With Christmas parties and holiday entertaining kicking into high gear, we thought these budget-friendly suggestions on how to enhance your home over the holidays may be helpful.  Thanks to Nashville Interior Designer, Emy Riley, we can spruce up our house with little cost and almost no effort.

BACKGROUND: Emy Riley Interiors is a full-service residential design firm whose focus is creating beautiful interiors through a balance of scale, texture and function. Emy enjoys guiding her clients through the design process to create individually unique interiors that reflect their personality and lifestyles.  Emy graduated in 1998 with a degree in Interior Design from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  Her projects include primary residences ranging from penthouse to apartment to second homes– at the lake, beach and mountains.  She currently lives in Nashville, TN with her husband, two sons and two golden retrievers.

Top 5 Budget Buys

  1. By far the best, CB2‘s “Numi” Candle Holders

And what do you know, they are on sale right now for a whopping $3.95 each.  They look great alone, set of 3, or set of 33.  They offer the perfect combination of pretty curves and delicate handblown glass that will freshen up pretty much any space you can imagine. I seriously buy these in bulk and keep boxes of them stashed in my basement.  They are easily breakable, but at that price, you can keep boxes of them stashed in your basement!  (A lesson I learned when CB2 first came out with a very similar version, the “Lumiere”, 5 years ago and I thriftily bought one of each.  After they were discontinued, my 3-year-old broke one of them and I almost cried.  Ok, I might have actually cried a little.)  But lesson learned and now that they have come back I purchase back up for my clients as well.  Yes, I really love these little guys.  Now if only they would make more than 3 variations like they used to….
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  2.  West Elm…really West Elm ANYTHING that is an accessory.  But right now I am loving the Flared Glass Vases.
Gorgeous colors, pretty lines, and a great variety of shapes.  I particularly love to group a set of three or five together in varying shades of the same color.  They look just as great empty as they do with something decorative inside.  These can bring to life an old chest or sideboard, or make a blah mirror come alive by flanking them on each side.
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  3. IKEA‘s “RITVA” curtains.
I hesitated putting this on the list, but they are hanging in my house….AND they are now one of the few items from IKEA that can be ordered online!  I’m not gonna lie, the best thing about these panels is the price.  But for $34.99 (they’ve gone up $5 since my last purchase!) for a PAIR of ready-made panels that have nice texture, are 100% cotton, and come in great lengths (up to 118″!) you can’t beat it.  Framing a window with soft panels makes an amazing difference in a room, and these look especially great in casual spaces like kids bedrooms, play rooms, and guest rooms.  And at this price you won’t feel guilty pitching them when it comes time to upgrade.
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  4. The sale table at Anthropologie.
The possibilities of what you can find are endless.  For one, if you ever see a great coffee table book on sale, Buy It.  You can never have enough books for stacking, raising accessories and lamps, or….reading I guess.  If it is a book that involves a particular interest of yours or place you have been, even more reason to use it as an accessory. Or read it I guess.  Second best thing at these sales are the vases and candlesticks.  Take a beautiful vase or candlestick (even better if you can find a pair) and have it wired into a lamp.  Chances are you will come out with a unique lamp that is great looking for under $100.
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  5. Had to give another to West Elm, their throws are fabulous for the price.  Ever changing, it is hard to nail down just one, but right now I love the “Ribbon Throw.”
and the “Sunset Throw“:
The ribbon throw adds the metallic element that a lot of rooms lack and the sunset throw comes in beautiful soft graduating colors that are as pretty as they are comfortable.  Throws often don’t get the credit they deserve.  When applied correctly, they can make a sad outdated chair happy and even proud of itself.  They are also great for covering up a stain or tear in upholstery, or just to tie together other elements in a room.  A lot of design is about the layers, and a good throw is definitely one of the most important and useful (and affordable in this case!) layers to me.
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Thank you, Emy.  We are happy to know about some fun (and inexpensive) designer finds to spruce up our homes! To get in touch with Emy, please see her contact information below:
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Emy Riley Interiors
404-931-3336
Images: 1) courtesy of Emy Riley Interiors, 2) CB2,com, 3) west elm, 4) ikea, 5) curledupwithabook.com, 6) west elm, 7)west elm, 9) courtesy of Emy Riley Interiors
Nashville Interior Design Blog