It was exciting once again to be featured in the Birmingham News today. My contact and friend at the paper, Mary, did a wonderful job with the write-up and I’m very happy with it. You can click on the picture to enlarge it. The article is lengthy, so I’ll type it in here so you can read it all. Luckily, I type fast:
Rhoda knows exactly how to describe it: from granny to beachy glam. She’s talking about the redecoration of a guest bedroom on the lower level of her Chelsea home – a perfectly adequate space that was comfy and functional, yet lacked eye-catching pizzazz.
Yellowish-tan walls, leftover linens, fall colors and sturdy furnishings certainly received no complaints from visitors. Rhoda and her husband, Peter, spend very little time in the room, so its decor wasn’t exactly a priority.
“I really didn’t have a motivation to change it,” she says. “My stuff in here was perfectly good.”
Then Rhoda, a thrift shopper and do-it-yourselfer, scored a find that spurred her to action. A king-size comforter set, in black-and-cream damask, became hers for $15 at a yardsale.
“I absolutely loved the pattern” she says. “But I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it.”
Her solution: Remake the entire guest room around the boldly designed comforter set, focusing on black, cream and a “soft aqua-blue”.
She didn’t want to spend lots of money on the project, so she began to collect appropriate items at her usual spots: yard sales, thrift shops, bargain stores. She also examined furnishings and accessories used elsewhere in her house, to see if they might fit in.
“I started plotting and scheming what I was going to bring in here,” she says laughing. “I wasn’t about to go nuts buying new stuff.”
A striped easy chair from the Salvation Arm could be recovered. Mirror frames could be painted white. A vintage sewing machine could be moved and repurposed as a side table.
The walls needed a new hue, she chose Rainwashed from Sherwin Williams, with “slightly brighter aqua shade colorwashed on top.”
She nabbed a knotty-pine bookcase for $50, painted it black and removed the particle board backing. In its place: a pretty piece of wooden beadboard, trimmed to fit at Home Depot and painted a slightly darker blue than the walls.
She found a pair of lamps for $7 and embellished the fronts with black decals. She stripped a couple of old shades and revamped them in a zebra-print fabric. Other elements included a new window treatment, a bench from Big Lots (her one splurge at $100) and a small laminate table painted Caribbean Blue.
Rhoda’s innate design sense and ability to visualize the result were crucial. She made decisions slowly and deliberately, picturing how each piece would complement others in the room. “I’m not a minimalist,” she admits. But she does value balance and harmony, as evidenced by the carefully arranged seashells, bunny statues, finials, books, and paintings.
“I just like my little stuff,” she says. “Sometimes I have to make myself not put too much. You need a little space for the eye to breathe.”
Rhoda offers details of the redo and step-by-step instructions for some of the changes on her weblog, Southern Hospitality. She also displays her design sensibility on a Web site for her consulting business, The Restyled Room.
Others may take more expensive routes, buying everything brand new or emphasizing the varacity and background of antiques. Achieving success on the cheap, however, makes her happy and proud. “If you can get the look for a few dollars, I’m thrilled,” she says. “This turned out exactly the way I wanted it to be.”
Thanks, Mary for a great article, once again! For my new readers stopping by, here’s the whole room reveal that you can take a look at: Beachy Glam Guestroom
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Congratulations! You’ve done a great job!! 🙂 Vanessa
You did a great job – congratulations! 🙂
You go girl!
Hugs!
Kat
Congratulations on the feature in the paper Rhoda!
Great write up!
Hi Rhoda
I’ve loved coming over to read your blog and your stories and look at your lovely pictures. Great blog! I really love the way you remade that room. Isn’t thrifting great? YOu know just what to do too. The interview was great too.
Come by and visit when you have a chance.
have a lovely evening
Judi
Congrats Rhoda!
Great article on your guestroom. You did a wonderful job decorating it.
Elizabeth
Congratulations on your article, It is so great to watch you from start to finish! Glad to see you have gotten the recognition you deserve! 🙂
xoxo,
Cathleen
Good Morning Miz Rhoda,
Wonderful story! It really highlights your passion for decorating. Anyone can throw money at a room have it look like a million but it takes a truly gifted designer to have the patience and vision to pull it together for so little money. Talk about bang for your buck! You certainly inspire me. Beautiful room!
And thank you for taking the time to come look at my sideboard wall and comment. I appreciate you so much! Merry Christmas Miz Rhoda!
I was quickly browsing blogland yesterday. Came back this morning to reread and leave a comment about your article. Wonderful write up and photos, Rhoda! The redo is fabulous.
That’s so great! Congratulations, Rhoda!
Just wanted to let you know that you won the giveaway on my blog today. E-mail me your address and which Cmas movie you’d like to have and I’ll get it on its way asap. You can choose from Home Alone, While You Were Sleeping, Christmas Story, The Family Stone, or The Holiday.
This means you’re my Blog of the Month, too, so I’ll have your link featured in my sidebar through the end of January. If you have a blog button you want me to use, you can send it to me and I’ll add it (has to be 125 x 125 to fit in my sidebar).
Thanks! -Julia 🙂
(My e-mail: julia “at” hookedonhouses “dot” net)
Way to go!
Congratulations on the article! This was a fabulous makeover. The zebra stool looks great!!!
Congratulations!!!! That is so great!
Kudos to you Rhoda. Continue to inspire especially when every penny counts.
Jill
Hi Rhoda,
It look amazing! Congratulations!
Eddie
You are famous!!! Congratulations on another great article.
That’s awesome!!! You are so talented. This is a fantastic article….
Congrats! How cool is that?!!!!
Katrina x
Congratulation to you! You did a wonder make over, all on limited budget! Which makes it more awesome!