Wilton Mom Decorates on a Budget

When Kimber Felton moved from a big old farmhouse in Cincinnati to Wilton she faced a challenge. “The house was very dark and the colors were dated,” says Kimber, adding that the property, with its wildlife, woods and pond, was what had attracted her and husband Mike Ukropina rather than the house itself.

Another problem was the furniture. “The house in Cincinnati had an open floor plan and our large Mission-style pieces worked well there,” she says. The Wilton house had small rooms and too many of them. Kimber furnished the family and sun rooms, but didn’t have any furniture left over for the living room. “We’d never had a formal living room before,” she says, “so I wasn’t sure if we’d ever sit in it.” It seemed a waste of money to furnish a room that would go unused, so she turned it into an art gallery for her large collection of paintings. “We painted the walls a dark blue-gray and installed track lighting,” she says. It looked great.

Recently Kimber and Mike changed their mind about the living room. They wanted a “grown up” room for themselves, one to which the children, Kate, Mitchell and Alex, could only come when invited. “But we didn’t want to spend a ton of money,” says Kimber.

With a keen eye for sales, she found two velvet armchairs and a round leather ottoman on sale at Crate & Barrel. At the same store she spotted a sofa she liked and had it upholstered in a custom fabric. Lillian August had the perfect sofa table on sale, with two shelves for displaying art books and photographs. A matching side table is waiting for a lamp. “I had two pillows made for the sofa in a funky animal print,” Kimber says, adding: “We’re just waiting for the custom draperies to be installed.”

Kimber is thrilled with the way the room has turned out – and the fact that she spent way less than her $10,000 budget. “I had money left over to buy a new piece of art.” she says.

Have you decorated a room on a budget? I’d love to hear how you did it. Send me your story and pictures at fpearson@mainstreetconnect.us.

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