Summer Rental Redesign: Final Reveal

Well, seeing as it's September now, it's probably time to share the results of my $200 Rental Redesign Challenge.  We're actually about to list everything on Craigslist, so before everything starts to disappear, I took some pictures of the living room.

It went from this boringness:

To this, more homey living room:

Here is a breakdown of where the money went:

Coffee/End Tables: $30
Two Mid-century Modern Chairs: $7
Lamps: $20 + $7 decorative supplies
Fabric: $20
Frames: $10
TV Stand: $25
Bird Cage: $5
Accessories: $10
Supplies: $10

Total: $144

Time to put the whole project together and see how I did.  Here's a reminder of what our bedroom looks like now:

And one last view of the living room, with a little baby head in the corner:

Living Room: $144
Bedroom: $63.85
Total Overall Cost: $ 207.85

Pretty close to $200...though $5 of that went to the birdcage that Adam actually bought.  So, really I was pretty much on target!  It really has made this place feel a lot like a home.  I think we've used the apartment way more than any summer in the past.

Now the real test will be if we can get our money back re-selling most of what we bought.  I'm pretty confident that we will make the money back easily!   I'll update when we've sold it all.

Edit:  I also wanted to note, that surprisingly the headboard made of foam board has held up really well.  It's still in excellent condition even though we've been using it for several months!  And to see all of the before/afters from this project, see here.

Summer Rental Redesign: TV Stand Before/After

Phew!  The day is almost over, but here is the TV stand.  Nothing too dramatic!  Just a quick coat of $5 Home Depot Oops Paint in a nice chocolate brown.  I still would like to do some sort of paper backing on the inside, but I'm waiting for something to jump out at me!

Before (dinged up wood and a weird laminate top):

And the after:

I think if we were keeping this piece, I would maybe put some sort of screen on the middle cubby to hide the equipment.  I actually wish we could take this back home with us...I happen to love the size and shape of it!

Summer Rental Redesign: Bedroom Before/After

I've just about finished our bedroom.  It ended up costing around $65 but we feel much more comfortable!  Plus, I'll sell some of it back and keep the rest (like the frames and letters).  I'd say this whole project has been worth it!

Here is the boring before:

And the after:

(Yikes, I don't know what I did to these photos but the coloring is awful!  I'll try and fix these sometime today)

Print from Kantan Designs.

Project Costs:

Headboard- $27
Nightstand- $4.95
Lamp- $8.95
Silver Accessory- $2.95
Navy Pillowcase- $ 3
Pink Pillow-$3
Cardboard Letters- $8
Frames-$6

Total: $63.85

To read about this project, click here.

Summer Rental Redesign: Headboard

We finally put the headboard up in the bedroom.  It was such a simple project and I think it really adds to the room.  I plan on revealing the bedroom sometime this week! The only thing I have left to do is to decide which prints I want to put in the frames I bought.

Here is a quick peek at the headboard:

Do I wish I had made my bed better for the picture?  Yes.  But I'll redeem myself in the final reveal.  

I mentioned before that I wasn't going to make the headboard the same way many I had seen many bloggers do.  Most of the tutorials I've seen use wood, but that means I'd need some tools that we don't have out here.  Plus it would be heavier to mount, again needing more tools that we don't currently have!  So instead, I used their basic ideas but skipped the wood.  I used foam board as a substitute!  I bought 2 pieces of foam board and used duct tape to hold them together.  Then I stapled the batting and fabric onto the board.  Next, I spray painted the trim pieces and then glued them together with wood glue.  To attach the trim to the foam board, I just used a hot glue gun. We rested the headboard on the mattress and then used a few sticky velcro pieces we already had to attach it to the wall.  Simple as that!

Here's a rundown of the costs:

Foam Board-$6
Batting-$3
Fabric-$4 (Navy corduroy on clearance at Joanns)
Trim-$14 (Here's where I goofed! I wanted to buy trim by the foot but I accidentally grabbed the fancy trim you by per piece.  I had already started cutting it down at Home Depot when I realized my mistake.  So I had to buy 2 pieces for $7 each.  Oops!)
 Total Cost- $27

More than I was hoping to spend, but I'm still under my $200 budget so I can't be too upset about it! Lesson learned?  Look before you cut!!




To read about the Summer Rental Redesign project, click here.

Summer Rental Redesign: Curtains

I bought the curtain fabric back home at Home Fabrics.  It was my inspiration for the whole room! Instead of sewing the curtains, I used Stitch Witchery and ironed the curtain seams.  Much simpler!  They weren't quite long enough so I sewed on some additional fabric and hot glued a piece of trim along the seam.  

The curtains are really more for show than anything.  They frame the sliding glass door.  I didn't want to buy a curtain rod since one of that size would be expensive.  Instead I picked up some sticky velcro squares and stuck one onto the existing blinds track and the other on the back of the curtains.  Not something I would normally do, but it saved me money and made more sense than buying a huge curtain rod I wouldn't use again!

{Don't mind the poor quality photos...I tried to snap some right before flying out to PA and was apparently in too much of a hurry to check to make sure they turned out...The focus isn't even on the velcro square, which is what I was attempting to show!}


Adam is such a good husband and is working on our TV stand while I'm gone.  He should be done by the time we get back and the room will pretty much be complete!

Summer Rental Redesign: Coffee Table Before/After

When we bought the coffee table and end tables, I really didn't like them.  I bought them out of desperation.  I wasn't finding anything that would work within my budget.  I was worried if I passed up this set for $30 I would spend the rest of the summer searching.  Here is a before shot:

Can I just say I LOVE them now?  We used a couple of cans of Rust Oleum's Navajo White and now they look brand new.  Maybe even a little Pottery Barn-esque.  Here is the after:

And here's a little sneak peek of some more of the room.  As you can see, I still don't have pictures in the frames just yet, but the room is closer to being done!

I bought the blue decorative paper from Joann's on sale for $1 each and the vases were also $1.   I made the plain blue pillow cover for the existing couch cushion and the Liberty of London pillow was $9 clearance at Target.  I plan on taking it home with me at the end of the summer!

Summer Rental Redesign: TV Stand Before

Happy Memorial Day!  You better believe I have coupons in hand and am hitting up Joanns/Michaels/Hobby Lobby!  I'm also hoping for a little pool time, though I'm not sure the weather is going to cooperate.  I hope you've been enjoying your long weekend.  Adam and I went to see Iron Man 2 at the drive-ins on Saturday.  It was perfect because we didn't even need a sitter.  Rilo just slept the whole time!  We're planning on going to the drive-ins throughout the summer!

Even though I didn't really need a TV stand, I saw this on Craigslist for $25 and had to have it.  I think it will really tie the room together and make it feel complete.  I had been using the ugly end table that the company provided but this will fit in better with the room.  Plus, I think after we refinish it, we will be able to resell it for much more than $25.  

 Sorry about the poor iPhone photo.  I'll take a better "before" soon.

It's going to need a bit of work...It has some scratches on the top.  Normally, I would paint this a fun color but for resale purposes, I think I'll go more neutral and do a chocolate brown.  I'm even considering just staining it.  I want to line the backs of the 3 shelves with some paper.  Again, I'm thinking a bit more traditional than my normal style.   I like these specialty/wrapping papers.

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I'm liking the brown and gold options...They would tie in the gold in some of the frames hanging above the couch.

I'm about $30 away from reaching my $200 budget.  I have all of my main pieces and most likely will  use the rest on accessories! It already feels homey...Adam and I are loving how much more comfortable we feel in the apartment!  (To read more about what I'm doing and why, click here)

Summer Rental Redesign: Nightstand & Lamp Before/After

The bedroom is coming along, slowly but surely.  The lamp below was marked as $5.99 at Tuesday Morning but rang up for $2.99!  Score!  The nightstand was from Salvation Army and was only $4.95. 

After a couple coats of spray paint on each, they now look like this:

The letters propped up will be going up on the wall soon!

Perfect Timing

I FINALLY found end tables and a coffee table for the living room.  I've searched out Salvation Army several times and have been checking Craigslist daily.  I could not find anything under $100!  Finally I found someone who was moving and was desperate to get rid of their set.  So I got 3 huge pieces for $30. 

We are in the process of painting the dinged up wood a nice ivory color.  Each piece has a glass top and I've been brainstorming ideas for what I could do to jazz up the tops.  Today I was checking All Things Thrifty and Brooke just happened to post a tutorial on etching glass.  What perfect timing!

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I love this idea, however I'm a little nervous to do something so permanent when I plan on reselling the items at the end of the summer.  I have a few other ideas I'm mulling in my head, but would love other suggestions if anyone has any!

Summer Rental Redesign: Lamp Before/After

We picked these lamps up from a yard sale.  Adam and I decided to do a little mix and match since we didn't like the shades that originally went with the lamps.  We grabbed lamp shades from another pair of lamps at the sale.  We paid $10 per lamp (too much I think), but I love how they turned out. 

Here is the before (I forgot to include the shade):

After:

I gave the lamps a coat of a pale green spray paint.  I bought some decorative rope at Hobby Lobby for $5 and hot glued it to the lamp shades just to add a little something extra.  Hopefully soon I'll have endtables to place these nice "new" lamps on!  Total cost for the 2 lamps: $27.  Again, that price is much higher than I was planning, but I think they turned out perfect.  Plus I think I can sell them back for at least that much!

And here's a peek at the nightstand I found at Salvation Army for $4.95.  It's in the process of getting a navy blue paint treatment.

On Saturday I also picked up a pair of mid-century modern (my favorite era) chairs from a yard sale.  I was expecting to ask the price and have to sadly walk away, but I was shocked when the lady told me she would take $7 for both of them.  Adam and I are actually hoping we can take them back home with us.  That's how much we love them!

Progress

I swear there is not enough time in the day!  I have SO many things I want to do and I feel like I never get them done.  Yesterday while running some errands, I stopped by Salvation Army.  I found some frames for the living room wall.

I found a great dress for me and an adorable bedsheet that I'm going to turn into a dress for Rilo Jane.   I'll post more about those when I get them done.

I also put the first coat of spray paint on the lamps.  I should finish up the painting and will hopefully fix up the lampshades tomorrow.

Summer Rental Redesign

Every summer we move into an apartment with little more than blank walls, rental furniture and the few items we bring along.  We spend 4 months in a place that never feels quite like home.  In an effort to a) make this place a little more homey b) give me something to do and c) allow me to get creative and decorate again, I am going to be doing a $200 summer rental redesign challenge.

Here's my plan:  I am going to take $200 and do as much as I can to this apartment.  I'll be refinishing furniture, sewing and DIY-ing lots of little projects and blogging the projects these next few months.  Then at the end of the summer, I plan to sell the things I have bought back for at least what I paid for them originally (and hopefully for more than I paid).  I'll be hitting lots of thrift stores, Craigslist (though apparently people in Chicago think their junk is worth a lot.  I can't seem to find anything on there for under $50!) and yard sales.

I'll be focusing mainly on the living room and the bedroom since that is where we spend the most time, but I hope to do a little something to the dining area and the guest room.  This really will be a challenge since we have less rental furniture than usual.  I'll need to get several major items.

• End tables for the living room (we have one but I don't like it)
• Nightstands for the bedroom
• Lamps for the living room and the bedroom (we have a lamp in the living room, but again, I don't like it)
• Headboard
• Desk

The rest of the money will go to wall art, fabric, decorations, accessories, etc.

I am so excited to start on this project!  I have been dying to redecorate my house, but since we just finally finished all of the rooms and since we won't be there too much longer, it just wouldn't make much sense.  So here's my chance to play with different color schemes, patterns, etc.

I am off to a bit of a head start.  I went to Home Fabrics back home since they were having an amazing sale.  Select home decorator fabrics were $3 a yard, but on the day I went they were a dollar off.  So I ended up picking several different fabrics for $2 a yard.  Home decorator fabrics for $2!!!  Here is a sneak peek of the living room fabrics (and of the boring rental couch).

And here are the living room lamps I picked up at a yard sale for $10 a piece.  A little pricey for my budget, so I'll have to be careful with the rest of the money though.  I'll be spray painting these since they're in pretty rough condition!

Want to play along?  Set yourself a budget and makeover a room in your own house!  You could give it a fresh summer look without making any major changes.  I would love to see what someone else does with a minimal budget and lots of creativity! 

Can't wait to get started!