Achieving a certain style or look can mean a big investment- both in time and money!

Pick two, you won’t get all three!

But don’t despair- if you are in a time crunch and really want that guest room finished before the holidays, or you have a small budget but lots of time to find a special piece to add to your living room- it can be done!  Budgets are the biggest things my clients disagree on- and for good reason! Being thrifty and using some unexpected products in new ways is a great way to get the biggest bang for your buck!

Start by setting out a firm budget. It is always good to count on a few unexpected extras, rather than being surprised later how quickly everything adds up! Look at your timeline and decide on how quickly you want to have this project finished and make some realistic conclusions based on both of these. If you are doing a whole house reno, pick a few places to splurge and others to scale back on. Got to have that stainless steel espresso maker? No problem- but be sure to be budget savvy and check out some big box stores to get discounted lights and fixtures to offset the cost.

.

One of my favourite ways to help a client get a big look on a tight budget is adding mosaic tile to bathroom mirrors! Most mosaic tiles go from $10-$40 range per sq.ft., and once cut down to size, you really only need 2 or 3 square feet. Like in this bathroom, using a bold pop of colour in the tile makes an otherwise simple and clean design wow! Tierra Sol tile’s Aurora mosaic blend (top middle) would be perfect to add some cool tones to the space, or Olympia’s Boutique pearl mosaics (bottom middle) add a bit of sparkle and shine.

Venn diagram own image, http://www.brightboldbeautiful.com/2011/02/02/beach-cottage-in-namibia-africa-home/  ,  http://www.tierrasol.ca/inventoryD.asp?item_no=BGLAXCY208 , http://www.olympiatile.com/products/natural_stone/marble/boutique_collection.html