Your home may have a room that begs for a redo, but it's languished for lack of inspiration or cash. Help is here.
We found homeowners with common problem rooms, paired each one with a designer and set a strict budget for materials (design work and labor are not included). The results: An uninviting foyer made convivial for $500, and a tired bathroom now vanity-worthy for $1,000.
$500 foyer
Rochelle Graham, of Westchester County, N.Y., says her home's entryway should make a good first impression. Instead, she says, it's "stark and uninviting."
Designer: Lisa Skelley of Avon, Conn., started her career as a textile designer, and for the past several years she has worked as a "redesigner" certified by Interior Redesign Industry Specialists.
Solution: You can get a lot of bang for your buck with paint. Because the foyer is visible from the living and dining rooms, it's important to use a complementary paint color and run it up the stairwell to the second-floor landing for continuity. Skelley suggests Benjamin Moore's Monroe Bisque, a color that contrasts with the home's white trim, in a washable flat finish. She proposes furnishing the foyer with a slim console table and mirror from the Bombay Co., but you can order similar items from Pier 1 Imports, Target and HomeDecorators.com. All offer good-quality furniture for budget-conscious buyers as well as online shopping.
The plan: Paint, $148. Table, $179 (on sale). Mirror, $99 (on sale). Rug, $99
$1,000 bathroom
Mark Solheim, of Washington, D.C. (and a Kiplinger's editor), describes his bathroom as "early Roman baths" and says it needs a redo and better storage.
Designer: Jessica Cannon is a project designer at Expo Design Center in Fairfax, Va. She is completing a master's in interior architecture at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, in Washington, D.C., and will soon be certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association. She is also a student member of the American Society of Interior Designers.
Solution: Extend the home's arts-and-crafts style into the bathroom. The centerpiece is a furniture-style vanity ensemble — "a great design solution for a fantastic price," Cannon says. It includes two attached side towel bars, a mirror and a shelf. The brushed-nickel faucet and accessories make a "huge impact" for little more than the cost of standard chrome, she says. A wall cabinet keeps the space free of clutter. A new light fixture above the mirror replaces outdated sidelights, illuminating the vanity and surrounding area. A curved shower-curtain rod provides more elbow room. For another $350, new shower and tub hardware and a new toilet could be added.
The plan: Vanity/faucet, $589. Storage unit, $170. Lighting, $110. Hardware, $125.