Mom's TV Room - Part 2 {How we kept it Under $500}

Today I'm going to give you a break down of what we did in Mom's TV Room and how much each thing cost to create this lovely budget-friendly space.  While this cost break down will give you creative DIYers an idea of what you can do on a budget, it excludes the cost of the design services which brought ideas and items together and as well as the labor it took to get it done (since we did it ourselves).

We started off by doing some major organizing which I talked about here.  In order to get everything organized into the closet, I found a filing cabinet on craigslist for $60.  Craigslist is one of the first places I look when I'm on a budget.

Next, we painted the room.  We chose the color "Toasted Wheat" by Behr as a neutral backdrop that would make the space feel warm and cozy and coordinate with mom's rug.  2 gallons - $60

When we brought furniture back in the room, we utilized some of mom's existing furniture from other rooms.  Shopping your house is a great way to stay under budget, so keep an open mind when looking at the items in your house. They may find a new use you never thought of before!  The mirror and Asian cabinet were the perfect pieces to fit where the bookcase used to be and the mirror brightens up the room by reflecting light into the space.  Mom's furniture - Free

Then we brought in an Ikea Ektorp sofa that I found on craigslist for $120.  Since a lot of Ikea stuff has been available for quite a while, it seems that you can often find items like this from people who have moved or upgraded and are making changes.  Simply search craigslist for the Ikea name of the piece you're looking for. (This is also how I found Dad's rug which I showed you here.)

Next we brought a bunch of mom's art collection into the room to create a gallery wall. We determined a layout on the floor and then used paper cut to the size of the frames to locate their position on the wall.  Gallery wall - Free

I picked up two throw pillows for the sofa from a local fabric store ($75)...

...and white Ikea tab top curtain panels (LENDA), which we customized with a stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils. Since we couldn't find any ready made curtains that we wanted and custom drapes are quite expensive, this was the perfect way to get the look we wanted for less.  Read more about that project here.  Curtains $20; Stencil $40; Paint, fabric medium, and foam rollers - $13; Total = $73.  Drapery rod (Target) - $10.

Mom bought these lamps from JCPenney online for $90 (which are now look to be on sale for $70).  Great deal right!  They seem to have quite a nice lighting selection. I discovered this when I bought my bedroom lamps there a while back.

Finally, for Christmas I made my mom the ever-so-popular Ikea Lack Side Table ottomans to work as a coffee table and a place to put your feet up.
     2 Lack Side Tables - $16 ($8 each)
     2 yards (I think) Ikea Sofia Fabric - $16
     Foam Camping Pad (Home Depot) - $20
     Batting - $10
     Total = $62

That finishing touch pulled the room together to what it is today...

So how does that tally up?

We completed the whole room for under $500!

If you haven't already, check out the rest of the photos from yesterday's post.

Mom's TV Room

Today's the day, guys (or mostly gals actually)! As promised (here and here) I'm finally going to show you mom's TV room that I designed.   The goal was to create a comfortable, organized, and, of course, pretty space on a budget for mom to watch TV, go through mail, fold laundry, play with kitties, and generally hang out. A lot of living happens in here! So I wanted to give her a place she could really enjoy. And the project was a success!

Two of my most popular posts were a result of this project: the Lack Side Tables Turned Ottomans and Organizing Mom's Den.  But that's not all that went into this space.  Here it is before the transformation...

This is actually part way through the organization process because I'm super bad about taking before photos. I just get so excited I start doing stuff before snapping a pic!  And there's my beautiful mother. She's the best!  Anyway... as you can see, the old sofa was way to big for the room, paint color was off, and some serious organization was needed.  Tomorrow I'll tell you more about what went into designing this space. But for now... pictures!

Handsome Elegance {Residential Lighting Project}

Remember all that lighting stuff I was talking about a few weeks ago?  Well all that research and obsessing was part of my crazy process to develop a design for my lighting class. Although the class is about lighting and not all the other details of design, we had to come up with a style for our space in order to pick coordinating light fixtures.  And, of course, my obsessive mind takes things a bit overboard and has much much more figured out than just a style and light fixtures.  I began collecting inspiration photos on Pinterest like a mad woman and came up with a glamorous, yet masculine theme, which I have called...

Source

My fictional client is a wealthy gentleman who has a mixture of vintage family heirloom furniture as well as some modern pieces that he'd like to display in a space that similarly mixes traditional and modern elements to create a luxurious, masculine space with a touch of feminine glamour.  To that end, I've designed custom built in cabinetry throughout the space, a coffered ceiling in the living/dining area, and detailed tray ceilings in the entry, kitchen, and bedroom.  Here are the electrical and lighting plans that show the layout of the space, furniture, lighting and ceiling design...

And below are elevations of the custom built-in units and kitchen that I designed. This is my first experience doing elevations and details and I don't really have much knowledge of how ceilings are built, but my teacher thought I had previous experience so I guess they're pretty legit (in the slang sense of the word).  Too legit, too legit to quit! Haha...

All the cabinetry is shaker style to bring in a little modern simplicity, but is finished with crown moulding and high baseboards for a more traditional look.  A mix of rich materials from marble, to wood, to copper, stainless steel and brass create interest and a feeling of extravagance.  And my lighting selection below continues the mix of metals, of modern and traditional, of masculinity and femininity for an overall design that is handsome and elegant.

Crystal Bulbs // Dining Room Sconce // Bar Pendant // Powder Room Sconce

Master Bath Sconce // Kitchen Pendant // Bedside Table Lamp // Bedroom Chandelier

What da ya think?  I'm pretty happy with the way everything turned out and wish this was a really project that I could see realized, but I suppose I'll get that experience in the future (not for this exact space of course).  We presented our designs in class last night and everyone had really nice designs with different styles. Our teacher was so impressed, she took every student's board for the "hall of fame," which never happens, especially with a teacher who's pretty critical!  Next we'll be working the lighting/ceiling design of a commercial space.

In the mean time, I do have something special coming up... something I've been telling you I'd show you for quite a while. I finally took photos of my mom's TV room!  I'll be posting them on Monday, so come back and check it out!

Dad Decor {Quick Bedroom Makeover}

Hope everyone logged in some good dad time yesterday on Fathers Day. Or at least got to have a nice chat with the father figure. I'm so blessed to have an awesome dad who's armed with an arsenal of nick names, ran 7 miles of my first marathon with me (after completing TONS of his own), sings his own lyrics to rap songs, helped me purchase my first car, and continues to be amazingly supportive of my life goals with just the right amount of goofy (which in my opinion is VERY).  I got to spend a nice weekend with him and my mom relaxing, eating, and doing a little design work!  I helped give his bedroom a quick little makeover.

We've still got a few more changes to make (like curtains and a night stand) for the room to be complete, but I thought I'd show you the quick transformation.  Here it is before...

We simply got this Ikea rug (off craigslist) and these Ikea wall lamps and did some minor rearranging.  I also got him yellow pillow cases from West Elm that have since been discontinued.  I love how the pillows and yellow rug bring out the yellow in his painting.

Chester obviously likes it! Although I think he was always happy with his spot on the bed.  We plan on getting some white drapes and probably changing out the drapery hardware.  And I'd love to find or DIY a wood slice table like the one below to use as a nightstand instead of the chair.

Source: Etsy

But for now, Dad's happy with the improvement.

Right Where You're Supposed To Be

Some times I have a hard time believing that.  Like right now, when I'm lagging on blogging, swamped with school work, trying to stay on top of bills, attempting to fit in time for networking and job search opportunities, and wishing I was already the other side of this leap from one career to another.  So I'm telling myself this and perhaps someone else out there needs to hear it today also...

Thank goodness I can look forward to time with my parents this weekend for Fathers Day and my dad's birthday.  Being around those you love always helps!

In other news, the power jack on my lap top completely broke the other day so I took it apart and replaced it (thanks to this video), which worked great! The only problem is now it can't find the operating system.  So I'll be working on that as well as homework for a bit.  Hopefully I'll be back to you guys with some more exciting design stuff next week. For how here's a little clip of my life these days.

Elevations and details for my lighting class are done! Next up is a design board for project "Handsome Elegance."  Stay tuned for inspiration images, lighting selections, and the like.

Let There Be Light!

If you follow me on Pinterest you've probably noticed I've been pinning lights and ceiling images like crazy.  That's because I'm in a lighting class right now. I've been meaning to write a post about some of the stuff I've learned but haven't had the time. For now, here are some awesome light fixtures I love...

 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7

And some more...

8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14