2009 August « Design Fabulous

Archive | August, 2009

An amazing makeover!!

“Before”

dining-room-before

A few weeks ago I challenged myself to makeover a room in my home for $200 or less. I could pull anything from my home I already owned (as long as I am not making the room I pulled from ugly!!) and spend a total of $200 or less for the entire room. I decided to challenge my readers to do the same. I called it the “$200 or less room makeover challenge”. I got a couple responses from my readers saying they would accept my challenge. Yesterday, I received my first “before and after’s” of an amazing makeover from Britt over at A Penny Saved, and I was truly blown away. She spent almost half the allotted amount and the transformation is truly fabulous. Above is the before of Britt’s dining room. Not to bad huh? Simple, yet lacking a little interest. Well, obviously Britt was thinking on the same wavelength because look at the after.

“After’s”

hand-painted-wallpaper-mura

diy-lined-drapes

painted-wallpaper-mural

recovered-chair-with-pleate Wow, wow, um wow! Are you saying this with me? You may be wandering how she could afford a beautiful damask wallpaper on such a little budget. Well, that ain’t wallpaper my friend. She hand sketched and painted the entire room following an extremely expensive damask wallpaper she fell in love with from Farrow and Ball. I love it. I think she is so brave to attempt it, because I would be terrified I would get it crooked! She made the curtains herself, lining them with queen sheets, added a lamp on the buffet and a few ceramic apples (so well placed). She used a buffet, rug, table and chairs, and mirror she already had, but did you notice the chair makeover. A pleated skirt was added to the seats using a staple gun, not a sewing machine (click here to see how she did it). That’s right a staple gun!! So her grand total…$109.00. Well done Britt, you are so creative and inspiring!! Go check out her blog! It is full of creative ideas such as these! I am so glad I did this makeover challenge so I could have the privilege to share with you Britt’s creative ideas and fabulous blog.

If anyone else is working on their makeover room and wants to send me the pics send them to katrinaschlomann@gmail.com

Can’t wait to show you my makeover next!

Items bought before moving:
Buffet
Table
Chairs
Mirror
Rug

Items bought/made for this room:
Drapes and hardware – $30 for the homemade drapes and $15 for the hardware
Lamp – $20 from craigslist
Chair makeover – $8
Ceramic apples – $6
Mural – $30
Total = $109

Comments 5 Comments
Categories Before and Afters, Inspiration, Reader challenge

Today’s the Day!

24 Aug

image via Swish and Swanky

Todays the day!! Get your pictures in for the $200 or less room makeover challenge”. Hope you guys were good and got your projects finished! Can’t wait to see them and start the “Makeover face-off”.

send pics to katrinaschlomann@gmail.com

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Categories Reader challenge

Which Wallpaper?

22 Aug

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Ok, I am down to the last project in my “$200 or less room makeover challenge”. I am making-over my desk table. The table is a ridiculously old/ugly table I bought at Goodwill in college. I have painted it, and painted again, and again. Now I have another great plan to make this table beautiful again. I am going to wallpaper the wooden table top with one of these two leftover wallpaper scraps I have. I am then going to give it new table legs from Ikea. You can see a picture of the legs below (I am hoping they still have these at my local Ikea, because they have been recently discontinued but I really love them). So here is where you come in. I want to let my readers pick the wallpaper for the table top. Not that I can’t pick the one I like more. I am always very decisive, but I think it would be fun to see what you guys think (since I kinda really do like both of them). So which wallpaper should I choose? The first one is a lovely Art Nouveau pattern with yummy creams and silvers. It would be great in any room. The second one is a cute mod flower pattern with pink and cream flowers in a tone on tone polka dot print. It would be so fun and cute. So, will you help me pick?

table_1

pic via Ikea Hacker

Don’t forget to get your pictures of your “$200 or less makeover challenge” room in. Click here for info on this fun challenge. Can’t wait to see what you guys have come up with.

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Reader challenge, Uncategorized

“$200 or Less Room Makeover” Reminder

18 Aug

IHLVGROOM1006_02

Just a reminder, once again, that the deadline for the “$200 or less room makeover” is coming up Aug. 24th. Have your pictures sent in and explain your makeover process with your total expenditure calculated by Aug. 24th, then we will cast a vote to see who wins the “$200 or less room makeover challenge”. It can be any room, even a bathroom or closet. We need creative, economic ideas for every space in our house, these days. Click here for the full explanation of rules and details.

image via Anne Coyle

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Categories Reader challenge

Random Inspiration, some of my favorite kind.

18 Aug

Some fabulous random inspiration for ya’. I love the tone on tone neutrals in this first pic. The art above the fireplace adds just enough warmth to the room with splashes of yellow. One of the best things about this room is the warm light streaming through the big french doors, although everything is pretty fabulous is this room.

I love the symmetry in this room. Sometimes symmetry is just the way to go. I also love how they separated the large room with two different seating arrangements (one in front of the sofa, and one behind). This is such a great way to make a large room more intimate. A great suggestion when arranging furniture, put the sofa in the center of the room and not against the wall (if there is any possible way to do so). It creates a much more interesting designer look and breaks up an open floor plan by visually creating separate spaces.

The warmth in this room is amazing. yet everything in the room isn’t dark and overpowering (an easy mistake I see people make when trying to create a warm color palette). The key: add splashes of warm color in a mostly neutral room. I love how they placed the large art piece above the fireplace, in cool blue tones, to break up the warm tones. This creates just enough contrast to relax the eye, another reason why this room is not overwhelmingly warm and dark.

Ah, my favorite color, pink. Just a few splashes will due. The window treatment is amazing in this room. This classic with a great pleated detail is fabulous, and is paired with panels in the same fabric (just goes to show that you can use different window treatment styles in the same room in some cases). Love the soft linen sofa!

Wow, warm gold and beige tones with white walls! It does work! I have been saying this to my clients for years and this is such a great picture to dig up for a little backup now’n'then. I love the splashes of warm orange and the artwork is amazing.

I love the yellow sofa, and these last two rooms happens to be some of the few times I say white walls rock! Key here, fill the room with color and texture elsewhere, and the walls can be white and fabulous. Another key, you simply must have fabulous artwork on white walls.

pics via House Beautiful, Desire to Inspire, CotedeTexas, Things that Inspire

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Design tips, Inspiration, Window treatments

“Julie and Julia” brings our blogging world to the Big Screen!

17 Aug

I just went to see “Julie and Julia” and I must say I loved it. I haven’t laughed that much in a movie in quite some time. Everyone in the theater was laughing in fact. This movie is pleasant in many ways.

1: The set in amazing!! I mean it’s Paris was else could it be. (Can’t wait to post set pics in my “Inspired Movies” category)

2: The plot is about blogging!! I love it!

3: The story is delightful, and Meryl plays a fabulous Julia.

4: All around great movie that will make you want to cook up a storm, so be prepared with your prettiest apron.

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Movie Inspiration

I heart chicken wire, when used as decor and not chicken coops of course!

12 Aug

I just bought the greatest shade I think I have ever seen. I got it at a great deal, because it is going in my “$200 or less makeover room” (that’s right this is a sneak peek)! I love the chicken wire front and the hictoric shield shape. Note my lovely etsy pillow (for sale at my etsy shop Design Fabulous), sitting in my favorite armchair I purchased at the thrift store.

Another sneak peek!

I simply love chicken wire in decor. There are all kinds of great uses for it. Don’t you just love all these great chicken wire pieces?

So unique, this cuff is so adorable. Kinda goth/french country?!? Never knew there was such a thing.

Just as way of reminder, the $200 or less room makeover challenge is underway. Click here for details http://designfabulous.com/2009/08/03/great-idea-from-my-reader/.

pics via 1:Me 2: Me 3: Rocky Bella 4: Design Mom 5: The Faded Cottage 6: Censational Girl 7: Craft Side 8: Modern Home Design 9: Velvet and Linen 10: Ullabenulla

Comments 4 Comments
Categories etsy, Inspiration, My House, Reader challenge

“$200 Makeover Your Room Challenge” Reminder

7 Aug

Just a reminder about the $200 Makeover your room challenge. Hope a lot of you participate and make it such a fun and creative experience. For more rules and information click here “Makeover Challenge”. Have a great weekend!

image via Anne Coyle

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Categories Reader challenge, Uncategorized

Candy Colored Eye Candy!

4 Aug

I am feeling energized today after my morning yoga class, so I was feeling inspired to pump up the volume with some candy colored love. Enjoy!

CC8A

hotpinkchest

Images via 1: Anne Coyle Interiors 2: High Fashion Home 3: Lydia Lyons Design 4: DomestiKated Life

5: Anne Coyle Interiors 6: Ingle Nook Decor 7: The Paris Apartment

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Beautiful Furniture, Inspiration

Great Idea from My Reader

3 Aug

pic via Mikelle Auman-Williams

I was given a great idea from one of my readers, Mikelle at http://maumanwilliams.blogspot.com/, to challenge my readers to the same challenge I have made for myself. Remake a room in your home for $200.00 or less. Are you up for the challenge?!? So here are the rules I gave myself. Remake one room in your home. You may purchase anything for the room, not to exceed $200.00 total. You may use anything you already own in your home (as long as you aren’t making the room you take it from ugly, because that would defeat the point - DON’T CHEAT, HONOR CODE). So those are your rules too. Send me your pics and explain your process, by August 24th. I will choose my pics for top three “before and afters”. Then we will put it to a vote. Who will be the winner? It is anyone’s game. Good luck, and let the creativity begin!