The House of Easy to Imitate Ideas

When Megan and Casey Collins moved into their four-bedroom Minneapolis home four years ago, it was dark with dated everything. “The challenge was to turn it into a bright, fresh place without spending lots of money on a major reno,” says Megan, a freelance writer, who shares the home with her husband and their kids (from left) Liva, 3, Isla, 5, and Mia, 7.

After painting nearly every square inch and shopping for budget-friendly furnishings, she found ways to weave in inventive tricks at every turn. There’s the deed to the house, blown up and framed in the entryway; the high chairs converted into seating for the kids at the kitchen table; an inexpensive upholstery move in the living room.

Megan bought the ivory leather sofa from the nearby Room & Board outlet with some trepidation. “With young kids, I thought, Uh-oh, this could be a disaster,” she says. “I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on it, which is probably not what leather experts would suggest, but it works!”

Two identical wood cubes painted steely gray stand in for a coffee table. When friends come over, Megan pushes them together, throws a small tablecloth on top, and uses them as a mini buffet for drinks and snacks.