Divine design on a budget

Why spend tens of thousands of dollars for that Provencal dining room or that minimalist Zen den when ingenuity and a little flea market finagling can give you the look for less? That’s the premise of “Sensible Chic,” an HGTV show that re-creates “inspiration” rooms for a fraction of the price. This book pulls into one tome nine episodes of over-the-top interior knockoffs.

Lots of photographs compare blowout versus budget rooms, and prominent ledgers drive the price-conscious message home, but when it comes to sharing resources, the book comes up short on specifying where to get those $32 wall sconces or that $235 canopy bed, except to suggest bargain hunting at flea markets and garage sales.

“Sensible Chic” does, however, include some good money-saving ideas, such as pairing mismatched cabinets and sideboards as a cheaper alternative to china cabinets. Other advice, like using hair accessories for curtain tiebacks, should not be tried at home. Although it earns higher marks for visual inspiration than nuts-and-bolts implementation, “Sensible Chic” provides further evidence that less is often more when it comes to decoration: The cheaper versions are consistently more tasteful than their expensive counterparts.