Single mom stretches budget in Doraville home

Home and Garden

Single mom Gabrielle LeBlanc stretches budget by finding bargains to furnish her Doraville home.

Graphic designer Gabrielle LeBlanc's post-divorce budget made finding a new home in her 8-year-old's school district a challenge. She eventually settled on a 1960s brick ranch in Doraville that needed a bit of TLC."I knew I could make it work," she said.

LeBlanc's green suede sofa was a steal from World Market.

LeBlanc scoured stores for decor deals and snagged several. A crescent-shaped table with repairable scratches was $90 at Ballard Designs. A low, glass-fronted buffet in the red dining room came from Crate and Barrel. And an inexpensive, three-tiered chandelier she found at IKEA got an upgrade when she added rows of crystals.

She picked up framed art for $1 at a yard sale.

LeBlanc warmed the house with personal items. A portrait of her grandmother, painted by her grandfather on their wedding day, graces her home office.

Her son's playroom, that she dubbed the "rock n' roll room," houses a bright red futon on checker board floors. A bargain shopper, LeBlanc took lots of shortcuts with the decor.

Her son also has two black leather chairs in his room.

White puffs (no, they aren't cotton balls), add an interesting touch to to her son's playroom.

The master bedroom. Being divorced means never having to say 'it's your turn to make the bed.'

A lamp with a red shade glows next to a vase of roses in her bedroom.

LeBlanc also found a way to jazz up her 8-year-old's bedroom.

A painting of the Virgin Mary hangs over the toilet. "I wanted a fresh slate," said LeBlanc. "And I liked being able to create my own space without having to ask anyone's permission."

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Graphic designer Gabrielle LeBlanc's post-divorce budget made finding a new home in her 8-year-old's school district a challenge. She eventually settled on a 1960s brick ranch in Doraville that needed a bit of TLC."I knew I could make it work," she said.

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