Small changes, big results
Do you have a room in the house you wish you could just gut and start over, but you don’t have the funds for a massive project? There are plenty of things you can do to completely change a room, but on a budget.
Project #1 – Living Room Mini Makeover
This was a friend’s mother’s house I did over 10 years ago. She’d been there for decades and had a very small budget. She couldn’t afford new furniture or new carpet. Her Precious Moments collection and family pictures had gradually taken over the space.
I started with paint- the crown was painted bright white, the walls a warm beige and a soothing blue on the fireplace wall. The brick fireplace was painted white. I got slip covers for the couch and loveseat and an area rug to cover the worn down carpet. I bought a couple bookshelves that we assembled ourselves for all her Precious Moments figurines and consolidated the pictures she wanted to keep out in a collage frame. New light fixture, some curtains and accents- and a whole new room.
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Project #2 – Hall Bath Wallpaper
This was a hall bath room with… brown paper bag/cammo wallpaper? I’d never seen anything like it. And another layer underneath that. Also notice the army green and tan crackle paint on the vanity. Yeah.
I removed the wallpaper and textured then painted the walls, sanded the vanity and painted it a dark brown, removed the builder grade mirror and replaced with a framed mirror, changed the light fixture, towel racks and added decorative wall plates. Minimal cost, a good amount of labor, and a cammo-free bathroom!
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Project #3 – Master Bath Transformation
This was a master bath. You’ll see in the first picture the two-tone tile floor. It had a gray marble border and tan ceramic in the middle? (I’m guessing that was originally carpet.). The walls were a faux finished burgundy, complete with a gold curtain and fake plants. I called it the rainbow room. This was 15 years ago and I didn’t think to take a picture.
I replaced both tiles with a cream ceramic that coordinated with the cabinet color, painted the walls a warm/dark tan for contrast, hung a new curtain, and removed the fake plants. I also painted the outside of the brass shower doors black and added new cabinet hardware, along with nickel faucets. Big transformation that made the space cohesive.
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Project #4 – Kitchen Cabinet Refinish
A basement level condo from the 70’s, in the late 90’s. Still had the avocado green appliances! And the dark cabinets, in a room with no windows. Just painting the existing cabinets and changing the hardware brightened up this room. Visitors thought the cabinets were new. It changed the feel of the whole space, even with green appliances!
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Project #5 – Master Bath Makeover
Another master bath. Everything in here was beige tile. It was in different shapes, but all around the room. The only way to change one thing would be to change everything. So, I worked with what I had and added other colors in other places. The green/tan walls were pained a gray (to match the grout and break up the beige), and dark charcoal was painted on the vanity wall to pull out the dark parts of the granite. The light fixtures were updated, cabinets got a fresh coat of paint, and new hardware, wall plates and towel racks were added. Again, this made the space more cohesive, and not so monotone- with no demo.
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Project #6 – Master Bathroom (in phases)
Yet another master bath, in my current home. This one might be done in phases. The original was beige tile, cream trim and tub and orangey cabinets. I started by painting all the trim bright white and changing out the beige shade for white blinds. I painted the vanities and doors black, changed the sink faucets, cabinet hardware and light fixtures, added towel rings and covered some of the beige with gray rugs. My goal is to change it over to gray and white marble, but sometimes you need to do a little at a time. (The before pictures were from the listing when I bought the house.)
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Project #7 – Kitchen Makeover
Whew- was that a lot of orange cabinets!!! So far, the only things done in here were painting the cabinets white, adding larger hardware and changing the plugs and switches to white, with nickel wall plates. The room felt so much brighter and newer with just paint. Do you have a large area of builder grade tile? Cover some of it up with an area rug. It allows you to bring in color and texture but can be easily changed. Just make sure to get a rug with a low pile otherwise food can get trapped in between the fibers. Don’t have an area large enough for a rug? Use a runner instead of a kitchen mat. It covers more area and can add some visual interest to the space. (The before pictures were from the listing when I bought the house.) See the Kitchen section for the Phase 2 finished product!
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Let’s Do This!
Home is the most important place for everyone. It’s where your family memories are made. It’s your reprieve from the outside world. It’s your biggest investment. I’ve been doing this for a long time. Now, it’s time to take what I’m most passionate about to the next level and make an impact on a greater scale. This doesn’t feel like work to me. I love every minute of it. For me, there is no greater feeling than seeing the joy on people’s faces when I can help them create a home they truly love and change their lives in a positive way.
I would love the opportunity to create that for you.