A Simple Makeover on a Real-Life Budget
One room we decided to tackle in our new home was the described as a "bonus/family" room on the property listing. Having two living spaces/office space was on our list of things we were looking for when we were house hunting.
This space had a rather bold personality, with the lower three-quarters of the walls painted the world's darkest green. So dark that until we got a piece of trim in the sunlight, we thought it was black! This color was paired with a vibrant, floral boho-ish/70s-ish wallpaper on the top portion of the wall. The room made quite a statement and reflected a very different era of design than what we go for. For us, it felt heavy and very dark.
We saw this space a great place to tuck in an office paired with a library, and cozy seating to read or enjoy morning tea. We would call it the study.
The light fixture, a large drapey, beaded, 1970s-style piece, was also a distinctive element of the room. While it added personality, it hung quite low for the space, so we decided to swap it for something a bit more understated and a bit more our style.
Our goal for this room was to create a soft, English cottage–inspired study, something timeless and soothing, using as much as we could from what we already had. Happily, the wallpaper can off fairly easily, for wallpaper. Another nice discovery we discovered in the wallpaper removal process was to find that the paneling went from floor to ceiling. It made sense as soon as we saw this since this was originally the one-care garage for this house. It's a common thing to find garages from the 60s covered in dark paneling from top to toe. Anyway, we knew from experience from the cottage guest bedroom makeover in our previous home that paneling, once painted, immediately looks like a higher grade tongue-and-groove paneling.
We removed the wallpaper, primed the walls, then I began working with a new color for the room. This was a bit tricky! All along I'd had it in mind to use the gorgeous neutral "Universal Khaki" by SW that we had great success with in our last home. But...
We quickly discovered that the lighting and the reddish undertones from the brick and the faux wood floors did terrible things to this neutral color. Instead of a lovely soft mushroom brown, we had a color that, to me, looked like mustard that had gone bad! Back to the drawing board with color choices.
On this section of wall we painted a patch of Universal Khaki, with the two light green colors we were considering. The two contenders were "Cottage Hill" and "Meditation Time," both by Sherwin Williams.
I tried the two colors on a different wall with a piece of art that was typical of what we might use. In the end, "Cottage Hill," the slightly more blue green, won.
Another unique feature of the room is a set of beautiful French doors that open onto a large concrete patio. Currently, there is a significant drop with a dangerously rickety stack of concrete blocks for steps. Eventually, we’ll add proper steps to create a functional entryway, or relocate the doors. This will be part of a patio makeover in the future... For now, (as you'll see) we’ll placed a comfy loveseat in front of the doors, turning that spot into a cozy, well lit reading nook, and conveniently preventing anyone from accidentally falling down onto the patio below!
Here is the room all painted and ready for decorating! This soft, light green instantly changed the whole mood of the room. The color brings such a sense of calm, and it shifts beautifully throughout the day as the light moves around the room. The light, fresh green also provides a natural indoors/outdoor connection. This project has reminded us that creating a beautiful home doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch. Sometimes it’s about making thoughtful updates, using what’s already there, and working within your means to create a space that feels like you.
Finally, we swapped out the light fixture with a gorgeous antique brass pan light with etched glass shades. Matt's Mom and I found this fixture in an antique shop probably a year and a half ago. This style of light fixture usually runs about $250 - $350, so I was delighted to find this one for $150! This chandelier, complements the Hollywood Regency brass chandelier in our nearby dining room. It’s a subtle touch, but it ties the spaces together and adds a hint of old-world charm.
Then it was time to bring in the rest of the furniture, the bookcases, the lamps, and art. I love this part the most! Right before your eyes a box of a room becomes a space that feels like home.
On the wall with the brick we lined up the bookcases and (finally) were able to unload the books. Until this point we were still skirting about stacks of book boxes in the garage/shop. We were both so ready to be done with boxes! Funnily enough two of the bookcases were painted in Universal Khaki from that last home and they looked just fine over the soft green paint color.
In the only other corner we set up Matt's office. His roll top desk and tall cabinet fit perfectly. It was so exciting to finally hang his favorite pieces of art over his desk and create a space for him to work.
Next to the bookcases a little antique marble topped Eastlake nightstand (found on Marketplace for $62.50!), slipped right in. This created the ideal spot for the long oak mirror that I was previously scratching my head on where to place. It was unexpected, but these two pieces paired up perfectly!
No surprise, we have more books than will fit in the bookcases, so some of them are lined up on top. Along with the books are a few dog figurines, a piece of art casually leaning on the brick, and a vintage blue Tiffany lamp.
From a slightly different angle, the mirror reflects the stacked art and lamp across the room.
The loveseat solved our step-less patio issue beautifully and has become a cozy spot to enjoy a hot cup of tea, and a juicy design book while Matt finishes evening office work. Again, I love the unexpected pairing of these two folksy paintings. They were bought years apart, one from a thrift store, the other from an antique shop. They look as if they were painted to go together! It will be fun to see how this space evolves over the years as our needs change, and we are able to tackle more projects. I hope you've enjoyed this post and have drawn inspiration from it to improve your home. Home, after all, is about making the best of what you’ve got, and loving it along the way. Until next time, take care,
Warmly,
Rachel
