Ripping off Kate Arends’ breakfast nook for under $1k

Kate Arends‘ super-hip home was featured in the Glitter Guide in June. And her breakfast area is a. maz. ing. So, of course, I wanted to rip it off. Check it out (Photo of room by Melissa Oholendt)

And here’s where to shop to ripoff this look in your own house:

Chairs.
Let’s start with those fabulous Eames molded chairs (Eames first introduced them in 1948). The originals are not cheap; DWR sells them for $400. Each. But if you’re on a budget, these guys at Overstock.com are looking pretty good. Instead of $400, they’ll run you $180 for the pair, a savings of more than 75%. You’ll need four to copy this room. Total price tag: $360. [Side note: if the Overstock chairs are out of stock, try these at Showroom Design for $100 each].

The table.
Kate’s table appears to be an Eero Saarinen ‘tulip table’, which was first introduced in 1956. The original goes for (I am not kidding you) $1800 (though you might be able to find it on sale for $1000). But it sure look a lot like IKEA’s Docksta dining table ($200) or CB2’s Odyssey table (also $200, shown above). Y’all, that’s 80% savings off the sale price for the original. Total price tag: $200.

Poster.
That Decemberists poster is basically sold out everywhere as far as I can tell, so unless you wanna devote a few months to eBay, you’re not going to be able to get one.But actually, that’s ok with me because I’m not the world’s greatest Decemberists fan. I’d way rather rock this amazing Lucinda Williams poster from  Just a Jar Press. If Lucinda doesn’t do it for you, I’d suggest cruising Just a Jar’s Etsy store because I bet you’ll find something you like. The Lucinda poster is $30. The sad thing about posters is that they often don’t fit into standard frame sizes, which means frames have to be made custom, and can be pricey. I’d suggest white mat board size 14.5×21 (this leaves you an inch all the way around the poster, which looks like about what’s going on in Kate’s kitchen) for about $6.50 from Wholesale Matboards. And a black metal frame about an inch wide from Wholesale Poster Frames. One sized to fit the matboard goes for $28. Total price tag: $64.50.

Old radio.
Etsy is a great place to find vintage radios for not much dough. Here’s a cute one that looks a bit like Kate’s for $19 (above). And other one for $14. Total price tag: About $15.

Wood bowl.
Etsy is a good place for ripping off that wood bowl in the middle of Kate’s table. Here’s a pretty one on Etsy that’s discounted to $20 because of some insect damage. But when you’re doing for a vintage/flea market type look, that’s a bonus, right? Total price tag: $20.

Rug. 
I think Kate’s kitchen is rocking a 5’x7′ banded jute or sisal rug. Overstock sells one that looks pretty similar ($116, above) and IKEA has one too ($129). Total price tag: $116.

Bar cart.
The one in Kate Arends’ kitchen has two baskets and a shelf. I couldn’t find one exactly like that, but I did find two options that are close: Overstock has a cart with one basket and a shelf ($90, above) and Wayfair has a cart with two shelves ($91). You’ll also need a bar set to go on the cart ($12 at Amazon), an adorable little vintage coffee pot ($12 at lmtiques on Etsy) and some rad, red vintage placemats ($10 at NettiesCollectibles on Etsy). Total price tag: $124. 

Sconce.
I had the hardest time finding something inexpensive that looked like the sconce in the photo. This sconce from Target looks like the best option, and it’s only $28. “But wait!” you’ll say. “It’s black, not white!” Yep. I’m thinking this would be an easy fix with a can of spray paint designed for metal. Something like this can from Home Depot ($4). Total price tag: $32.

Signs.
So, that takes care of just about everything you can see in the kitchen in this photo. But the black and gold ‘step up’ sign and the giant number 1 are such big parts of the photo, I wanted to copycat them too. I couldn’t find a ‘step up’ sign like this one, but I did find a hip black and gold vintage sign on eBay ($35) and, on Etsy, a vintage Florida license plate that doesn’t match the colors, but does match the aesthetic and the shape ($12). The one in the photo looks like it might be a vintage gas station price number—those are available quite often on Etsy and eBay in different sizes and numerals. Here’s a #7 that looks large enough for that space (bid at $1 as of time of post, eBay). Another thing that might be cool is a number from a marquee, like this #1 that’s silver and would stand out from the wall a couple inches (eBay, $18). Total price tag: $30-$50.

That’s just about it. Add it all up and it comes to $961.50. Not bad for a designer breakfast nook.