House guests are on the horizon. You want to wave a magic wand over your guest room so it looks fresh and presentable. Two major obstacles: little time and little money. What to do?
Enter Maureen Wright (Mo) and Johanne Lewis (Jo), two Edmonton designers who agreed to take on our challenge with a budget of under $1,000. Owners of MoJo Design Inc., they decided to show us what can be done within those limits to change the look of two rooms.
Although most MoJo clients have much loftier budget goals, Wright and Lewis were confident they could redesign a guest room and ensuite bathroom within our $1,000 budget.
Lewis brings a European flair to all their projects, as well as her expertise in home staging and organizing. Wright's expertise lies in window treatments, flooring recommendations, renovations and interior design.
The team tackled our project as they would any other design job.
"We usually sit down with our clients and consider how they intend to use the space, what are their lifestyle habits and what is their budget," Lewis explains.
This project was a little bit more hectic for MoJo, as they were responsible for preparing the entire home for the tour, while working on our $1,000 challenge for the guest room and ensuite.
"Both the budget and the timelines were tight," Wright recalls, "but we worked it as we would any other project."
The team considered the use of the two rooms. "We wanted to make the bedroom a comfortable and welcoming space for guests, while providing an updated look in the bathroom," Wright says.
With the tight budget, most of the creative design effort was focused on decor elements, as opposed to a comprehensive renovation approach.
"The first thing we did was consider how these rooms worked with the other rooms in the home," Wright says.
"The rest of the house has a very modern flair," she observes, "so we used the paint colour (BM Willow CC542) as the jumping-off point, as it is featured in an adjacent room."
To help the project stay on budget, Imagine Paint & Design offered their painting services at no charge. Using existing furnishings as design inspirations also helped save money and time. "We had a white leather chair available," Lewis says, "and we were able to find a mirror that co-ordinated with it.
"This became the inspiration for the headboard. We wanted to give this bedroom a masculine feel, so we used hotel-style bedding," Wright says.
A friend had offered some outstanding architectural photos that the duo had printed and enlarged for artwork.
With the strategic addition of shelving and accessories, this sleek room was soon complete: stylish and on budget.
"In our experience, we have found that balance is everything," Wright says in reviewing the project.
It takes a special skill to harmonize a decor's essential elements: scale, proportion, light, pattern and colour.
Lewis agreed, adding, "This is the basis of good design, which challenges clients the most. In the bathroom, we wanted to continue to inject a more modern feel."
While the homeowner wasn't thrilled with the original fixtures, the time frame did not allow for a renovation.
"We decided to downplay the fixtures by providing a dark paint colour and introducing a white shower curtain," Lewis said. In keeping with the hotel theme, towels and artwork were added to extend this design style.
"We removed the unused medicine and hung artwork in its place," Wright said. This also provided a punch of colour.
They offer the following suggestions:
-- Replace outdated kitchen knobs
-- Paint your front door
-- Change or add throw cushions to your bed or sofa seasonally
-- Add colourful towels to your bathroom
Good design doesn't happen by accident, says Johanne. You know by walking into a room that it just feels right.
-- Postmedia News Service
How much?
Bedroom
-- Bedding: HomeSense, $60
-- Mirror: HomeSense, $200
-- Paint: $70
-- Picture frames: Ikea, $134
-- Shelving: Ikea, $90
-- Clock: Ikea, $6
-- White box: Ikea, $10
-- Photos: London Drugs printing, $145
Bathroom
-- Shower curtain rod: Home Outfitters, $34
-- Mirror frame and glue: Home Depot, $36
-- Artwork: Ikea, $51
-- Shower curtains: Ikea, $50
-- Light fixture: Home Depot, $110
Total: $996
In the event of any discrepancies, pricing and product specs provided by participating stores, at the time of purchase, will be considered correct and will override any information printed in this article.
