Real questions about real homes with real budgets from real Homies!
Welcome to Dear Imani, a new monthly series where I answer questions from the Homies about everything from designing a home you love to surviving your 20s to what to do when your landlord doesn’t give you your security deposit back… Whatever you need, I got you!
I get loads of sunlight from the bay windows, which I love, but I recently bought this pink rug and I hate it. I’m feeling discouraged and I’m struggling to put my vision together. I need help and I also need some positive encouragement. Budget: $2,500
You’ve got some great pieces (dining table, white chair, and the file cabinet), but with everything pushed up against the wall, a lack of light, and a rug that is practically the same color as the floor, there’s nothing interesting happening. So let’s fix that!
I drew up a new floor plan where the dining table is closer to the window, which clears up the space in front of the AC for your desk on a cattycorner. This will remove that “pinched” feeling that’s currently happening at the entrance. That window needs curtains, and I recommend using this rod and this connector piece to create a custom-looking window treatment. Set the bar as high as it can go and use four of these IKEA curtain panels to make the windows pop. Use one panel on the air conditioner window.
The scale of that TV stand is wayyyyy off. You need something taller and long enough to take over the open space now that we’ve moved the desk to the opposite corner. I suggest something like this to fit with the more mid-century feel, with a large plant or sculpture to the left of the TV. On the right side, add two (or three) floating shelves for balance and style with the books and plants crowding the window.
Switch out that rug with something like this to bring in the yellow and red from your throw pillows. Consider adding a plug-in swinging wall sconce with some large horizontal piece of art behind the sofa.
If you’re able to find the sideboard on Facebook Marketplace, reallocate that portion of the budget into painting and a plug-in ceiling pendant to the center of the room. If you’re handy, you can make this happen on your own, but I’d recommend hiring a TaskRabbit since electrical work can get tricky.
This is our main bedroom and we cannot get the color or vibe in here right. The dusty mauvy pink would be sexy and cool but it’s giving childhood bedroom pink. The screen is hand painted and so pretty up close! We don’t want the walls to go too dark in the space but want cozy, refreshing, calm, vibes in here. Budget: $800-$1000
I wholeheartedly agree that this pink is not the right pink. Valspar’s Cameo Pink is what you need, and you need to do the ceiling too. I know it feels like a big deal, but that stark white ceiling isn’t helping the room at all, and color drenching feels more grown-up. If you really want to take it up a notch, do Cameo Pink on the walls and Brown Plum on the ceiling. The second option is cool because that darker color connects to the brown on the screen and brings things together. Either way, a more sophisticated pink is a must.
There’s no vibe in the room because there’s nothing in the room. So we’re gonna get on Facebook Marketplace to find two dressers and a rug. A French provincial or traditional style dresser would work on either side of the bed, and I would replace those small lamps with something more substantial - at least 20”-24” tall.
An 8x10 rug to go under the bed and extend beyond the new nightstands/dressers is ideal. Getting three major pieces of furniture will likely exhaust the majority of your budget, but I would spend $56 on this French linen bed skirt to hide the simple frame and lean into the calming vibe. And moving forward, always size up in your duvet— so Queen-sized beds get King-sized duvet.
You’re off to a good start with this room, and I really, really love the idea of using a painted screen as a headboard - it’s very beautiful.
Whether you’re dealing with a closet that’s seen better days, a living room that just feels off, or you don’t know how to tell your mom to stop saying rude things about your bedroom paint color… Imani is here for you!
Drop your design dilemmas here it to be featured in the next Dear Imani drop!
xo,
IK
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