Ways To Save: How to Make Your House Look Like Anthro Without the Price Tag

We all love Anthro. All of us. Guys, dogs, even hermits like find themselves attached to their iPads wondering if that chunky necklace will go with their handmade rope sandals. I read a really interesting article a while ago on LinkedIn (great source for random business reads) about how Anthro isn't somewhere people just shop, it's where they go for an "experience." I'm not sure if this is the same article, I remember there being different pictures, but you'll get the idea. If you think about it, it's true! Most people don't go to Anthropologie to stock up on their basics and replace their whole wardrobe. Unless you're Taylor Swift and have made more money than the queen whining publicly about your failed love life, you can't afford the $460 mini dress that you could probably make. You can afford a candle. In the clearance section. With a broken lid.

So. My contribution to your design know-how is how to make your house look like Anthropologie without the price tag.

1. Pick a color palette and run with it. I bought this kitchen timer at a museum shop on sale. It was meant to look like a car headlight as it was at the High Museum's car exhibit. It looks like one of the timers you can get at Anthro and is made by the same company even but it's a bit funkier. The blue adds a pop of color to the white subway tile we have behind the stove but still matches our kitchen walls. You want to make people feel at home and cozy in your space-no jarring colors.

2. Make it pretty and functional. When you go to Anthro, you often notice the big farmhouse tables and sterling cookbook holders-functional and pretty! 

Most of the time I have a sterling plated platter I found at an antique show sitting in the middle of my table. However, I've made it more functional by putting it on top of a basic wooden lazy susan from IKEA so that everybody eating can access whatever's being served (especially great for serving condiments). 

Sometimes I get sick of the silver looks, so I'll cover it with a cloth napkin that has a funky print. This night I just wanted candles and a flower bloom in the middle (the bloom hadn't yet gone in the teacup...poor photo timing but you get the idea). 

The mirror in the picture at the very top of this post sits on top of the stove as well. It was my roommates in undergrad and I kept it when we graduated. It's seen a lot of apartments over the years but has kept me from looking like a troll when I step away from the stove and over to the table.

3. Have pieces that are conversation starters. The coolest thing about Anthro is that everything in the store SEEMS unique. However, you'll see hundreds of thousands of girls across the country with the same hedgehog measuring cups as you. Instead, go for the originals! One of my favorite wedding gifts Charley and I received was this mint julep pitcher from my neighbors from Kentucky. The recipe for juleps is on it in case the mood ever strikes but it also serves as a great crock. You also might have noticed my bird claw serving forks. I picked these up at Target  for less that $10 a few years ago at Halloween and are are one of my favorite things I use to entertain guests. 

Yes, that is a picture of Charley licking my face at the Edward Sharpe concert. Makes guests laugh and we're all about laughter in this house.