You can find a lot of reasonable buys at Wal-Mart. But one key to making it on a budget is by donating your time and labor to the project. Do-it-yourself projects will always help you save.

In a modern loft, you can't just fill a space with furniture. Each piece has to be perfect.

I don't believe in having spaces in the home that don't get used. We pay so much for square footage that to waste it is criminal.

I hate sets. I've always hated sets. I think that if you have a dining room set, break it up!

I think I was the only kid on the block who knew about furniture scale by the time I was 8.

I'm not going to say paint is an easy spruce-up. It takes time, it needs touch-ups, and you have to be very methodical. But it is worth it, and it isn't particularly expensive.

You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things.