Your first impression when walking into a home is the foyer. My foyer is in desperate need of some updating. My house was built in the early 90’s, so when we moved in it still had the teal carpet (yuck!!) … Continue reading
First Impressions
Category Archives: Design
Inexpensive Artwork
In one of my recent home staging projects, I needed a very inexpensive option for some artwork to hang over a sofa. I used things that I already had, but I only paid about $15 for the materials.
These are 3 canvas’s wrapped in fabric. I had purchased the canvas with the intention of painting on it (ha ha), and the fabric I picked up at Kohl’s. They had their shower curtain samples in the clearance section. I only paid $6 for it! I knew I would find a good use for it. I just cut it up and hot glued it on. The sofa below is burgundy, and the walls were painted a soft gray. My artwork tied them together perfectly!
Houseboat transformation
I am so excited about this project!! This is a houseboat that I designed over the summer. It has come a long way!!
The pictures are taken at different angles. I took the before photos, and my client emailed me this after/in progress pics. I will get back when it is complete and the snow from the Blizzard 2011 melts:) So thankful to her for sending them! This first set is from the parlor to the kitchen. As you can see it was an empty shell, except for the upper cabinets.
This is the parlor. I am loving the way the pillows turned out!!
I think this has been my most fun project yet!!
My studio….on a major budget!!
Okay, so the photos didn’t turnout as well as I had hoped, but here they are. This room was done for only $336!!! I used things I already had, shopped Craigslist and made a trip to IKEA. There are a few finishing touches I need to add, such as a rug and some candles.
Here is where the room started. Typical room. White walls and blue plush carpet.
Because this room was done on a tight budget, I scoured the garage for paint. I found a partial gallon of a soft green from my last house. Luckily it was still good and even luckier I had just enough to get the room done. The carpet was probably about 15 years old,so it had to go. I have always wanted white floors in my studio and I found some at a great price at IKEA. I will itemize my purchases later.
I already had the drafting table, and I knew I wanted to place it under the window, flanked with bookcases. I made a shopping list for IKEA (because it is a 3 hour drive each way, you have to go with a plan!!). I wanted white bookcases. While on IKEA’s website I found the perfect ones for about $70 each. I decided to click over to Craigslist…..just in case. The very newest post in furniture were the exact bookcases I wanted for only $15 each!!! They were black instead of white, but they were only a year old and in perfect condition. I removed the backs to let the paint color show through.
The next thing on my list were magazine file boxes. I wanted these in white as well. Guess what?? Sold out! So again I had to settle on black. But that’s ok. Each bookcase has 4 of these boxes. I also have some pink ones that I had bought on a past trip. I did buy a few other accessories. I found some black and white metal tins, and pillows with a similar pattern. Then I found a cute pink blanket. It was only $4,so might as well!!n I also purchased the black and white striped boxes to hold computer cd’s. The little black “table” in front of the loveseat, used to be a TV stand in my son’s room. Great example of repurposing furniture!! The candlesticks on top were purchased at yard sales if I remember correctly. And the black candlesticks placed on my drafting table were “stolen” from my sister at our Christmas Party.We do a white elephant exchange.
Here is a breakdown of my budget:
Paint Free
Sofa Free
Light Fixture Free
Candle Holders Free
Shelves 30.00
Floors 180.00
Window Treatments 80.00
Magazine Files 16.00
Pillows 26.00
Pink Blanket 4.00
Total =336.00
Jamie Cochran 
