Every PoorLittleRichGirl wants a kick-ass pad, but who really wants to pay for it? Especially if you are renting, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend tons of money updating a space that you will eventually leave. But do not fret! All it takes is a bit of creativity and some tricks of the trade to take your space from average to a true reflection of yourself.

My client, Patrice, is the epitome of a PoorLittleRichGirl: successful, independent and financially responsible. She had just moved into a great soft-loft in Pilsen and wanted to decorate the space without spending a fortune so I took this project on as a personal challenge: make her home a place that would make any PLRG proud! With a budget of $1000 for accessories and paint we turned her living room/dining room into a warm, inviting space perfect for this hardworking girl.

Below is a picture journey of Patrice’s pad, from drab to fab, including prices and locations of everything purchased. Use it as inspiration, or contact me if you need the extra help!

Patrice’s place was dark and felt cramped. She was a tad bit (or really) too reliant on the color brown.

In order to make her place feel larger with two distinct areas we placed her couch on an angle. I also helped Patrice experiment with color. At first she was worried about the bright red TV stand (which retails at Ikea for $99) but when we came across it at a sidewalk sale for $23 (we got it for $20!) she knew she couldn’t fight me!

The dining area was really dark and rather blah.

In order to add light and texture we added a wicker light fixture.  Textile wrapped frames in bright, fun prints brought visual excitement to the mix!  To see how to make these unique wall pieces check out my previous article using decorative paper.

This area really needs some visual excitement.

Talk about color!  I just happened to have some extra fabric and Patrice’s mother knows how to sew so we created custom curtains.  The area rug was actually an animal print throw blanket.  It’s okay to be creative!!  Recognize the fabric on the lamp shade?  Yep, we used it in the dining room area as well to pull the two areas together.

A mirror can often visually enlarge a space.

Shopping List:

Patrice ended up painting not just this room, but also her hallway.  Labor and material for that cost $500*, which brings us to approximately $1200 but, since the hallway was added in, our living/dining room stayed within our $1000 budget!

*If you happen to have some extra time on your hands, you could attempt to paint the rooms yourself to save, oh, around, $300 or so, as the price for labor was around $400 (still a great deal and worth every penny for Patrice and other busy PLRGs). You would still end up sending around $200 for paint, painting supplies like a tarp, rollers, etc., but that brings your grand makeover total somewhere closer to $800! What a steal for so much style!

Katie Rogulski is our go-to gal for all things design, from choosing a paint color to installing a light fixture. Send her all of your design questions and comments and she’ll will do her best to help you design a fabulous pad without breaking the bank! Katie@PoorLittleRichGirls.com