quick fix: local great room

i was contacted a few weeks ago by jennifer, a young mom who lives pretty close to me.

she is on a tight budget, but wanted to to make some changes to her entry, 

family room and breakfast room. 

we emailed about the possibility of doing each room as an e-design

project, but the total design fee was going to blow her budget. instead, we decided on a home visit

in which we could walk through and discuss each room and talk about options. i took a few minutes

before our meeting to pull together some options that i thought might work for what she was wanting, 

and we met for just over an hour and a half at her home. we walked though each room, and as we talked,

i jotted down notes, wrote down websites that i thought would be helpful, made a few quick sketches, and showed her the page of ideas that i brought with me.

well, i was thrilled when jennifer  contacted me again and showed me her progress. she was able to find

some amazing treasures at ross and tj maxx, and got busy making pillows from the

 fabrics that we discussed.

before:

and  "almost" after:

what a difference some panels, some simple rearranging and the addition of a few new items makes!

 to keep her cost down, she sewed all the pillows herself.

 jennifer saw an idea in the ballard designs catalog where old books were bundled with twin. she 

went to a thrift store, bought some books, took the covers off and tied them with twine. she got a similar

look for a fraction of the cost!

we talked about rearranging some of the items on her armoire to add some additional height,

and bringing some items out of storage that had some sentimental value. 

 eventually, the panels will be stenciled, and a  new rug and ottomans will be added to the family room.

 they foyer got a nice facelift as well. jennifer's  husband was never fond of this area, and was not

a fan of the vintage bench, but now she says that he loves the new look. 

by the way, she found the mirror and the metallic garden bench at ross!

she still plans on painting the bench a soft teal color and adding pictures to the empty frames...

 the tape is where the top of the new wainscoting will be. since this picture was taken,
a new light fixture has been installed:

it was great to see all the progress that was made, but best of all, i have a new friend!

interested in making a few quick changes around your house, but need to stick to a very limited

design budget? for local clients, i can do exactly what i did for the above client...and for those of you not in the salt lake city area, i can help you via a phone consultation. 

email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com for rates and more information.