You’ve walked past it a hundred times. And if someone asked you what’s actually wrong with it, you’d probably point at the floors. Or the fireplace. Or the tile in the bathroom you’ve hated since you moved in.
You’d point at whatever is oldest, because that’s the only answer available to you.
So you got a quote. Maybe two. And when the number came back, something in your stomach turned over, and not only because of the money. It was because you couldn’t shake the feeling that you might spend all of it and walk back into the room afterward and feel exactly the same way you feel now.
You haven’t said that part out loud to anyone.
Meanwhile your husband looks at the same room and says he doesn’t see the problem. Your sister tells you your house is beautiful and she means it. And you stand there thinking, I know it’s fine, I know I should be grateful, but I don’t like being in here and I can’t explain why.
You’ve already tried. There was the rug. There were new cushions, and for about a week it felt better, and then it went back to looking the way it always looked. There’s probably a lamp in a box somewhere that never found a spot. You’ve saved forty rooms on Instagram that look nothing like yours, and you can’t work out what they have that you don’t, because on paper you have the same things.
At some point you decided the problem must be that your house is dated, and dated means it has to come out.
I’ve done these makeovers for three years now and I’ve stood in a lot of these rooms. Here’s what I keep finding. The thing everybody is blaming is usually not the thing making the room feel bad. Sometimes the living room needs decorating so you can live with your kitchen for another five years. Sometimes one permanent finish genuinely has to change and everything else can stay. And sometimes yes, the renovation should go ahead exactly as planned.
The difference is worth a lot of money.
That’s what I want you to watch for in the before and afters you’ve just seen. Not how much better the rooms look, because you already know I’m going to make them look better, that isn’t the interesting part. Watch what actually needed to change, and what suddenly doesn’t seem as important now that we have added a look and a feel to the most important room in the house.
Not sure if you need to renovate or decorate? This room-by-room guide provides clarity before hiring contractors. Get your FREE download here.
Keep an eye out tomorrow, too. I’ve got something extra special to share 🪄
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Maria, I have always liked the redecorating vs Reno. I have one issue though as an artist .. you hang smalls up high as opposed to lower where can be seen.. if they’re there to lend a visual line I get it but often would work, in reverse a
Coupla smalls at bottom also balance ..
I love you do gallery walls . I’d hang on ceiling if I could . But when I see a mirror taller than anything else hung off side it looks disproportionate. It forces one to look there. I just do not like small art photos hung high you can’t look at them they are creating a line of suggestion. Overall love the redecoratings. We all had eyesores we learned to get around.
Hi Chere,
The reason I hung the wavy mirror at that height is because it’s also right beside the back door, so I wanted it to actually function as a mirror rather than just be part of the composition. And the butterflies were repeated twice, which helps connect the smaller pieces.
In the end, gallery walls are personal. There are lots of ways to compose one, and everyone will have a different opinion about the placement of individual pieces. My bigger philosophy is that walls are so much more interesting when there’s something to look at rather than nothing at all.
And remember, I’m creating these gallery walls very quickly in these makeovers. The goal is to inspire people to use the art they already have and actually get it up on the wall, rather than waiting forever for the “perfect” arrangement. Thanks for your comment. Maria
Thank you for your wise words!! I will keep them for when I am ready for my next house.
Hi Maria, what’s that pretty color of sage green with those honey oak cabinets? Thanks for sharing this inspiration!
It’s BM Saybrook Sage. Here’s the post with a link to the video for that room.
mariakillam.com/my-childhood-best-friend/
Really cool what you did with all the rooms. So glad that you saved that kitchen from remodel. Even if it isn’t the homeowner’s dream kitchen, when everything is styled right, you can come to enjoy a lot of different styles.
The $1,100 makeover is so interesting bc the changes are so easy, but it looks so sharp and much better.