GIRL’S ROOM

With an upgrade budget of $3000, Sarah and Tommy tackle a teenage girl’s room and ensuite.

In a bold move, Sarah chooses a cheery dot print fabric and uses it like you would a more sophisticated traditional Toile fabric – by putting it everywhere: on the bedding, on a chair, and on the curtains. Paired with suzani-esque accent pillows, a boho chic quilt, and colourful wall medallions, the room reads as vibrant and fun even though the walls, carpet, and furniture are all various shades of white and cream.

The youthful elements are balanced with mature traditional painted furniture in a chunky East Lake style.  In the alcove, a papaya hue on the barrel vaulted ceiling brings interest and hot pink corbels supporting the desk add style and function.

Vintage furniture is also used in the ensuite, with a desk from Of Things Past turned into a vanity. $2058 of the upgrade budget is spent in the bathroom, most of it put towards a stripe of marble mosaic used as an accent against the standard floor tiles. Sarah compares it to putting a designer belt on an off-the-rack outfit.

My favourite design detail was the cream and white shades of subway tile installed in a herringbone pattern like this in the shower stall (sorry, don't have a pic of the ensuite!):

Together the rooms feel sophisticated but playful. Nothing is too matchy or precious, perfect for a young girl.

CRAFT ROOM

With four bedrooms in the house, Sarah decides to turn one of the bedrooms into a craft room instead of guest bedroom. According to Sarah, 75% of homes have an avid crafter – and I’m pretty sure every one of you reading this post fall in that 75% ;)

Upgrades are kept to a minimum with $900 spent on hardwood floors (which stand up better to the spills and messiness of crafts) and another $340 on four potlights.

Since this is a room to make and do things, storage and functional furniture is essential. Sarah uses two kitchen islands from Ikea to create a large work space and adds kitchen cabinets for storing fabrics and supplies. To make the cabinets look more like furniture, she adds metal feet and drawer labels from Lee Valley. Sleek swivel barstools from Crate and Barrel add to the “idea lab” feel. More Ikea storage containers and a multi-drawer unit painted in various shades of blue keep everything organized and within reach.

The hard surfaces are softened with the addition of fabrics. A modern stripe curtain is added to the sole window and a retro open weave fabric in shades of blue, taupe and grey is used to create a full wall tack board. A stimulating Robin’s Egg blue (SR17) is put on the walls with a band in a half-tone of the wall paint put on the ceiling. It’s a great way to add more pattern and energy to what could be a cold space.

The tab for this room: $3000 on décor and $1200 on upgrades. Not bad for a room with so much storage. I would love to have a room like this in my house dedicated just to crafting. It looks like a space that both kids and adults can enjoy.

So what did you think? Were these rooms a hit or a miss?