The secret? The prices are usually much lower for similar quality and style options. Why, you may ask? I don’t ask questions, I just accept this awesome fact.
This next option is pretty close to the above Shades of Light option for over $300 less.
Source: Land of Nod, $299
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By now I’m sure you are well aware of my obsession with chevron designs. From the curtains we made for our master bedroom (more on that here) to the chevron pillows I purchased from halfway across the world (more on that later!), I am a self-proclaimed addict.
Genevieve Gorder knows just how to feed this obsession with her line of rugs for Capel. This next rug is magnificent and comes with an equally magnificent price tag of over a grand.
Source: Capel Rugs, $1,347.75
Anyone want to bet how quickly Chris would kick my butt out of the house if I came home with that one? Hint: he probably wouldn’t even let me in the house.
This next option is much easier on the pocketbook, and I like the eclectic vibe of the uneven chevrons, but you know I can still beat it.
Source: Rugs USA, $509
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You better sit down because you are about to be amazed by this next option. Urban Outfitters is featuring a gorgeous gray chevron rug for less than $200. Why oh why don’t I need a rug right now??
Source: Urban Outfitters, $199
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Everyone needs a little bold stripe in their lives like this option from Ballard Designs but I know I can do better than $699.
Source: Ballard Designs, $699
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This option from Shades of Light may not be the cheapest of the post, but it’s such a good looking rug that I’m willing to overlook that.
Source: Shades of Light, $378
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And the rug of the hour, ladies and gents, is this graphic blue option from Antropologie, ringing in at $1198. Yikes.
Source: Anthropologie, $1198
Then there’s this option for just under a grand from Zinc Door. Yes, yes, we’ll keep looking.
Source: Zinc Door, $926
How low can we go? How about this one from Capel Rugs? Nope, let’s keep going.
Source: Capel Rugs, $673
This one’s a little more on the neutral side but also on the less expensive side. Now, humor me. Let’s see if I can top this.
Source: West Elm, $499
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Ding ding ding. We have a winner, with a low of $231 and a very pretty blue, geometric pattern.
Source: Rugs USA, $231
Have you guys found any good deals on rugs lately? Anything that makes you laugh at the high-end version and fist-pump over your victorious find?
His.
As you’ve probably figured out by now, I’m pretty cheap. In fact, the whole reason behind our DIY adventures is that I hate spending money and would rather do things myself for a fraction of the price I’d pay someone else. It doesn’t stop there, though; even within my money-saving DIY projects, I’m constantly looking for ways to save even more money, even if it’s just a few pennies. One of the best ways to cut costs is by purchasing a cheaper version of a particular product. Even better is when it’s a product that no one ever pays attention to and will therefore never notice the difference.
Enter my landscape lights: I like the tranquil look provided by landscape lighting that is often seen in high-end neighborhoods, and I really like a dimly-lit backyard… but let’s be honest, only people with butlers can afford to light the back yard, right? Well, I’m inclined to believe there’s some truth to that, but after a trip to one of our favorite bargain stores and about an hour’s worth of work I had the kind of backyard that reminds me of the gardens in a high-end Caribbean resort. Well, at night, anyway.
Before I unveil my findings, here’s what people who own more than one house would buy:
It’s called an “Ellipse Verde Low Voltage Path Light” made by a company called Hinkley and is available at Lamps Plus for $80 each. I installed nine lights, so I would have been looking at almost $800 after tax, and that doesn’t include the necessary wiring and control box.
Our low-end equivalent is this:
“Low Voltage Verde Pro Walk Light” by Malibu, available at Home Depot.
At $22 each, I was now looking at about $215 after tax- again, not including the other items I’d need. This was a little easier to swallow, but I wasn’t ready to stop there. No, I was determined to do this for even cheaper. There was only one more option: the Re-store.
The local Habitat for Humanity Re-Store is one of our favorite places for home renovations for a variety of reason. For starters, everything is cheap, and not all of it is used. Professional renovators often donate items they remove but are still good, and often times a contractor will over-bid a job and donate the leftovers- everything from paint, tile, tools, faucets, and of course, landscape lighting. Everything is donated and it’s run entirely by volunteers, so 100% of the money we spend there goes directly to Habitat for Humanity. It’s win-win, right?
Anyway, this is where I stumbled upon our lights. As we were purchasing… I don’t know, something I can’t remember… we noticed that the front register was bordered by huge stacks of landscape lights, which was something that we had previously assumed we couldn’t afford. The best part? They were half of what Home Depot wanted for, literally, the exact same light. But wait, there’s more! We caught them during a “lighting sale”, where all lighting was 40% off. Oh, but our luck wasn’t up yet! We were also there on a day where everything was 20% off… so we ended up paying about $6 each. That’s less than $60 out-the-door!
So, we paid less than 10% of the high-end equivalent and got lights of the same height, shape, finish, wattage, and voltage, and honestly I like the simpler design a little better than the Lamps Plus option. After picking up a control box and some wiring, I was in it for less than $100.
Technically, these are path lights, but I like how they look in the flower beds- they have a unique finish that looks good on it’s own, but also blends in with larger plants:
I also like the low wattage (11w) which gives the opposite of a dimming effect.
Finally, they produce just the right amount of light to accent the plants and flowers, but are never glaring or overpowering. In fact, there’s no ambient lighting from them inside the house.
I think I may have found “the ultimate deal”: I bought a product I liked more than the high-end option and not only did I pay less than retail, I effectively traded a donation for a set of landscape lights. I added a high-end, relaxing look to my yard while supporting a great cause at a local level.
Let’s see you match that with a rug.
DO or DIY 