Frugal Furnishings for Every Room in Your Home

Without proper accouterments and decorative accessories, a house could hardly be called a home. Imagine empty kitchen cutlery draws and naked sofas with no pillows or throws; it’s the little things that make a home both functional and stylish.

From kitchen appliances to home décor, the culinary and design experts appearing at the Calgary Home + Design Show know how to furnish a home on a shoestring budget. With help from our experts, we compiled a list of must-have items for under $100. 

Kitchen:

The cooking and baking aficionados appearing at the Calgary Home + Design Show know how to make the kitchen the true heart of the home without spending a lot of cash.

When faced with a $100 budget, food and travel writer Dan Clapson suggests that homeowners purchase the basic cooking utensils, like a paring knife, cutting board, mortar and pestle and immersion blender.

Ask Dan what recipes he likes to whip up with these kitchen necessities at the Calgary Home + Design Show. He will appear on the Trail Appliances Cooking Stage at 5PM on Saturday Sept. 21. 

If Xavier Lacaze, chef and partner at Briggs Kitchen + Bar, needed to purchase kitchen supplies on a tight budget, he would spend it all on one key item. Xavier would blow the entire $100 on a blender or a food processor. Some of his favourite tasty treats rely completely on these appliances.

Living Room:

Create an inviting living room without spending a dime. Drew Scott, co-host of W Network’s Property Brothers, suggests homeowners simply rearrange their existing furniture to make a room feel like a brand new space. But, for those little accessories that go a long way, he suggests looking for a beautiful art piece to hang on the wall or stand on a table. Drew has even found artsy steals for less than $20.

See Drew on the Trail Appliances Main Stage when he appears with brother Jonathan Scott at the Calgary Home + Design Show at 1PM on Saturday Sept. 21. Catch the brothers at the Vancouver Home + Design Show at 1PM on Saturday Oct. 19.

Bedroom:

Interior designer Alykhan Velji suggests sprinkling small, colourful, patterned pillows on your bed. Choose between spending $100 on one extravagant pillow with luxe texture like feathers, beading and lace, or go the frugal route with an assortment of affordable throw cushions.

Learn more design tips from Alykhan when he appears on the Trail Appliances Main Stage at the Calgary Home + Design Show at 6PM on Friday Sept. 20, 2PM on Saturday Sept. 21 and 12PM on Sunday Sept. 22. Alykhan will also appear at the Vancouver Home + Design Show on the HGTV Main Stage at 4PM on Friday Oct. 18 and Sunday Oct. 20.

The Calgary Home + Design Show is just a few days away so don’t forget to purchase your tickets online and save $3 off regular adult admission.