Whole house remodels take a lot of time, effort and money. As interior designers, it is our job to help our clients allocate their budget wisely to achieve their vision. Due to complexity and size, some rooms naturally require more of an investment, such as kitchens and master baths. However, leaving less for another room does not mean you have to sacrifice style.
Our clients have remodeled their whole house over the years, yet wanted to give their now teenage children bedrooms that reflected their personalities. They decided to surprise their daughter by creating a newly designed bedroom while she was at camp for a few weeks over the summer. Fortunately, the daughter had created an Ideabook on Houzz with her dreams for her bedroom that we could work from. We did not want to give her a design her mom loved but she despised! We only had a few weeks to pull off the project, but with careful planning and ordering, we were able to bring everything together.
We allocated the budget first for functionality and second for style. The room needed storage, so we worked with Zionsville Custom Cabinets to design a wall of open shelving and cabinetry that also served as nightstands for the bed. While this design element took up most of the budget, it was needed to make the space more functional and is a long-term investment that will stay with the home.
To create the style the daughter was looking for, we studied her Ideabook for common themes. Fortunately, she also commented on the photos so we knew what she liked about the pictures. We noted that she liked bright colors, cool lighting, and crazy combinations of patterns—a bit edgy but still appropriate for a 14-year-old girl.
We found the perfect fabrics and wall coverings for the design, but they were quite pricey. To manage the budget, we used these elements carefully, ensuring the greatest impact for the investment. We placed the wall coverings behind the shelving rather than on every wall. The other three we painted an understated color to allow the wall paper to pop. The expensive fabric was allocated sparingly as well; we used it on a flat cornice window treatment and on one side of an accent bed pillow. By placing these elements is such a way as to create the largest impact, we were able to fill in the rest of the design with less expensive yet still perfect items.
For example, our client found a nice white quilt and bed skirt from a mail order catalog. Also, the footstools were purchased at a big box store and reupholstered with an inexpensive fabric. We filled the shelves with personal items and memorabilia and then found the fill-in accessories at a discount home store. The lighting came from a mail-order catalog rather than a custom lighting distributor.
This design was one of the most fun projects we have ever been involved in! We had total creative license to craft the room of a young woman’s dreams, filled with bright colors, wild shapes, and funky elements. We also proved that good design can happen on any budget. We did not have to sacrifice quality or style by using pricey elements in limited amounts with maximum impact.
Looking to refresh your own home with an updated style? We’d love to help. Send us an email, or give us a call at 317-253-8986.
