Over 5 days and approximately 24 hours the room was painted, the wall paper was up, the curtains were installed and the furniture and accessories were placed. What a transformation! From dark and uninviting to light and airy. The space looks twice the size.
The office before:
And with just the paint, wall paper and curtains:
What a difference.
Here is a cost break down of where we spent the money:
Desk (Ikea) – $149
Shelving unit (Ikea) – $79
Curtains and rod (Giant Tiger) – $50
Wall paper (Lowes – Peel & Stick) – $70
Pair of chairs (Jysk) – $119.98
Office chair (Staples) – $89
Floor lamp – $80
Pair lamps (Homesense) – $20
Clock (Homesense) – $19.99
Snack cart (Canadian Tire) – $38.99
White board (Staples) – $74.99
Coat rack (Jysk) – $59.99
Shoe tray (Jysk) – $12.99
Mirror (Jysk) – $23.99
Accessories – $25
Shelving baskets (Ikea) – FREE
Paint (Benjamin Moore) – $40
Paint Supplies – FREE
Art – $20
Grand total – $973.92 x 13% HST = $1100.52
And here it is – a fresh new beginning:
This space feels very calming. The wallpaper helps to make the room feeling taller than it is since the ceiling is only 95″ high. We used natural wood elements throughout the space including baskets, the white board frame, chair legs, and the faux wood (sit/stand) desk piece. And we included some hits of black to ground the space with the curtain rod, picture frame and phone. There are several artificial plants and one real one. And since we weren’t sure if we really like the snack cart we moved the goodies on to the shelf behind the desk and if there are clients the cart can become a station to lay things out on. It can also be used as a space for extra hand sanitizer and masks until this crazy pandemic ends.
We did manage to keep it under $1000 before taxes which is pretty impressive for a complete overhaul. We researched every item and looked for sales and we made sure to try out all of the items that serve a purpose (desk height and function, chair comfort, storage) before we made any purchases and we saved receipts (well Natasha tried) and we returned items for store credits and refunds that were not used. If you are unsure of whether or not an item will work in the space ask the store what the return policy is. Most stores offer full refunds up to X number of days. Which means you can put it in the space, decide and return it if you dislike it. And most stores offer credits if it is over the number of days required to get a full cash refund. I swear by this – I tried over 15 pieces of art before I finally settled on one for my apartment. Good ol’ refund policies!
I hope you like the space – I know Lady Natasha is OVER THE MOON happy which is all that really matters. It was a fun project and my first creative space outside of my house and apartment.
In spring 2022 there may be a full renovation of a rental unit in early spring (top to bottom) which will be super fun to do and blog about. Once we do a walkthrough of the space and create a budget we will have a better idea on the timeline for this large project.
I hope you are all staying safe and doing what you love. Thank you for following along!
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My Country Farmhouse 