E-Design Boards — Budget Wise Home

January 18, 2012

Some Recent Design Boards

One of my favorite things about running this blog is getting to decorate for others. It’s a dream for me and there’s nothing I love more than dreaming up a space for my clients (all on a budget!). I’ve had so much fun working with Cathey, one of my e-design clients, on a few rooms in her home during the past few months. Here are the design boards I came up with for her guest bedroom and entryway.

She was leaning toward a blue and orange scheme for the guest bedroom and I was happy to run with it.

For the entry, she wasn’t sure what she wanted. I came up with this yellow and gray scheme with a pop of blue.

I kind of want to move in with her! She’s promised to send me pics of the finished rooms, so I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

If you want help creating a space you love, contact me about my e-design services.

July 8, 2011

Fun Tween Bedroom

I don’t often get the chance to design a girls bedroom, so when Emily’s mom contacted me for help I was so excited. Emily is a cute, hip 12 year old who loves pink and bright colors. She wanted a room that was girly and her mom wanted something a little more sophisticated that could grow with her. Here is what I came up with.

Emily’s Tween Bedroom

Here is the breakdown.

1. Ikea Maskros pendant. Adds a bit of whimsy and wow to the room. She’s got a high ceiling, so this will work beautifully. It also casts cool shadows on the walls at night.

2. Every tween needs a comfy place to curl up and read a book or talk on the phone. The color is youthful, but the shape is grown up and modern. It’s the best of both worlds.

3. This mirror will go above her dresser.

4. Paint color is “Magnolia Grandiflora” from the Martha Stewart line at Home Depot. This is the PERFECT grown up pink paint color. Very soft and light, with just a hint of pink.

5. I’m having Emily’s mom make an upholstered headboard in this orange velvet fabric. We’ll keep the bedding crisp and white to balance out all the color in the room. Her bedside table is also white.

6. This pink geometric fabric and orange floral are for pillows on the bed and chair.

7. Soft, creamy linen textured curtains from Ikea.

8. We’ll scatter a few more orange accessories around the room and use this lamp on her bedside table or dresser.

I hope you enjoyed all the boards this week. I had a blast working with such great clients. I’ll continue to show you new boards in the coming months.

If you would like your own personal design board and plan, contact me about my services.

Have a wonderful weekend!

March 9, 2011

Announcing my e-decorating services

It has been almost a year and a half since I started Budget Wise Home and I’m so excited to announce that I am now launching my e-decorating business. I receive so many design questions and emails that I decided it was time to take the plunge.

One BWH reader, Melissa, was brave enough to be my first client. Here are some of the pictures she sent me.

She wanted help with her underused living room. Most of her home is pretty neutral so she wanted this room to be a departure from that. She wanted something with life and color using greens, reds, and yellows. Here is what I came up with.

Melissa’s Living Room Design Board

Ok here is the breakdown:

Melissa did not want to paint the room, so we used her original paint color as a starting point (this is the background color on her design board). It’s a beautiful creamy, barely yellow color that will be a great background for the all the pops of color. She is currently using her patio furniture in the room, so the only thing staying is the paint color and the blinds.

The red fabric was my jumping off point for the whole room. It has all the beautiful colors that she was wanting. I pulled the green from that and coordinated some other fabrics. Melissa said she was up for some DIY projects so I’m having her make a bunch of throw pillows from all the fabric. The red will be an accent for the green chair. A combination of all three fabrics will be placed on the sofa.

Melissa had a gift card to Crate & Barrel and decided to put that toward a new sofa. I chose this one because of the arched top. It will tie in beautifully with all the arched doorways in her home. On each side of the sofa I put an end table and lamp. The acrylic lamp will add a little glam that she was also looking for. If she needs extra storage she can throw a basket under the tables and toss stuff in there. Three crisp white frames with black and white photos will look great on the wall above the sofa.

I didn’t want the space to feel too bulky with all the furniture items we needed. So I chose a few coffee table cubes with glass shelves and tops. The glass will give the room a lighter feel and won’t be so visually cramped.

The green slipper chairs will sit in front of the fireplace, angled in toward the sofa to create a nice conversation area (the same spot her 2 chairs are in now). Melissa and her husband did the tile work on the fireplace themselves!! The starburst mirror will hang above the fireplace to make it a focal point. A few vases on the mantel will complete the look. It’s simple, but elegant.

Moving on to the window wall. I opted not to do any extra window treatments and just leave the existing bamboo blinds on their own. It would have been too much and her window moldings are beautiful. She wanted some kind of storage/seating for this wall, but there is also a heater there that we can’t completely cover. She has a bench in her dining room that I think will go perfectly under the window. I want her to paint it white and then recover the top with the red fabric. Next to each side of the bench, flanking the windows are these bookcases. They are pretty plain, but she can add some crown molding to beef them up and make them look a little more custom/built in. This will create a cozy little window seat/nook where she can toss a few more pillows as well. A floor lamp in the corner will give a little more light.

The rug I chose for her is a bold statement, but I think it’s just what the room needs to send it over the top. One of the main challenges was that the room is long, skinny, and narrow. The pattern will elongate the room and make it appear larger. The black and white are neutrals and a little black always helps to ground a space. It may seem like a lot of pattern with the rug and pillows, but the main big furniture pieces are solid, which gives the eye a resting place and creates a balanced room.

So there you have it! Melissa’s new living room plan. I can’t wait to hear what you guys think.

Do you want a design board of your own? I am now officially accepting clients. Please visit my e-decorating services page for more info.

Here are all the sources for this design board.

1. Paint: Sherwin Williams, Cottage Cream

2. Ribba Frame: Ikea, $17.99

3. Avington Slipper Chair-Faux Leather Green: Target, $110.49

4. Home ORB Sunburst Metal Mirror: Target, $24.99

5. Silhouette Sofa in Maya Taupe: Crate & Barrel, $999.00

6. Pillow Fabrics: