“Decorating on a Dime” Contest Winners

Winning projects from our Decorating on a Dime Contest

As part of our annual “Decorating on a Dime” Contest, we challenged Atlanta homeowners and design professionals to complete a room makeover for under $1,000. Entrants were required to submit project photos and details along with a complete accounting of their expenses, excluding labor, and where they purchased each item. The winning projects achieved some amazing results. Enjoy!

Non-Professional Winner – Sandy Boudreau

Sandy Boudreau wanted to redecorate her 10 year-old son’s room to make it more age appropriate and decided to surprise him with a makeover. While he was away on a camping trip, Sandy swapped his bunk bed, painted dresser and stuffed animals for a full-size bed, funky wall mural and mountain-inspired decor. To brighten up the space and add more personality, Sandy painted two of the bedroom walls Folic Green by Sherwin Williams. The focal point of the room is an abstract wall mural above the headboard of the bed, which was inspired by the work of spray paint artist Matt W. Moore and created by Sandy using tape and 11 different paint colors. Bedding with a snowboarder motif pays homage to one of her son’s favorite sports and family trips to Whistler. Furniture from other parts of the house along with a new storage unit, a desk and other accessories round out the room makeover. Her son’s reaction? “The day that he came home was a great surprise,” she writes in her contest entry. “He did not want his room changed, but once he saw it he hugged me many times telling me he loved me and thank you. That was totally worth it.”

Receipt
Ikea Malm bed (Craigslist)    $75.00
Ikea Malm headboard with sliding  drawers (Ikea)    $199.00
Bedding (eBay)    $149.00 Ikea Malm desk (Ikea)    $149.00
Canvas print (Ritz Camera)    $70.00
Case for stone collection (Amazon)    $49.00
Rolling Itso cube storage unit (Target)    $44.95
2 large fabric bins (Target)    $19.98
3 small fabric bins (Target)    $20.97
Candy-striped rug (Big Lots)    $20.00
Mirror (HomeGoods)    $40.00
1 gallon of Sherwin Williams Folic Green paint (Sherwin Williams)    $50.00
1 quart of Behr Natural Gray paint  (Home Depot)    $14.38
Paint samples for mural (Home Depot)    $32.78
Pottery Barn Teen skateboard push-pin tile (garage sale)    $2.00
Red wipe board (Kohl’s)    $8.99
Black clothespin board (Kohl’s)    $12.99
Total: $958.04

Non-Professional Honorable Mention – Mary Warner

Mary Warner bought her loft in the summer of 2011 and has been chronicling its transformation on her website www.coucouhome.com. “Decorating, I believe, should never be rushed, and a space should reflect a corner of one’s universe, not to mention have the patina of being lived-in,” writes Mary in her contest entry. “I’m particularly proud of the first area I tackled in the span of a few weeks, when, after several guests commented on my fortress of books, I decide to take action. The result is a cozy living library, as I like to call it, with my 600-plus signed first edition collection of books, a beautiful and arresting, focal point of the room. I integrated some old, new, and found pieces to create a space that is uniquely my own style: 1920s Parisian salon meets urban renewal. The only problem now is that I need more seating for the real salons I’ll begin hosting in 2013. This is a room for ideas and conversation.”

Receipt
Jute rug (Ikea)    $129
Persian carpet (Craigslist)    $125
Fiddly fig tree (Florida nursery) and planter  (Home Depot)    $25
Brass lamp (vintage store in Jasper)    $15
Plumbing parts for DIY bookshelf (Home Depot)    $325
Aloe plant and planter (Southeast Succulents in  Inman Park)    $10
Pair of paint-by-number paintings (yard sale  in Tennessee)    $15
Two ceramic bowls (Mississippi Mud Daubers)    $55
Black metal garden shelf (yard sale)    $30
•   Tree stump side table found on the Beltline behind my house and painted top with leftover wall paint
•   Mirror salvaged from my parents’ marital bed in the 80s. It’s been a feature in all the places I’ve lived.
•   Wire side table, a flea market find from years ago
•   Sponges and sea artifacts found and collected on the beach in Costa Rica last summer
Total: $729

Non-Professional Honorable Mention – Lisa Williams

“I was so tired of an ugly guest room,” writes Lisa Williams in her contest entry. “I didn’t think anyone would want to even stay because it looked so bad. All we had was a set of college furniture from my husband and no bedding. I started by making some simple no-sew faux Roman shades. I hung them high above the actual window to draw your eye up. The headboard was purchased from Garden Ridge and mounted on blocks to raise the height for a more stylish look. The nightstands were a Goodwill find that I painted with the pop of green. The coverlet was actually from the children’s bedding section at Target, and the other bedding we had in another bedroom. The cane chair belonged to my great grandmother, and my own grandmother cried when she saw it in our guest room. She thought it had been lost years ago. I found the green cushion on clearance at World Market. All of the things on the top of the dresser were Goodwill finds, and the wall art was from Old Time Pottery years ago that I just sanded down and then sprayed with polycrylic.”
Receipt
Headboard (Garden Ridge)    $100
Bedding (existing) and green set (Target)    $50
Repainted end tables (Goodwill)    $25
Fabric and supplies for no-sew Roman shades (Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores)    $20
Lamps and shades (Goodwill)    $15
Supplies for lamp makeover  (Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores)    $10
Chair cushion (Pier 1 Imports)    $15
Wall art (Garden Ridge)    $50
Dresser decor items (Goodwill)    $27
Paint for nightstands (Home Depot)    $5
Artwork, dresser and baskets from  another room in the house
Total: $317

Professional Winner – Pia Whited

The House of  Tramone Interiors

Working with the client’s existing sofa and chairs, The House of Tramone Interiors sought to transform an outdated room into a comfortable, engaging space. First, the team covered up the paneled walls with embossed wallpaper, painting the wallpaper, ceiling and doors the same color. Next, the old carpeting was pulled up to reveal a pristine concrete floor, which was painted a bold shade of orange. “We went bold on the floor to add warmth to what could otherwise be a cold surface,” writes team lead Pia Whited in the contest entry. “The use of orange takes away some of the formality from the stone, navy and dark woods.” Glass doors were removed from the stone fireplace, which was then filled with candles and flanked with a pair of discounted bookcases. Unique accessories, including large door knockers found at Scott Antique Market and framed black-and-white photos from the client’s own collection, add personality and character to the space, as does the storage-trunk coffee table and end tables scored at a garage sale.
Receipt
14 rolls of heavy-weight embossed wallpaper  by Anagalypta (Home Depot)    $167.86
2 gallons of paint for wall, 1 gallon of paint for ceiling  (Sherwin Williams)    $65.00
1 quart of paint for trim (Sherwin Williams)    $17.00
1 gallon of oil-based paint for concrete floors (Lowe’s)    $24.99
Pair of drapery panels (Ikea)    $29.99
5 x 7 area rug (HomeGoods)    $99.00
2 plaid pillows (Target) and 2 chevron pillows (Marshall’s)    $74.00
2 metal tripod side tables (World Market)    $59.98
2 bookcases and 1 TV stand (Target)    $163.00
2 antique door knockers (Scott Antique Market)    $35.00
Matting for client’s photography (Hobby Lobby)    $32.00
Canvas art above mantel (HomeGoods)    $89.00
1 wood trunk coffee table and 2 wood side tables  (garage sale)    $70.00
Resin tortoise shell (Target)    $39.99
1 roll of patterned window film (Home Depot)    $24.99
Total: $991.80