Today is the day!!! It’s REVEAL time, my friend!
I haven been so thrilled to have been participating this month in the $100 Room Challenge. What an amazing group of bloggers! I think I might be just as excited to see all of their finished spaces as I am to have this space finished! (Seriously, check out the links at the end of the post for some great inspo!)
The premise of this challenge is simple: one month, one space in your home, & $100. (You can read more about the background for the challenge hosted by Erin over at Lemons, Lavender, & Laundry here.)
Miss the other posts for this challenge? Check out here and here.
Playroom Before Pictures
And now…..let’s resfresh our memory a little bit to remember what we started with. (Because who doesn’t love a good before and after session?)
Here’s the before picture (#reallifehere):
Not horrible for a room that serves primarily as a playroom, but definitely LOTS of room for improvement. (I mentioned this in the post here, but this space can be seen pretty much from every room except for the bathroom in our downstairs and it just didn’t mesh with any of the other areas in our home.
Last week I showed you the new slipcover, curtains, and painted curtain rods.
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Playroom After Pictures
Now, let’s step back and see the “after” shot:
Playroom Changes
You’ll probably notice right away that shelving has multiplied AND changed colors. In trying to create a softer and lighter feeling, we decided that the black cubbies needed a refresh. (And by consolidating clothing that was being stored in another shelving unit upstairs, we could bring our other, matching unit downstairs to make the space more cohesive. Painting the units white made such a big change in the space!
Playroom Seating Revamp
The little chairs got a face-lift; they are now a calm, coordinating blue color. The pretty blue canning jars for art supplies were extras my mom didn’t need and the little tray was a gift (an estate sale find she scored for $3).
I am still so excited by the IKEA Ektorp slipcover for the loveseat. What an amazing find for $19! I am not a “risk-taker,” but I am so glad I took a leap and tried this budget-friendly option on my non-IKEA sofa! BIG WIN!
(If you have sharp eyes, you might have spotted the “new” striped pillow. I used some of the old curtain fabric to make it!)
Playroom Toy Storage
I love that the new setup (with the cubbies flipped vertically) allows for spots for toys, but also higher shelves for some “pretty” decor items. Let’s look at a few inexpensive items I snagged from around my house. (Hey, the price was right!)
The little watercolor beach umbrella is a free printable from sweet Linda, the blogger at Burlap and Blue. You can find it on her second site (which is equally amazing) here.
I needed to change out the books in our white bookshelf, so for the time being, I stuck my son’s much beloved “geetar” collection in the shelves for something different.
New Artwork for Playroom
A makeover wouldn’t be complete without some new artwork. Since the budget was maxed out (literally), a little DIY to the rescue! These were canvases (and frames) I already had on hand from other projects. Wahoo! If you would like to make your own canvas, you can check out that post here. I used this method here. (I also have a FREE PRINTABLE version for you that you can see in this post!) I love Laura Ingalls Wilder and read all of the Little House series with my daughter when she was in kindergarten.
I also used what was cut off when I hemmed the new curtains to make a little garland. Right now it is hanging in our little hidden “homeschool corner.” This area didn’t get any love for the makeover, so I thought the fun little garland might perk it up some. (Was going to make a joke about Baby and a corner, but….) [Update: I talk about corners and tables here.]
Playroom Happiness
I am so excited that this room is now softer, brighter, and has more blue touches! It “fits” more with the other areas in our home and is now a space I enjoy spending time in (even when the kids are asleep-that’s saying something!).
Let’s look one more time at the before and after:
Playroom Makeover Budget Recap
Now let’s break down the cost of this makeover and also add some *disclaimers…..
Now, you can look at this and think “WOW! She came in under budget!” Well, before you give me a pat on the back, you deserve to know that this number indicates what I thought we would be spending for this project. We tried something for the first time with this makeover.
I love using spray paint (some of you might be cringing right now). With some surprise birthday money I picked out a not-too-expensive paint sprayer. Seemed like a win-I could now have ANY shade of paint in a “spray paint” form (say what!?) AND it would cut my furniture painting time waaaayyyyy down. Yes please!
What I didn’t account for? The primer we used was a shellac-based primer. (I will write a post after I have test driven this paint on our laminate furniture for a bit.) The budget accounted for 1.5 quarts of primer. (Based on other things I’ve painted, it seemed like plenty to me….) Well, it wasn’t enough when using the paint sprayer, friends,….it took one quart and……a whole extra…..gallon. Big epic fail on the budget. (Because…this primer costs $45 for a gallon. (Gulp…YIKES!) If you have more time (ahem, use the old fashioned method and actually hand-paint your furniture), then the budget should work to stay under $100.
Right now I’m just trying to look around my happy new room and cover my ears and go “la,la,la” and not think about that gallon of paint….
Hey, I think it’s working! (Primer? What primer?)
Are you planning a budget makeover soon? I’d love to hear how you would spend $100 in the comments below.
And DEFINITELY scroll down and check out the amazing room reveals of the other bloggers who were participating in this $100 Room Challenge! So many inspiring rooms!
Two Years Later Update…
This is still one of my favorite spaces. Which is a good thing since we spend a lot of time in here! Here’s a more current picture of what the room is looking like these days. You’ll notice we added a new rug that wasn’t in the first $100 budget. Don’t let things like that stop you from making some changes; change things as your budget allows!
I love how the playroom turned out!!! It’s so bright and pretty! The room looks bigger now too! Great job.
Thanks Tracy! My husband was saying he felt it looked bigger too! (Makes us feel like we have more room for dance parties now! 😉
This looks amazing, Morgan!!!! Love all of it!
Thank you so much, Linda! I think your little umbrella printable is so fun! The minute I saw it I knew it had to go somewhere in my home!
Wow! What a difference! It’s amazing what you can do with $100 and when you ‘shop your home’.
That is my usual “store.” Ha! I love when you move something to a different space it looks new and fresh! (And I love the price even more! 😉
This was a jaw-dropper for me. When that first after image scrolled across my screen, I couldn’t believe it! Painting those storage units white was a definite game-changer! Also LOVE those corbels in the room. Gorgeous makeover… and we can certainly pretend no gallon of primer was needed 🙂
I think that’s because the room looks so sad to begin with! Ha! I think I now have a method: keep rooms drab and not cute until “challenge time” and then presto! Anything will look like an improvement! Ha!
But thanks so much for your sweet comment. We are excited about how it turned out. Those corbels were such an amazing gift from my sweet friend! (Thanks for hosting the $100 Room Challenge! It was a lot of fun! and thanks for also pretending along with me…)
Wow! What an amazing transformation, and for only $100! You are an inspiration! Can’t wait to see how you made that sign. I’ve been planning something similar with an Irish welcome in my front hall.
I have quite a sign obsession. Slowly and surely they are joining every room in my house. Quotes from favorite songs, Bible verses, and now people make me smile. And whichever room I’m in, whatever the day I’m having, I definitely want to smile! 🙂
Wow Morgan, I love all your white and soft blue accents! And great job on the book shelf styling and all the accents. I love how everything turned out!
Thanks so much Meredith! I was really excited to find out about the challenge and participate! Can’t wait to ready everyone’s reveal posts and see what y’all came up with too!! (It will be a fun treat for me this weekend!!)
Gorgeous transformation, I love the architectural wall hanging, its perfect for your space and it add such a wow factor. The curtains are really nice. Great quality. Enjoyed this challenge with you all.
Maria
Thanks so much Maria! I was SO excited when my friend gave the corbels to me! How nice!! I definitely have all the heart eyes for them!! I am looking forward to reading all of the reveal posts this weekend! Yippee! Can’t wait to see what everyone came up with!!
I love the blue and white combo – it looks so calm! Flipping the cubbies was such a great idea – you have to have room for decor among the toys 🙂
Thanks Meg! I have been crushing on all the blue and white rooms I have been seeing this summer on Instagram, etc. so I’m excited to add some into my own home! 🙂 And excited to have some place to put “pretty” things amongst the toys!
Wow! It turned out so pretty! You did such a good job! The blue walls really stand out now,
You did an amazing job. The transformation is awesome!
Thanks so much Kati!
Morgan I love how it turned out!!! The soft blues are so pretty and those corbels!!! Wow! You are too cute about that gallon of primer. I stressed about my extra piece of plywood! Luckily there is some grace in this challenge!😊
Phew! Good thing Kelly! I couldn’t believe how much primer we went through! Hopefully it stays stuck on those cubbies really well!! Thanks for stopping bu and for your sweet comment! 🙂
Your playroom turned out awesome! Smart idea to bring in more shelving, and I can’t believe the slip cover fit on your couch that isn’t from IKEA. I totally know what you mean with a paint sprayer using way more paint than you initially think it will. At least it turned out looking pretty, even if it did cost a pretty penny!
I couldn’t believe it fit either, Jenny! My daughter thought I was funny because I unwrapped it and just stood there for several minutes nervous it wouldn’t work, but also excited to see if it DID. She said, “What are you WAITING for Mommy?” Well, I got it on AND it DID!!! Best surprise in a long while!! IKEA wins again!
Ahhh I am absolutely in love with those corbels! I am jealous of those 🙂 Your room looks beautiful! Great job!
I have all the heart eyes for them, Kristen! They were such a sweet gift from my friend. Something I enjoy looking at everyday! Thanks so much for stopping by!
It’s so much brighter!! I always love when I can make my space feel more inviting by brightening it up. Congrats on staying under budget too!
Thanks so much Ashley! I am a big fan of bright and cheerful spaces! I love natural light and luckily this room has a good bit of it!
(Well, technically that primer did me in, but we will just pretend like I painted those cubbies by hand and all went as planned…..Shhh!)
Morgan, this looks amazing! It seriously doesn’t even look like the same room. It’s so much brighter now. I am sure your kiddos love it!
Awww thanks Kate! We are all liking it a lot! It’s crazy what just the paint and curtains did for the space!
Those corbels are stunning!!! I love them and I love the new color too!! Great transformation.
Thanks so much Jessica! I am pretty smitten with them too! 😉 Gotta love when you enjoy being in a playroom AFTER your kids are in bed-ha!
LOVE the wall color! Amazing how much paint can change a space. And the corbels on the wall are amazing! Beautiful space and love how you incorporated the children’s furniture and toys in the decor. Such a happy room!
Thanks Maria! We are loving it! It’s amazing how much the black furniture was transformed with some white paint! My grandmother was just here and thought I had painted the walls too because the room looked SO different!
Beautiful makeover! I love it and it is truly a transformation.
Thanks so much Bettsi! We are really loving this room! SO much “happier” to spend time in now!
Wow! You did so much to this space! Those corbels are show stoppers and I love the soft color palette you used. What a gorgeous makeover!
Aww! Thanks so much Kathy! We are loving this room now! Before I definitely liked some of the room’s features: natural light, could see and talk to the kids while they played and I was in the kitchen, etc. But now I love it in there! I even spend time in there when the kids are asleep! 🙂
Love the way this turned out. I was wondering if you could tell me how your painted your bookshelves? I know there are a lot of different techniques so I would love to know yours. Thanks so much.
Thanks so much Michelle! I am liking them so much more! We lightly sanded them first (because they had a pretty glossy finish) and then used “Zinsser BIN Primer” on them. After 2 coats of that, we used “Rustoleum Chalked Linen White” chalk paint. That took two coats. I haven’t written a blog post on it yet because we actually never got around to sealing it yet (ha!). It’s held up remarkably well. I still want to top coat it though. I was going to use a polycrylic on them, but since they have held up so well, I think I will just use a chalk paint wax sealer (I have used a Valspar product you can find at Lowes). It has a MUCH faster dry time than the polycrylic (and when you have to unload shelves and have things all over your house, time is sanity, my friend!)