Budget & Advice: A set-dresser’s guide to frugal decorating

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Art directing plus set building and dressing skills have morphed into new career for Robert, who builds and sells houses in the Myrtle Beach area these days. For a man who “will always consider himself a starving artist,” he’s savvy about stretching a dollar on any home project, whether that’s for his own casa or for an abode he’s putting on the market. Here are some of his cash-saving ideas:

Closeouts: Robert shops sales and closeouts for supplies and eschews trends of the moment. Why not get a great price for something you love, and forget whether it’s the latest, greatest thing, he reasons. After all, it’s impossible (not to mention exhausting, expensive, and a little silly) to be at the forefront of every trend.

Law of diminished returns: There was no way Robert would have and Angel gotten a return on their investment if they tore out their Daniel Island home’s kitchen cabinets, so instead, he and Angel simply painted them over. And because built-in shelving was the same case, they opted for kits instead.

Perfectly OK: Rather than shelling out big bucks for premium items (wallpaper, lighting, etc.) that will be too precious to withstand family life, Robert aims for really great substitutes a notch below top-caliber and saves both headaches and cash.

Function trumps form: If something is functional, it’s the last thing to be changed in any of Robert’s houses. At home, that means the tile in the bathroom upstairs stays until “The major things in the house are changed…and we just can’t stand it anymore,” says Robert.