Budget Friendly Makeover

I have never had a customer say, “I have an endless budget.” Usually, when making over a space there is a budget but customers are not sure what to get rid of and what to keep to stay in the budget. Since my roots are in “Use what you have decorating”, I like to incorporate the old things that will still work into the new look. The next decision is what to buy new? This can really stop progress for many homeowners because they just don’t know where to start. Consequently, things don’t move forward due to indecision or spaces don’t get completed due to disagreement between the homeowners. Let’s take a peek into a Lily model living room that has been transformed on a friendly budget somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• The Plan
The homeowners request was to add some spice. They had begun buying things but it was not feeling pulled together or finished. They were unhappy with their sofa color and wanted a light look while still using color.

• Paint
Start with the paint. We had to paint because the walls were stark white. It felt very sterile so we decided that one color throughout would complement everything in the space. We decided the color should be Rain-washed 6211. This color is a green based blue with a touch of grey to make it neutral. The color was selected from the fundamentally neutral line and it is therefore a soft neutral blue.

• Furniture placement
Placing the furniture in the right spot is paramount before you can begin to change a space. The dining room had a buffet against the back wall and a bar on the opposing wall. That was too much furniture with the table in the space. I suggested that we move the bar to the foyer. It was small enough to look like a foyer piece and serve as a bar. The great thing about a Lily is you don’t have to walk that much farther to get a drink with the bar in the foyer. Tip: I have done this many times with small bars and it works great. The key is to hang art and accessorize the bar to look like a foyer table and it will look like a foyer table.

• Dining Room
Now that we cleared out the dining room we angled the table for a bit of interest and it does work well with the natural walk pattern. We could not fit a rug in this space, with the table at an angle, because to fit an 8×10 it would spill out into the walk path and create a tripping hazard.

• Dining room art and mirror
The dining room had three pictures on the wall opposing the slider. The pictures were small and had no color. We put a large arched mirror on the wall opposing the slider to collect all the light and the mirror looks like a window. We placed two tall pictures of palm trees on the small wall in the dining room to add drama and color. We placed the buffet on the wall opposing the dining room and we hung a large ocean scene over the buffet.

• Living Room
The living room had a dark sofa that the homeowner did not like at all. They decided to sell it and get a much lighter sofa. This was a good idea since the lighter color sofa blends so nicely with their two new chairs. The two chairs have tiny stripes of tan and teal colors. We found a tan swivel chair in the guest bedroom that found a new home in the living room to finish off the seating area.

• TV console
Often on such a big wall the TV console looks so plain but we made it look finished. We added a large six foot shelf above the TV console. The shelf draws the eye upward and creates a large focal point that is more to scale with the large wall. We hung a large clock above the shelf and placed greenery on one side of the clock and green starfish on silver stands on the other side of the clock. Tip:
This illustrates how important scale is to a space. A large wall needs something large to look balanced.

• Rug
We chose a rug that is a solid greenish teal. We bought it in an 8×10 so that it would fill up the space. In the living room I placed the rug close to the console and just a bit of the rug under the couch. I like the walk way in the living room to have all rug or no rug. If we place the rug half-way into the walk space, someone could trip or roll their ankle.

• Candle Sconces
I love the candle sconces! In the Lily there is often a question of what to do with the space between the TV and the dining room buffet. We hung four candle sconces and they look amazing. The candles are electric and look like they have a real flame. They can be lit by remote control.

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.finishingtouchfl.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com or Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below