How I’ve Transitioned Our Farmhouse Decor {On a Budget} | Thrifty Decor Chick

Replacing our farmhouse style decor and furniture without spending a ton of money!

It’s inevitable that your design preferences will change over time, and it can get really expensive to replace furniture and decor with new items.

I’ve been experiencing that over the past few years…craving more traditional touches over some of the farmhouse design pieces I’ve added to our home in the past. 

But overall I’ve been making an effort to transition some of our farmhouseish items to more traditional decor that will stand the test of time. 

I’ve tweaked most of these for very little money — with equal parts patience/online stalking and DIY projects. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier with our home! 

Large living room chandelier.

When we built our house eight years ago, the huge “wagon wheel” chandeliers were all the rage.

I actually did like them (and still do) — if you have a really tall ceiling or need a large fixture, these fill up the visual space nicely without becoming overwhelming: 

Plus they put off great light! 

As much as I like the light, I see it everywhere, most often in farmhouse style decor. But I definitely didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. 

I got up on the ladder (did I mention I’m terrified of heights?) and popped them onto each bulb. Easiest transformation ever, except for the 14 feet off the ground part!

The pretty gold tone inside the shades adds such a warm glow at night!:

Obviously the shades also diffuse the light a bit, which is fine when you have 12 bulbs. 🙂

I spent $60 on the shades (there are six in an order)…instead of paying for a new light fixture and the installation. 

Dining room buffet makeover. 

Earlier this year I took on what I thought was going to be a super quick painting project on the cane buffet table in our dining room. 

I bought this from a friend’s decor shop years ago and liked that it’s such a solid piece. I really loved the cane doors as well: 

It fit in perfectly with our decor back then. I wouldn’t say this one is blatantly farmhouse style (none of these items are), but the wood tone and rustic finishes leaned that way. 

So what I thought was going to be an easy paint job turned into about a week of work. The new, rich wine paint color made the biggest difference, but I also added some trim to the front of the cane doors.

This is up there with some of my all time favorite furniture makeovers. 

I love how it turned out!: 

The total cost for this project was well under $50 for the trim and corner pieces. I had the paint leftover from another room makeover. 

Secondhand find for the dining room.

There were a few other details in the space that had a bit of a farmhouse feel as well. Years ago I changed out the rustic mirror (I moved it to our guest room):

I found a large round mirror from Ikea (pictured with the new paint color above) to replace it. 

These changes happened over many years, and the room was thisclose to looking as I had envisioned for such a long time. The only remaining item with a farmhouse look was our planked wood dining table: 

The spaces in between the wood planks drove me a little crazy, because food would get stuck in there. But otherwise it was a beautiful and sturdy table — it just didn’t fit the space anymore. 

I sat on it for a long time, considering trying to change up the metal “X” legs to transform the base. Overall the wood top was looking out place the most. 

So I started stalking Facebook Marketplace, as one does. It took several months, but I finally found THE ONE: 

The darker wood tone and traditional rolled legs fit so much better in this room and the rest of our house. I absolutely love it. Definitely my best home decor find ever!

From farmhouse to traditional in the foyer.

This next update was in our foyer and involves a piece of furniture I’ve loved for years — this Everett console table: 

It’s SO popular, because it really is a lovely piece. I just envisioned something more substantial, with richer wood tones in that spot. 

Once the idea of a great transformation creeps into my brain, it’s hard to let go of it! 

Thankfully my desire to save money usually wins out over my impatience. I looked on Marketplace here and there but couldn’t find what I wanted. 

Finally the idea came to me…we should try moving a dresser we already had (in our son’s room) down to the entryway. 

(He likes a more modern look better anyway, so we replaced this wood dresser with an old Ikea one from his closet.)

As soon as we placed the wood dresser in the foyer, I was giddy. It was perfect!:

I believe there’s a few sizes available, this is the smallest. 

It’s SO pretty and unique. I absolutely love it!: 

I sold our old fixture so that ended up paying for a good portion of the new light. 

All of the changes added up to under $300, and I think they made a BIG difference! I love all of these transformations and I’m so thrilled with the character and charm they add to our home. 

Hopefully these ideas will give you ideas as your decor style changes over time. You really don’t need to buy all new to refresh your home. 

Consider what you have and how you can change it or move it around to better suit your new style! Don’t forget to check out online sales and thrift stores as well.