As you know I’ve been working on my mom’s guest room. Currently this is the “junk” room where all the leftover furniture gets dumped. And also where my brother sleeps. Hence the mess.
My mom only gave me $500 for the budget of this room so I had to use a lot of what we already had
Here is the after!
This room is huge and it was important to split it into three designated areas.
For the bedding I kept the original bedding but I flipped the comforter over so only the solid side was showing and I folded it at the end of the bed.
The floral pillows were made by me to cut cost and they were made with the inspiration fabric for the whole room. The fabric was $5.99 a yard at Home Fabrics.
I used this fabric to make the lumbar.
I had Erin sew this one because I really wanted piping and I didn’t want to attempt doing it myself.
You can read more about the art above the bed here.
The nightstand was my mom’s old nightstand that I just painted.
Here it is before.
I painted it black and added a knob from Hobby Lobby.
The gold lamp was $6 at a thrift store and I already had the shade sitting around in my basement. The items on the nightstand were also items I already had around my house. So I didn’t have to spend any money on them!
There are three windows in this room that needed roman shades.
Roman shades can be very pricey and 3 roman shades for a room with a small budget is not easy to do. So I found 3 plain white shades at Down East for $20 each. I then glued a strip of velvet fabric to the edges of the shade to give them more of a custom feel. The zebra pillow was sewn by me and the fabric was $3 a yard at Home Fabrics.
On to the desk area….
This was a desk that was already in the room. The chair was also already in her home. I just painted it black and reupholstered the seat myself with some cream fabric.
The bulletin board was such a fun project and I loved how it turned out. You can read more about it here. The lamp was a great deal. You can read about it here.
The green sofas were the biggest challenge in the room. They are NOT at all cute. So I did what everyone should do with less-than-pretty sofas they can’t get rid of. I covered them with pillows!
I made most of these pillows myself with fabric from Home Fabrics.
I am not an expert at sewing pillows and under normal circumstances with a normal budget I would hire it out. I sewed about 8 pillows total for this room.
Our seating area needed a rug but rugs can be pricey. So I made a good ole’ chevron rug. I didn’t really use any tutorials although there are plenty of them out there.
I bought the rug at Ikea for $30.
The small coffee table is also from Ikea and it was only $20.
You can read about the art above the sofa here. The frames were frames we already had.
The pink pillows were made by Erin awhile ago for my bedroom. I thought they worked perfectly in this room. And the brown damask print was bought at Home Fabrics for $3 a yard but you can also buy it here.
So there you have it!
A room makeover for around $500.
And now for a moment I want to get on my soap box about budget. I will admit there are many things about this room that I love. I love how tight budgets make you think outside the box and get really creative. I love how I was able to come up with cheap solutions for things that we really needed in the room.
However, if you are going to do a room on a tight budget you need to be prepared to do A LOT of the work yourself. Sewing, painting, art work, rugs, re-upholstering. I spent hours and hours of just labor time on this room. You also need to realize that things are not going to be great quality. Things like the coffee table, rug, roman shades and paint jobs may look fine on camera but up-close they are not going to be “perfect”. These are just things to keep in mind if you have a tight budget.
It’s definitely do-able! But, not always easy.
This is beautiful – your Mom's guests will be so lucky to stay in this space!
Christina
summer.year.round
What a great job for such a budget! It looks so inviting.
Love the shade you have made and the pillows.
I can tell how much time you spent on this room – sewing eight pillows, painting furniture, re-upholstering chairs and painting a rug?? WOW! Congrats! Seriously, I could barely sew one pillow in the same amount of time that you did this whole room!! Your mom must be so happy!!
Love all of the pillows and the desk area/board…great job on a small budget- you totally transformed the space.
The room looks great!
I got a little wide eyed after seeing those sofas. They look like the ones we have except ours are not green… they are a deep gray/dark blue color.
You did a great job!
You did such a great job! And, there are some great resources in this post–especially the shades. Thank you 🙂
I think the bulletin is my favorite part-and that lumbar pillow too!
Great job on a shoestring budget!
Happy Tuesday!
Paula
The painted nightstand is my favorite! Nice job.
I am so impressed you could do all that on such a tight budget! The rug turned out great!
Great job Kirsten!!
i love these types of makeovers – and they're so much fun to do. great work, kirsten!
That's a really welcoming, friendly space – loads of creative ideas! Great job on a tight budget.
It looks great! I like how there's a mix of traditional (bedside lamp, desk chair) and contemporary (graphic print pillows, chevron rug). You did a really good job mixing it up!
ps. I love diy projects, but the one thing that bugs me is that they are never perfect. It's good for me though… keeps it real. 🙂
I think you did a great job and it's inspiring to see how a room can transform on a budget!
For $500, this is a great (and much needed) update!! Kudos to you for rolling up your sleeves & doing most of the work yourself 🙂
It looks great! Budget rooms are definitely some of the most creative, and you did a fab job Kirsten!
I'm glad you mentioned that stuff about DIY stuff not being perfect and taking a lot of work. It's really true. I don't mind imperfection at all, but some people aren't prepared for it.
Kirsten, you seriously have a magical touch to everything you lay your hands on! You are remarkable! The room looks GREAT.
Well done Kristen! Your mom is a lucky lady!! I can see that a lot of work went into the room.
It looks great!! My parents have a room like this too with low walls and weird ceilings that we have been trying to figure out what to do with. This project definitely gives us some inspiration!
I think most people see these makeover shows and think "500 bucks??? Easy peasy!", y'know? But when you really list out all the elements that went into making this room look so nice and put together, it adds up *SO* quick! I love your budget solutions and I think you may have just inspired me to re-do my master br…(c: Great job, Kirsten!!!
Awesome budget makeover! I agree totally with your thoughts on decorating on a tight budget and I believe sometimes the best results come from that thinking! Great job!
Cathy
I can't believe the impact you made in this space with just $500! You're amazing with DIY projects! Great point on the labor aspect of DIY, but you definitely made it worthwhile here!
Wow! such a difference even using so much of the things that were already there. You did a great job!
You did a fantastic job, Kristen. Everything looks great. Love the bulletin board makeover and the quote on the desk. Thanks for sharing!
You did an awesome job, Kirsten! I love the $6 gold lamps, they looked like they are at least $100 each, great finds! Also, the nice DIY chevron rug. I am sure you put in a lot of effort into that project. Love the pillows on the bed, too! And that bulletin board, so chic!
Jessie
http://www.mixandchic.com
My favorite area is the desk nook. Turned out fantastic. What a labor of love sewing all those pillows. Oh, and that nightstand? Wow. Amazing what a little black paint can do.
What a great "after". You sure knew how to put that $500 to work! I love the chevron rug, lumbar pillow, and the roman shade. Awesome job!
I love how you made her existing furniture totally work. I feel like more often than not, the reality is that we have to use the furniture we've got. You really gave the space new life, great job!
Wow! That is so impressive…I would love to be learn to sew pillows, they make such a difference!
how lucky your momma id to have you! i love that you worked within the budget for real…we have all seen way too many tv shows where they say that they are doing a $500 makeover, yet somehow manage to sew slipcovers, miraculously find all the furniture they need at a thrift store for under $10, paint the room, replace the bedding…
your $500 makeover looks amazing, and you added so much personality to the room!
That is an amazing transformation! I am inspired by all of your DIY projects…that bulletin board is just fabulous!
What a transformation!!!
Love it!!
Especially the nice set up for the desk!
Great job! I think high-glossing that desk in peacock blue would make the room 🙂
Hey Love. I think this is one of my favorite posts you have done. Don't forget the 1.5 hours I put into the room 🙂 If your mom only knew how much work you put into this…
It looks great! I used to love the show Decorating Cents on HGTV…they had some of the best transformations for under $500!
Love it!! Great job! That's a great transformation for only $500! I really need to rethink where I buy my fabric- I bought a zebra print fabric that looks a whole lot like the one you used, but mine was $10/yd.
Your mom's guest room turned out LOVELY! This is such an inspiration to me since I'm doing the exact same thing for my parents' guest room(s)! I am loving your fabric and color choices. And the pillows you sewed are fabulous!
big big change!!!is different room.great work
Hi Kirsten,
What a great makeover! I really love the use of the botanical book prints for art. I just wanted to let you know that I left 6th Street as my blog crush over on Vintage Revivals today 🙂 I love your blog-you do beautiful work and have inspired me. Have a great day!
Emily
Oh, nicely done!
you did a great job! can you come do my spare bedroom? 🙂
http://thisredheadsaid.tumblr.com/
NICE!! i really like that inspiration board….so pretty! :)))
http://www.madebygirl.com
madebygirl.blogspot.com
looks amazing! i'm sure you don't have time for questions… but what are the dimensions of the pillows on the couch? also, where do you get the inserts? and you only use down right?
This was a GREAT post Kirsten. I love how you gave teasers, and then the finished result was revealed! SO great! I am sure your mom loves it! You inspire me lady! Can't wait to make some fun stuff for my house. I lucked out and have an amazing sewer in the family that can make AMAZING pillows (mom!) She is awesome at piping, so if you ever need help to do some, I am sure we could take an hour and she could help us both! Talk to you soon!
M
Love what you've done on a shoestring! BTW, speaking of cheap and fee items, I have a beautiful vase giveaway going on over at the Eagles Nest right now.
Vast improvement!
All of your talent and hard work really shows. You did a beautiful job! Love the pillows you made and the fun fabrics. Great blue lamp, Roman shade, the prints on the wall and bulletin board. The whole room is nicely put together and a very comfortable and cozy space. I am sure your mom is thrilled.
It turned out so great! I'm well past college age, but that price range and DIY would be perfect for a student on a budget for a small dorm room or apartment!
Great job regardless of the budget! I love the artwork and the pillows you made. You are right about keeping costs low by doing the work yourself. It's worth it in the end!
I love what you did to that room – it looks wonderful and cost efficient. Well done you and thanks a million for sharing.
A xx
I so know what you mean about small budget makeover. I do it all the time for my friends and family, and yeah I say the same thing, don't look too close:). But we do it out of love for design (I will go to any extreme or learn a new skill to get the job done). You did a great job with the room! I love the bulletion board area. The whole roo. Looks so pulled together. I just re- did my sisters bathroom after 11 years of looking at my budget decorating.
You are right about a small budget…you really do have to be creative. But you worked it girl…it looks fabulous!
What a transformation…love the ikat fabric!!
Wow! You did a great job! Bet your mom is excited!
Title
This is an amazing design for $500! I love seeing rooms that can be pulled together on a budget. You are right, it may not be perfect, but is is definitely do-able!!
Great Job those boys and their messy rooms 🙂
You said my exact thoughts with the DIY. I hardly ever paint clients' furniture or do DIY projects. I could go off and off about that. We'll save that though. 🙂 Nice job, it looks beautiful.
What an amazing transformation! It's all so gorgeous. Loooooooove the throw pillows. I need to learn out to sew. Haha!
Wow…this makeover is amazing! So many great DIY ideas and the room truly looks put together!