Centsational!

I am swooning for this before and after from Centsational Girl.  I am going to post her pictures first and then I will feature what she wrote about the project.  Jaw dropping I tell you...

This incredible girl did all this for less than $1,000 (not including accessories). I am amazed. Here's the low-down:

"I replaced the bottom heavy dark wood desk with this fresh new writer’s desk I transformed from a table. I spray painted the table, stenciled and hand painted the surface, then I had a glass top made for it. You’ll recognize my Cinderella chair from way back in April when I transformed this $3 dollar thrift store chair with some paint, fabric, and nailhead trim.

Fixing up and installing this pair of gigantic bookcases took a ton of work, and were the final hurdle to completing the space. I picked them up from an outlet that was closing its doors for $20 dollars each. They were butter yellow, but not anymore! They have tempered glass shelves and built in lighting so they were a complete steal – but I still had to refurbish and repaint them.

Up on the wall are those memo boards I made from recycled cabinet doors.

I repainted the closet doors to provide a more interesting backdrop. The walls were all recovered in spa blue grasscloth wallpaper that I hung all by myself back in August. That was a huge chore! Then I took some pictures from my garden this past summer, converted them to black and white, enlarged them and framed them to create an inexpensive backdrop in silver frames.

The Drexel Heritage sofa was a thrift store find – I took the skirt off by hand (a million staples…) and had it professionally cleaned. The circular rug is from Tar-jay and really completes the space with its dark contrast and blue swirl design. The thrift store ottoman I also recovered myself.

Believe it or not, overhauling this space from top to bottom cost me less than a thousand dollars! No joke. A huge chunk of savings came from the lucky find with the bookcases, writer’s desk, towers, and thrift store sofa. Surprisingly, the most expensive thing in this room was the wallpaper at $240 dollars, but I saved a ton installing it myself.

Cost breakdown: Cabinets $80 dollars; writer’s desk (table) $40; glass top $80; thrift store sofa $150; rug $60; chandelier $140; refinished side chair $25; refinished thrift store chair $20; recovered ottoman $20; grasscloth wallpaper $240; curtains $75; paint and supplies $65.

Total, not including accessories: $995

So that’s the story behind this space – it took me five months from start to finish between all my other projects, but it is finally finished!"

Be sure to check out Censational Girls entire blog...it is packed full of ideas & inspiration!

Happy Holidays-
XOXO