Interior Design — This Small Space Makeover Is Full Of DIY & Budget-Friendly Ideas!

The total square footage of this home is just over 800 square feet, so we're dealing with a slightly smaller space. My client purchased this home about a year and a half ago. We were extremely limited in the budget that we had for the space. We had to outfit the entire home on a budget under $21,000. Everything from furnishings, soft goods, any custom work that we had done, all of this had to be included within that budget, which is doable, obviously, as we're standing in the space today. But it was, yeah, a challenge, yeah. The living room before was beige, bland walls. We had the windows replaced. Now my client is able to open the windows, get some fresh air. An additional element that we had installed was the custom paneling. This was a little bit of an investment, not as much as you may think. My client loves it. I think it adds so much personality into the space. It makes it feel a lot more luxurious. It's also another great element to add because you then don't have to hang that much artwork in your space. It was important for her to have a regular size sofa in the space. By adding some other elements, we were able to create an open space within this room. One of those elements being, obviously, the glass console table. It doesn't obstruct any of the sight lines. The marble topped coffee table really sort of brings the whole room together. In July, when it's beautiful and sunny outside, or in November, when it's raining or snowing and miserable, my client is comfortable here 365 days a year. She's an outdoorsy person, so one of the elements that we tried to incorporate into the design scheme were, you know, florals, particularly the wallpaper that we included in the study. It's so unexpected when you do walk into that craft area slash office. It's a pow of color. One thing that we did install in the office space was the custom built-ins. This space really checked off all of her needs and wants, so she needed storage checked. She needed a space to be able to work. We created a space for her to have a work table, a computer station, and then she also needed a space to be able to do her crafts. It really is three spaces in one, and it really goes to show you how, you know, with some effective space planning, you're able to sort of utilize a small space and create different zones. The kitchen, again, was basic standard rental kitchen, so the fixes in the kitchen were really budget friendly. There were also several DIY elements in the space that my client took on herself. We painted the lower cabinets, we painted them a beautiful blue, and we sprayed the existing hardware in a brass color. She sewed the custom skirts that are actually hiding a lot of her kitchen stuff. We refreshed the kitchen by adding a dining nook as well. It gave my client a place to entertain for two or three people. It's not a large space, but it's another eating area or another nook where she can sit and have a coffee and relax. The bedroom, it's a very small room. We had custom barn doors installed in the bedroom, which were a little bit of a splurge, but I feel it adds a lot more depth and character to the space. My client actually DIYed the refinishing herself. We also utilized old ceiling tiles that we had them bent into shape and put in place to cover the hardware holes. Perhaps it's a little cliche to talk about how a can of paint can transform a room, but in this case it really was that transformative. We invested a little bit of money in a couple cans of paint and it really sort of took the entire apartment from drab to fab. Oh my god, no I can't no I don't want to say that. That's terrible. Sorry I just have this urge. I think all in all she's very happy with the space. She's gotten a lot of compliments from her friends and she loves spending time here.