Room Redesigns

This is my first room created after taking an interior design class at my local community college.

The lamp and color palette was my inspiration:


My goal was to create a room on a budget. LOW BUDGET! I wanted to see how creativity, some paint, and fabric would come together.

Here is the bed. Before and after. It is a twin sized canopy bed, made from a King Headboard that was, of course, roadside.








Next, is the vanity area. I found the dresser roadside. It had lots of intricate veneer detail. I knew that was WAY to advanced for me to try, so I just simply covered it with a faux ostrich skin fabric.
Before...


See my DS's foot? He is a sweetie!

After...



Next, is the view as you walk into the room.


The wall color was from the oops bin at the hardware store. I asked them to add more black to it and they did at no charge. The gallon was $7. The shag rug I found on Craigslist, I got it for $40. The chocolate faux fur on top, is fabric from an outlet store $20. The cornice, I found roadside and painted with paint from the dresser. The curtain fabric cost me..(this was one cost I decided to pay a bit more for)$70. I had the white panels and just pulled them out of the closet. The white dresser was free on CL. I had the other accessories before I began the room. TIP: It is always helpful to pick items and colors you like. In the end, they will all go together somehow.

Here is a better view of the sitting area...sorry doggie loves that chair.



The small white side table was free, roadside. The chair and ottoman I made a custom slipcover for $12. The clock was on clearance for $11.50. The lamp was found roadside with no shade. I simply turned an old gift basket upside down and voila! I added more items I already had in my home to accent the corner.

Here is a closer view of the lamp and table...


Closer view of the Chair and ottoman...


Lesson learned: Make sure both lamps work before building a room around them! I bought two lamps, at a yard sale, for $10. One didn't work, and I discovered that after I finished the room...lol I fixed it though.

This kitchen redesign is dedicated to my family. My mother because she really likes red and my sister Pam, because she encouraged me to do redesign a few years ago. I love you ladies! Though we are on opposite ends of the country, I look forward to sharing a glass of wine and a good meal here soon!



This redesign is geared towards anyone, wanting to try something bold; without painting their kitchen, on a tight budget, or paying a fortune for remodeling.

I will post the cost of each section as it is pictured, to give you an idea of how cost efficient it can be to use a lot of what you have or can recycle. There is also slideshow link, for the entire redo at the bottom of this post.

This idea comes from the fact that, I am a rent to own tenant. I am not totally committed to my house yet, so I did not want to invest a lot of money or do anything permanently altering to the kitchen. However, I wanted to make my kitchen feel comfy, inviting, fun, and Tuscan. Now, that is a lot to want from a 12'x 14.5' space, I know, but hey, I want what I want.

I had only one rule for this project: There will not be ANYTHING in my kitchen I do/will not use, it must have a purpose and in some instances, more than one.

In the interest of timeless redesign, many things in the room are interchangeable, so you can recreate the look according to the season or mood you want to express.

Here is an unashamed view of my kitchen before.

It was a true, Kitchen NIGHTMARE!

Notice the two storage cabinets pushed together. I needed more storage, because there is just one section of cabinets on the other side of the kitchen.


Here is the after, in the same view as the before picture.


I decided to separate the cabinets and put up ceiling to floor curtain panels to conceal them when guests arrive. The panels add depth and drama to the room. The cost for the panels was $17.50 including hardware.

This section makes me feel relaxed, when I walked into the kitchen. Here is a closer view...


The cost for everything you see in this makeover was 47.36. Most of the cost came from the accessories. which were $20.09, Now that I have the picture, I may have to take them back...Hmmm? Kidding, I love all the red!

Another view....


I cut a big octagonal table in half and I find a ton of kitchen table bases tossed out, so I just picked one and put them together. I covered the table in a very thick wallpaper. Funny thing I went to a VERY upscale restaurant Sunday and they had something similar on their table, only covered with a table cloth. I thought yup, I am on the right track...he he. I found the bench behind an ice cream shop. I reupholstered it and turned into a storage bench. The shelf in the back was a curbside find, as well as, the chairs.


Now, in keeping with the idea of having a relaxed, but fun, space for my boys and their friends, I created the cafe area. This section of the kitchen cost $78.80.



This is a really fun area, as the view out of the window is on the pool, so you can keep an eye on what is going on as well as watch the fun. I am looking forward to looking out the window in the summer as I have a forest behind my home and at night the fireflies look like Christmas tree lights flickering. It is a humbling site.

Here is a daylight view. I made the curtains from $1 store cloth napkins, the table was made from some extra wood I had. I paid for the trim. The chairs came from Craigs list for $40 and the rug was $20. They were the most expensive things in this section.



Here is the view of the cabinet and sink area before. NOTE:My kitchen was neat and organized the day before I took this picture, sorry you missed it.. he he. "DON'T U JUDGE ME!..."

As you can see we have a counter top dishwasher that was hoggin' space, BIG TIME!
ANOTHER NIGHTMARE!

I got a CLUE and ...



I framed the cabinets with molding and used the same fabric from the panels on the opposite side for balance...**Remember: the fabric can be easily removed and switched for another look** The cost for all the cabinets including door pulls, was $17.00



This transformation was easy and inexpensive but a bit time consuming. It was only time consuming, because I could not remove the cabinet doors. The screw holes were painted over, so I had to frame, level and nail it where it was - yes, By MYSELF!...yes, I went for a massage the next day! Well, I was saving so much money, right? The curtains, grapes and back splash, were 16.00. Not bad for decorating on a dollar huh?





Stay tuned, I will show you what I did with the counter top dishwasher tomorrow.

Ok it is another day and here is what I did with the dishwasher. Remember that monstrosity of a counter top dishwasher? Well I found a kitchen island roadside and..."pimped it out"! (added some shiny coat hooks to the side of it for my towels and pots). There was also enough room to add my electric counter top cooking range to the bottom of it! When I want, what I want...I make it happen it!




Here is the link to all the pics in a slide show.



Feel free to subscribe to my blog and check back often. I will keep you "in the know" of what's new with redesign, as well as, show you what I have been up to.

Hopefully, I have inspired you to rethink your kitchen just a bit. Let me know, I would love to hear about it.