How To Achieve Budget Friendly High End Design With DIY Projects

Confidence Inspires Motivation For DIY Home Projects

As a young designer and homeowner, there is nothing I enjoy more than helping others create homes that are perfectly suited to their lifestyles and their budgets.  Ah yes…the budget.  We all have one.  Most of us also know the super weekend warrior who seems to DIY quicker and for less money than others.  Maybe they have a secret to their success.  Maybe they use the right interior design team for that outside the box thinking of sheer confidence!

Motivation Monday….

And Friday and Saturday

The weekends are the times the DIY home projects kick into high gear.  One of the most common projects homeowners want to do is to paint a room.  We agree, the right wall color can change the entire feeling of a space.  Paint is relatively inexpensive, and with the right color choice, and a quick YouTube video on how to paint, many of us can do some painting on a weekend and save a considerable amount of money.

But soon the savings seem to vanish when we start to finish our beautifully painted new room.  An inspirational photo will grab us, reel us in and then the bubble is burst when we start the hunt for the goods.

Good Design Does Not Have To Be Expensive

The problem happens when we get too set on having “exactly” what we see in a photo, or worse yet, a friend’s house.  This is called copying and is usually not a good thing.  Remember we talked about this a tad last week in the post How To Find An Inspiring Decor.  What if we told you the secret to “having what she is having” might just be paint.

Go back up and look at that beautiful living room by designer Nam Dang Mitchell.  Beige walls and gray furniture, pretty standard.  The attractive fireplace could be accomplished with some cool wall covering and a little bit of wood here and there.  Even the upholstered bench could be a DIY job.  The standout feature of this room is the pair of burnished gold tables.  We know them and they are expensive.

Enter your favorite design team with this idea.  Using three smaller, equal sized “gold” tables will have just as much impact.  Sure you can buy (3) of the metal lattice tables above.  Heck, you might find them at an online site for $500 each.  What if you used wooden tables with as much, or more design and used the Midas touch.  Lowe’s has this paint for $6.88.

2nd Hand Finds Are DIY Heaven

Our design team is the most fun when we help clients hunt and gather the items we have planned for their homes.   We don’t know if all of these pieces in the welcoming bedroom are new, but we do know how wonderful it could be to create the same feeling with some previously loved, budget friendly options.

Take a look above at what our team’s shopping consultant found today on Craig’s list.  We’d probably tweak the top finish on this previously painted chest and perhaps change out the handles.  The $60 mirror tho….it’s absolutely amazing with this chest.

Furnishings like these are easy to come upon and with a design plan in hand, you will have the confidence to know your purchases will be an asset to your home.

Ah, but what if you can’t see how a piece can work?  Or perhaps you have an idea but not sure how it will all shake out?  This is where the right designer can quickly say yay or nay, and off you go to continue the hunt or get in line at the paint store.

For about a Benjamin, and some black, then gold paint, you could be “having what she’s having” by the end of the weekend.  Of course you’d have to spring for six new knobs for that chest, and maybe hire us to show you how to build your bedroom around these new pieces.  Our mirror is better than their mirror!

We Are Always So Ahead Of The Design Curve!

The chandelier in this dining room is so attractive and completes this space.  It is loaded with detail and interest.  So is the one we used in our new home.

Here is the fixture as it hung in the original dining room. (which is now our family room)  It was so gloomy.

With a glossy new body and a new home in our shared office/dressing room, we are so happy every time we look at her.  Just paint allowed us to keep part of the history of our home.  She’s happy too…look at her smile on the ceiling!

Hiring A Designer Always Pay Off For DIY

We know what you are thinking.  I can do this myself.  I don’t need to pay a designer.  Perhaps you can DIY from start to finish.  Go for it and send us the photos because we love good design!  If you want something a little more design savvy, or think you have an idea and just need to run it past someone for the full green light, then call us.  Yes, you may pay our team the cost of a nail job, or a nice dinner out, but you’ll be the one with bragging rights at the next happy hour.

Want To Pay $70K Or $5000 To Get A New Kitchen?

Wait Till You See What Happened To This Kitchen

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