Transforming my Home with THRIFTED Cottage Core HOME DECOR (Western + Grandma Chic)

I found so much good cottagecore home decor this week and I am itching to style it. I did end up running out to one more store. They were closed the other day when I went thrifting and I found a couple of more really amazing pieces. And after taking down all the holiday decor, it is time for like a full home transformation. I ended up finding this today for $10 and my original plan for it was to go right here, but I'm worried it might be a little bit too big. So we're gonna play around with that and all of the other amazing stuff we found. We're gonna start with the reading corner. This is the main area that I wanna focus on today. It's been driving me nuts. Specifically this gallery wall. I also got some floating bookshelves that I thought might look good here, but the only way to really get a fresh start is to just take everything down. Otherwise I feel like I'm trying to design around kind of what's already there and I want a clean slate today. Next to the chair, I've been using a little bar stool as the side table, but my issue with it is it's not entirely flat on the top. It's got a little bit of a bow to make it comfortable to sit in. So I ended up finding this little side table and I'm really excited because it actually has storage for books and a little bit more surface area on top too. So I think I'm gonna swap those out to start and take everything off the wall. And we gotta make sure not to disturb the queen in the process. I know I mentioned this a couple of videos ago, but I did finally hang up the curtains here and I am so upset it took me this long to think to do this. I feel like the space looks so much more complete because this dark hallway to nowhere is always a disaster. It's our coat closet and it added so much visual clutter to the space and this has just been giving me life. And I feel like we need to elevate the rest of the space to match it. Take it in Haley's way. The only thing that will be staying is this macrame because when I painted the wall, I had something hanging here and I guess I could hang something else there to cover it, but I feel like the macrame does look kind of nice there. Pull the chair out so I can leave the side table without bothering Haley. I am so excited about this, but I am a little bit salty. So this was not dinged up like this when I bought it, but they put like a sold sticker on it and it tore off the finish. So I'm thinking the little lace doily I thrifted or a coaster right there, but for $10, I'm so excited about this. I'm definitely in my reading era and I've been collecting a lot of books. So I'm excited to have a little bit more storage since we don't have space in the house for like a big bookshelf, like some of the book girlies have. This was a little $1 find and now you wouldn't even know. I might even layer this cute little cowboy coaster on top. And then I found so many of these cute little ceramics. I thought this would be the perfect bookmark holder. And while we're doing bookie things, this basket is one of my favorite finds from the other day. I got this half off and it was $3, so for $1.50. Baskets are so expensive, so that was such a good find. In the comments on my last video, one of you guys had the best idea ever to do a TBR basket. And I thought that was so fun because I feel like once they're on my shelves, I kind of forget that they're there and I never read them. So I pulled out my physical TBR. Right now I've got four books and we're gonna use this for a little TBR basket because that is the best idea ever. And I thought it would look so perfect on this cute little stool. I've had this metal horse hanging and the barn lamp in here for quite some time, but with that little cabinet that I'm thinking I might wanna add here, I think that's gonna be too dark. The kitchen is quite bright and airy and I think I wanna lean into that a little bit more. So I'm gonna pull these out. Don't worry, the barn lamp will find a new home because I'm really obsessed with it. I just feel like it's a little bit big for the space, like the lampshade's doing too much. But I do have this little lamp. And as much as I love the way these look, they die so fast, so I really only like to put them places where they can be plugged in all the time. So I thought this might be a better option. This looks so much more balanced and I can even add a little candle. We had to get a new coffee pot, the other one was black and I feel like the white with the dark barn and the dark horse thing was really starting to throw me off. I'm wondering if one of these, I got a set of two of these the other day thrifting. They were $5 each, might look nice here. Bring in a little bit of that antique-y vibe without bringing in too many heavy colors. Wait, I think that's perfect. This is looking really empty, which prompted me to buy that cabinet. But like I said, I'm worried it might be a little bit too big. Let's at least give it a try. In all my Pinterest board inspo photos, they always have these larger scaled wooden elements, especially since our kitchen is so white, but it is so big. If this was like 20% smaller, it would be freaking perfect. My original idea with this was to kind of use it to display some of our mugs, stuff like that. But let me know what you guys think about the size. I am worried it's just a smidge too big, but it also low-key works, so I need opinions. Let me know what you think. The other option would be to take this shelf down and put the cabinet here, and then put this shelf on the wall in that same spot in the kitchen. My only concern here is we have so much dark wood and darker colors in the living room. I don't want to add too much more heaviness, whereas the kitchen's very bright and white, and I feel I could use a little bit more grounding with some wood tones. That's one thing about decorating. Sometimes it really takes time to kind of feel out a space and if something works or not. So for now, I think I'm going to leave the cabinet in the kitchen and vibe it out for a little bit, and then based on what you guys think and how it feels in the space over the next little bit, we can make adjustments. Next spot is this funky little area. This is kind of like segueing into the hallway. This vent is the bane of my existence, and it drives me nuts as far as decor goes, but it is what it is. It's a very functional piece of our home. I'm not going to mess with this stuff too much because I actually ordered us an electric fireplace mantle, a little Christmas gift, and I am so excited it gets here next week, so I'll style that. And we're planning to move this to the bedroom at some point for a little bit more storage. Our house is a little bit older and on the small side, and we don't have a lot of good functional storage space. So any furniture like this with tons of storage is absolutely amazing, and I feel like it's just not getting used as good as it could be out here. Our Christmas tree usually goes here, and I feel like it adds such cozy light to the living room. And since it's gone, I think the fireplace will bring that kind of cozy vibe, that soft lighting. It's going to be fantastic. I have never been more excited for a delivery in my life. But next to it, I have this little whiskey barrel that also has storage. I keep some holiday stuff, like Halloween decor and stuff in there. And then these two nails were actually where our stockings were hanging. But like I said, I try to reuse as many nails as I can so that I'm not just putting holes in the wall for funsies. So I kind of want to fill in the space a little bit and make it look a little bit more intentional. And then I was thinking, the little basket that we got would look so cute here. I feel like I see people do this on Pinterest all the time. It's such a good way to add my cozy textures. So I have a few extra throw pillows that I thought that might look nice there. I feel like it's all about how you can get it to drape. I feel like I kind of love that. I have this set of two. I thrifted these for $5 each, and I'm really excited about them. I thought they might be good for this space because they're tall and skinny. And this is kind of like an awkward little spot to add some height. But it also could be a little bit too much brown going on that's already here. I gotta be really sure because this does involve putting more holes in the wall. A few other options we could try. I do have this little, I don't know, this looks like a dustpan. It was kind of giving Laundry Room vibes. It doesn't feel quite big enough. Maybe the metal horses that we took out. No, I don't like that. But then we would need something here to balance. I have the other of the set of two of these little mirrors. I really wish you guys were here to give me a second opinion because I always am just going off vibes, and I feel like 70% of the time it works, and 30% of the time, I hate it. We're gonna ask Chat Chiquity what she thinks. If you guys are not using Chat Chiquity to decorate, you are missing out. It is such an amazing tool. I'm a very visual person, so I really like to see. We got a new ambiance room. I really like to kind of see before I commit, so I'll usually just upload a picture of the area to chat and have it mock up some different options and kind of just help me figure it out before putting holes in the wall. Chat does crash out a little bit sometimes, and she tried to remove the vent entirely, which I don't blame her. I would do that if I could, but it at least gave me some options. So I'm thinking a couple of things. I kind of liked the macrame there visually, so I might move that. I know we're gonna have to find something else to cover up that spot I didn't paint. We all try something a little bit larger above the vent because I feel like it makes the vent look bigger to have something so small above it. All right, let's swap this guy. I want this guy to start. I feel like that looks just a little bit more balanced. I FaceTimed my mom, and we landed on the macrame. I just need to make sure I get it high enough. Maybe I need a stool. I love things that I can hang with a hammer because it feels less intimidating to me than using a drill. This is totally crooked. I don't use a level, just go on vibes. Okay, did I do it too high? Well, it's a little too late now. The hole is in the wall. I don't know, I feel pretty good about that. I'm going to sit on the couch and just look at it for a little bit, take a little bit of a break. I'm getting kind of overwhelmed and overstimulated. I try to make sure that I have a lot of time when I'm tackling a full redecorate because I don't want to rush anything and make decisions that I'm not happy with. So we're now going to just have like a sit and stare at the wall type of session. I spent some time staring at the wall, and the consensus that I've come to is that I would love to do like a little teeny shelf. I ended up moving this over slightly. You can't win them all, and I did take the nail out here. Like it looks good, but a little bit incomplete. So I'm feeling like just something, a little shelf right here will also kind of draw some emphasis away from the thermostat. I would love to use this, but this is not actually a shelf. I was just kind of visualizing. So I think we need to run to the thrift really quick. Fingers crossed we can find a shelf because I love this little plant here, and I feel like it looks so, so cute. Did a little speed run at the thrift. I was not going to give up without a shelf, and I didn't find a shelf, but I did find this little basket, and I figured then I could put something on top and something inside, and I think that will be quite cute. That's the plan to finish off this section. I think I'm just going to use nails, which is probably not advisable, but I don't think I'm going to put anything too heavy on it. I want to make sure the plant is going to sit where I'm wanting it. I'm actually really excited. I feel like this ended up being better than a shelf, better than what I was hoping for, and this little basket was only $1.30, and then I'm thinking we add the little saddle toothbrush holder because you won't really be able to see. Okay, I'm actually really happy with this. Instead of doing so many wall hangings, this adds a little bit of texture and dimension, and I think this is probably as good as it's going to get. The vent, unfortunately for me, just is what it is, but I think this draws attention away from it and makes this area look more like part of the living room and less just kind of like an empty hallway. The noise of my mind-heavy footsteps approaching the door snaps me out of my thoughts. The urge to hide the book surges through me as my mind wanders drowsy. I very much wish I would have waited for Josh to do the hanging, so I think I'm going to go pick up some touch-up paint tomorrow, but I think the balance looks really good, but I want to switch out the prints. Walgreens come in clutch. Any prints I have made, I always keep them, and I just put them at the back of the frame so I have options later on. I figured since I'm going for kind of a book nook kind of vibe, I would do a book print, and I'm so excited. I live for a thrifted frame and then just kind of swapping out the art, especially once you have a good gallery wall figured out. You can really switch up the vibe if you just get a new print made, and the digital downloads on Etsy are so good. Some magnetic tape and my hot glue gun and a mussy bun. We are ready for a little project. On our little emergency thrift trip to get a shelf for next to the TV area, I did end up finding this little horse print. I am so obsessed, and this side of the fridge action always really bothers me when I'm trying to enjoy the vibes of the living room. For this one, it's felt on the back, so I feel like I'm definitely gonna need some glue, and to be honest, I'm not sure if I trust magnetic tape. I just kind of foresee that not holding up long-term, so. Hopefully I can find some more frames to add to that over time, but I don't know that this one's gonna work out just because the frame doesn't have any surfaces that are flat on the back for the magnets. I will say the hot glue is probably not the best option. I might go super glue, or really any other kind of adhesive if I were to do this again. I had so much fun styling these pieces and really just took my time, like pretty much all weekend, to feel things out, reset the space, and this was such a budget-friendly way to bring a whole new energy to the house.