I have a free subscription to Domino magazine that I got for placing a rather large order through Amazon last year.  It focuses a lot on decorating your home and the issue I got in the mail yesterday had a whole section devoted to decorating with style but within a budget.  Whose budget, first off, because the living room and dining room were each done for around $2000 and the bedroom for around $1000 or $1200.  Many people have a budget much much lower than that.  I think something more realistic is the Design on a Dime show where they do a whole room for $500, but even then sometimes the designers throw in things they had leftover from other jobs just so they won't go over.  I will say the bedroom layout in the magazine included a bed (not the matresses) from ikea.  Not including my husband's furniture that he brought with him, my apartment furnishings were 90% hand-me-downs and cast-offs, but they were nice and I made them look matchy-matchy by keeping similar items together in a room even if it wasn't the traditional way to do it.  (i.e. used bedside tables as side tables in the living room b/c they matched a trunk I was using for living room toy storage)

Is $2000 or even just $1000 a fair amount for decorating a room?  How much of that should/could be furniture?  Am I the crazy one thinking I can decorate a room for much less than that?

When I priced pieces I liked, my living room selections reached $2,000. That covers couch, coffee table, bookcases and a desk for the study area.

The bedroom of our dreams would likely get there too since we'd love a four poster bed.

sunshinetreva:

I think something more realistic is the Design on a Dime show where they do a whole room for $500,

The Design on a Dime show had a budget of $1000 or less. I think you are thinking of the Decorating Cents show that had a budget of only $500.

sunshinetreva:

Is $2000 or even just $1000 a fair amount for decorating a room?  How much of that should/could be furniture?  Am I the crazy one thinking I can decorate a room for much less than that?

You can decorate for much less than that. But if you are buying brand new furniture (even from Ikea and I <3 Ikea!) I don't see how you could keep it under $2,000 for a room including furniture, art, shelving, paint, curtains, accessories, etc.  Trading Spaces still amazes me what they do with $1,000, but you see how hard they stretch that $$.

I've never had brand-new furniture, always hand-me-downs or bought used. It would be so nice to have a new living room set. There's a store up here that sells nice furniture at a great price.  I love their 3 piece living room set with chaise lounge and coffee table for $1,200

arianasilver:

I've never had brand-new furniture, always hand-me-downs or bought used.

Our furniture was used, handed down or hand made. I don't expect to find much used at this point so I am planning to buy new.

New furniture does bump it up quite a bit.  I've never fully redone a room at once.  I buy things I know I'll like for years and then have added to it bit by bit over the years.  Looking around my living room though, I bought floor model pieces at outlet type furniture stores and even with wonderful deals, the total cost just for the four purchased pieces in my living room was over $1000.  If you don't buy new, but re-use, re-cover, and repaint hand-me-downs, get creative with artwork (buy cheap frames at K-mart or garage sales, paint them with metallic paint, frame fabric, etc.) you can definitely redecorate for very little.  (I bought inexpensive new couches because I have allergies and had bad experiences with used ones.)

I have seen brand name (Broyhill, etc.) new furniture at Big Lots for very good prices--but that's about $300-400 for a couch vs. $1000-$2000 for one at other stores.

Mimi:

(I bought inexpensive new couches because I have allergies and had bad experiences with used ones.)

The used ones I have found are nasty looking. We have allergy and asthma issues so I'll pass on that. We currently have a used one from MIL but at least I know who had that one.

 I've had a couch for 13 or 14 years that we bought from a reupholsterer. Someone had brought it in to have it recovered and had never returned for it. We paid $300. I don't know if it's "antique" or not, but it has a solid wood frame, with three carved feet in front (one in the center) and I think it will last far longer than I will. It feels like a new couch when you sit on it. Later, we had it recovered for more than we paid for it, but it's a once in a lifetime cost if you get good quality, used or not. Of course, "good quality" nowadays isn't the same as good quality used to be. Used furniture doesn't have to be worn out, but you have to be careful.  

The couch we replaced with this one was part of a set of living room furniture that we bought for another house and it never fit right in the house we had then. We replaced the whole set, one piece at a time and spent less for better quality than if we'd bought another new suite. The first time - 20 + years ago, was over $3,000 for furniture. The next time I think it was around a thousand, when it was all said and done, but that was just the furniture. Paintings, accessories and so on, were picked up over time wherever the right ones showed up, mostly second hand. 

I don't want to walk into a store and pick a few accessories. Accessories are treasures to be found or physical memories that have been collected over the years. Thankfully, I don't really need those save for some baskets and planters I want.

The furniture is what we are having to save for as they are the big expense we are facing.

Brandy:

I don't want to walk into a store and pick a few accessories. Accessories are treasures to be found or physical memories that have been collected over the years

My thoughts exactly.