Room Revamp on a budget. Chancella Blog.
I mentioned in my previous blog post that we have been redecorating rooms in our house. The bedroom is finished, so I am posting before and after pictures with tips and advice on how we created this space on a limited budget. We bought our house two and a half years ago. While it was in good decorative order, every room would ultimately need to be revamped, with some jobs being more complicated then others.
We started with the biggest job, the kitchen and left the bedrooms until last.
The picture above is the master bedroom completed. It’s a small room but we decided not to extend it and keep our dressing room separate from the bedroom.
Because every room in the house needs to be upgraded we have to be mindful of how much we spend. We don’t want to put too much money into the house without adding value to the resale price. We aren’t selling but you never know what the future holds and you need to be practical when it comes to equity in your home.
Like thrifting, I love the challenge of spending less and adding value. I have a particular style that runs all through the house and I love mixing old with new.
Long before I became interested in sustainabile fashion I spent more of my time searching for antiques, Bric a brac, vintage items and paintings to decorate our home. You can pick any style now a days for your home and often you can buy a vintage or antique version that is very similar. Modern interior design often harks back to a bygone era. You will quite often get an original piece, like an Ercol chair. This style of furniture is still being replicated today to suit modern interiors even thought they became popular in the 60’s.I have inserted photos below as an example.
Before I started the bedroom, I looked at magazines and went online for inspiration. Because we knew we wanted to use colour, I refered to Farrow and Ball and Colourtrend on Instagram. They have so many photos to scroll through to see how a colour will look in a room.
It’s funny, because I ended up deciding on green for the room after spotting it on a wall colour at a restaurant while having coffee with a friend. Cleverly she told me to take a photo so I could use it as a reference when I was buying the paint. I would like to note here that a great way to be more sustainable and budget friendly is to ask friends and family if they have paint in a similar colour to that you intend to use. I lucked out with when I was decorating my living room and hall. My sister had Farrow and Ball paint left over from her last room renovation. I only needed to buy a very small amount to complete the job. For the bedroom revamp I had to buy the paint.I got a great deal in B&Q who were offering three for the price of two on paint so I got the white colour for free. I used a Dulux matt emulsion in the colour Tranquil Dawn.
I had initially wanted to use a dado rail in the room but when I stared looking up room inspiration ideas online, I realised the picture rail would add height to the room and had the look I was going for.
The point here is that I started with an idea and after some research changed the design to suit the room and style. Make sure you are open to changing your initial ideas but be decisive in your final decision before you start buying paint and curtains etc.
After I decided on a paint colour, I went in search of curtains. I found the perfect colour curtains in Ikea. They were very narrow so I got two sets for each side of the window. While it ended in extra expense, it would have taken away from the overall look. The real bonus is that the curtains have been made from recycled materials!
Before we could start, the builder had to remove the sink in the room and make a radiator cover. My husband fitted the light also from Ikea and the coving and picture rail both purchased from B&Q.
You can see in the picture we have a pair of matching mirrors either side of the bed. I actually only had one which I had bought some time ago in NCBI Home charity shop in Ringsend, Co. Dublin. I intended hanging a gold framed mirror in a similar shape on the left side of the bed. During the revamp I was in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary and nipped into the NCBI shop to have a little look around when I stumbled upon the match of my first mirror! There was at least 6 months between the two purchases! Now that I have the matching mirrors, I’m not sure if anything else would really have worked.
Overall I’m really pleased with how the room turned out. The majority of the budget went on the radiator cover and curtains, but we saved by doing the rest ourselves. Fitting coving can be expensive and when you start to factor in two tone paint schemes, hiring professionals for the job can send you budget soaring. DIY is not for everyone but worth a try if you have the time and patience. It took extra time but we spent just under 500 euro, this included paying for the builder to remove the sink and make the radiator cover. If we did not have those expenses, it would have cost us 200 euro.
Tips for a room revamp:
Research. look to magazines, Instagram, Pinterest and even real life situations for inspiration.
Decide on your design.
Set a budget, don't just blow the budget if it gets too hard to find an item. Look for second hand items. If you want to DIY , ask friends and family about paint and accessories you can upcycle to suit the space.
Decorating a small space:
Maxamise storage, such as under bed or make a window seat with storage included. Where budget allows, go for built in wardrobes.
By going for wall to wall curtains it gives the illusion of width in a room.
A picure rail can give the illusion of heigth in a small room
Avoid very dark colours.
Mirrors can ad light and space.
Please comment below if you have anymore helpful hints or tips on decorating on a budget!