Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Remodel on a budget

Do you find yourself thinking about taking a vacation more recently then ever? Well here's a solution that won't require any flight or hotel accommodations. With just under $750 you can remodel a guest room to look and feel like a vacation suite. As an example, I transformed my guest room into an "Italian villa". The project only took two days and didn't break my budget.


Recreating a space can be as easy as re-finishing or re-painting existing furniture pieces. I wanted to create a space that was a retreat from the rest of the home. A guest room that had the feeling of being on vacation. The color palette I chose is a combination of a soft red, pale yellow and turquoise. I started with an antique bed frame, a side chair, two side tables and a storage trunk, all pieces that I already had. I painted the side chair in the turquoise color and added a seat cushion that I purchased from Pier 1 for only $24.


Dunn Edwards: DE5725 Dragon Bay. Gloss finish

I had two different side tables and decided to use the two as nightstands for a unique feel. One is a round marble top table that I found in my grandmothers garage, the other, a square wood top table with iron legs that I revamped with two cans of spray paint. Gold for the legs and white for the table top.


Before the remodel...


Family heirlooms are great pieces for guest rooms because they are conversation pieces and definately help to create a warmth in the room. To create additional seating, I added a chest that my mother gave me, and hung three antiqued mirrors above it. I bought a unique green lamp at an estate sale for only $5 which went perfectly with the room. I stained the existing woven shades in an ebony finish and added white linen drapes.

Paint for all four walls: $50 Dunn Edwards
Back wall: DE5089 Geranium Red
Three walls: DEC734 Jasmine
Stain for shades: $13 Minwax, ebony 2718 from Home Depot

Drapes: $49.00 Ikea http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80110274
Area rug: $129 Ikea http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80084920
Round accent pillow: $39.99 Pier 1 Imports http://www.pier1.com/Catalog/RugsPillowsWindows/RugsPillowsWindows/tabid/514/CategoryID/144/List/0/Level/a/ProductID/3661/Default.aspx?ProductName=Round-Boxed-Appliqué-Pillow
Full size Mattress: $400 Costco
Sheets: $44.99 Bed Bath & Beyond





As a finishing touch I added fresh flowers that I picked myself from the neighborhood. This is a great idea and will save you a lot of money!


These were picture frames that my grandma gave me and I had antiqued mirrors put in the frames.