Have you ever been stuck on where to begin on giving a room a makeover? Where you just lack the vision for that space? I have a space just like that in my home and I am going to share the affordable room makeover for my den.
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This space in my home has always been a challenge, it is small and a major walk-thru area. It is a space connected to our office/ back entryway and this room also leads into our dining room. I have even struggled with what to call the space.
This space had always been an after thought. I have always just placed items in the room without a plan or a desire to make over the room.
This is when we called it the “music room.” We had a small keyboard and a few other instruments in the space. We never used the space except to walk to the back of the house into the office or to leave.
Getting closer! I moved out the over sized chairs and put my favorite cabinet in the space. I moved the keyboard down into the basement since Mr. DD. was not playing it. He still claims that he doesn’t play anymore since I moved it to the basement.
Now it truly became a walk through area. The cabinet is to the right and I made this A-frame plant stand and placed the extra dining room chairs in the space. I love the plant stand but I was still not happy with the room.
I made over this radio cabinet into a coffee bar and placed this is my “walk-through” room. Now, we actually stopped in the room, but not for long because it had only one dining room chair in the space and it was not comfortable. I was still very unhappy with the room and decided it was time to get serious about giving this room a makeover. Of course, it has to be an affordable room makeover because that is what I am all about.
I decided to makeover the den and the office at the same time since we were replacing the old worn out carpet in both rooms. I knew there were hardwood floors under the carpet in the den and depending on the condition of them determined how much new carpet I would be ordering. They were in great shape for the original floors from 1927. This was my first money saver, I won’t be needing new carpet and pad in this space.
I lightly sanded down the floors and placed a gel stain over the top and sealed them to bring the floors back to life. This is the before and after, I know it does not look like much difference but it did help to refresh the floors. You can read about the entire process because I did the same thing for my attic stairs and landing.
Here is a close up of the floors and how the gel stain brings the life back. Not a huge difference just a refresh, which is all that was needed with my aged hardwood floors. They still have all the age and character of old hardwood floors. 
The hardest decision I had to make in this den makeover was the rug choice. I loved “Rug A” but it was a little smaller than I wanted which I could live with but the price was $240. I liked “Rug B” for the print and color but it was more tan than taupe and I was not liking it with the color of the chairs and the picture. It was a great price for $80. That was the hard part, returning a great bargain. “Rug C” was a bargain as well at $90 but was tan and not taupe. I really liked “Rug D” but felt it was too formal for the space since it was next to my office and it was $200. I know anything under $200 would be a great buy for a 5 x 7 rug and they all were returned because they just didn’t fit the look of the room.
I ended up making a custom rug for the area. I know that sounds expensive but it was cheaper than some of the rugs above. Since it was a custom rug, I was able to leave the same about of space around the entire rug. Mr. DD. has a wholesale carpet account and we purchased the carpet at wholesale prices. I know, how does that save you money? Well, you can find carpet remnants at discount stores and have them cut down to size and bound just like I did. So if you ever come across a great deal on carpet or a huge area rug that is too big, buy it. I take the carpet to a mom and pop carpet store that does the binding. The binding was only $37 for the entire rug. I have also taken a big area rug to them and they cut it down to size and bound the side to match.
I am now using this space every day. I sit here every morning when drinking my tea and I will check my email before my day begins. I also find us sitting here after dinner and just chatting and drinking some wine.
The picture ended up being the color inspiration in the room. It was only $40 from a store called Tuesday Morning.
Source List:
Custom Area Rug – $127 Read all about how to create a custom rug for any space in your home.
Tufted Bench – $30 I made this bench from scrap wood and had the legs from an old desk. I will be sharing how I made this bench soon. If you have no desire to make a tufted bench, I found this one from Wayfair that is under $170.
Serving Tray – $0 – This was made from all left over materials. Here is the link to how I made it – Serving Tray
Accent Table – $10 Garage sale find. I painted the table using Amy Howard One Step Paint in Vintage Affliction. This is the same color I used for the bench and the serving tray.
Accent Chairs – $119 each. This was the biggest investment in this space. I found them at Marshall’s. The problem with Marshall’s is they purchase a “one and done”philosophy, so you won’t find them there today. I did find these similar chairs from Amazon
Accent Pillows – $ 26.99 each. Shag Throw Pillow from Wayfair
French Doors – $8 each. These were a steal at a garage sale. They didn’t have a price on them and when I asked and she said $8 each. I casually said I will take them and tried my best to contain my excitement. I wanted to do a few cartwheels right in front of her.
DIY Handkerchief Valances – I made these using the same fabric from the bench. Coming Soon!
Glass Bell Cloche – $19.80
Accordion Wall Sconce – Found this one that is similiare.
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