
We're kicking off a new topic over at BlogHer. Hosted by Rhoda of Southern Hospitality, we are chatting about Bed and Bath - "Pretty is as pretty does". Love this topic because those two space are constantly on my mind. I either am thinking about how much I HATE our bathrooms or how much I LOVE the color of my bedroom walls and how much I wish I could stay in bed all day and just look at it. They just make me happy. (I know I am a dork!)
When we first moved into the house we are living in now, I had BIG plans to knock down a wall, redo the bathrooms and build a patio. I bought magazines, watched tv remodel shows, asked my interior design friend's opnions and went to open house. Heck, I started a blog based on checking out other homes just because I wanted an excuse to go on home tours and check out other people's homes. Alas, my home still looks alot like it did when I bought it because of two things - time and money! So I have had to recalibrate a little and think more strategically about how to make over a house, when I have little of both - moolah and time, yet plenty of kids to get in the way.
I've got a few tips and am looking for some from you:
Paint: It is cheap, relative to other renovation ideas. You can go big with doing an entire room with multiple colors or you can go super easy with painting just one wall. You can bring order to your home by painting a dark color that can cover up grubby finger prints or go bright to bring energy into a room.
Start with One Focal Point: Look at your bedroom or bathroom and figure out what could be a simple quick start. My bedroom is tiny, so I started with the dark bed and the Korean screen from my mother-in-law. I needed something to balance that, so I painted the room a bright, almost tiffany blue. I loved the dark brown bed set, so I looked for duvet cover that brought complimented it. When we repainted the room, I wanted a pop of color, so added purple throw pillows. CHEAP from Target, thrown in the basket along with the suntan lotion and cheetos. Simple updating of a room, without going out of my way.
Lighting: I bought new lamp shades recently on the same trip above. I think they add a pop of color and texture. A shade can change a lamp dramatically. These are great examples cause I've had these lamps since before I was married <like a million years ago>. I've just changed the shades 3-4 times to match the room. Did you notice I still have the tags on the lamp shades? Going on 3 weeks and still haven't decided if I like them. What do you think?
This summer, we are taking on the kids rooms. Since they will be home from school, my plan is to use them to do the painting. Should be entertaining...or a nightmare. SO, how can you make over your bedroom and bathroom when you have zero
time, zero money, and kids running around like crazy? Would love to hear your thoughts on it!