Home Improvement

Home Improvement

Updating your home doesn?t have to be as stressful as it sounds. See how Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room and Ashley Miller of Decorating Obsessed improve their households on a budget. Michaels and Miller share their design do?s and duds along with some insight into the home improvement process.

By Hilary Adleberg

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The Inspired Room
Blogger: Melissa Michaels

Originally created to showcase ideas for her decorating business, Melissa Michaels started her blog, The Inspired Room, in July 2007, and it seems to be expanding from room to room. ?In time, the blog became so successful I ended up running it as my full-time business,? says Michaels. She shares inspirational decorating tips?personal projects and tricks from other sites as well?that are affordable and achievable. ?I?ve learned how to use what I have and put things together in a way that is attractive and functional without spending a fortune,? she says. Right now, Michaels is currently renovating a kitchen. Check out her project?s progress here.

Photo Courtesy of Melissa Michaels

Though it would seem that Michaels has not DIY difficulties, it?s interesting to learn that she does not consider herself a DIY pro?as she explains in her ebook titled, Not a DIY Diva. The book explains the significance of, ?finding your own authentic style and way of doing things in your home. Because I am honest with myself about my own strengths and weaknesses, I am able to focus my home decor efforts on projects I actually enjoy and can be successful in and avoid projects that are just too frustrating and end in disaster for me,? explains Michaels. Her honest approach seems to?be treating?her well.

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Decorating Obsessed
Blogger: Ashley Miller

Moving out of their old house and into the new, graphic designer Ashley Miller?found it?therapeutic to document the process online?that she and her husband were going through to get their house market-ready. And so began Decorating Obsessed. But soon, Miller had a couple new projects to blog about. ?When our house sold after 6 days on the market, my attention quickly shifted to decorating and home improvements to the new house,? says Miller. Some of her most popular posts are about upcycleing?or reinventing?old furniture. ?I find old dressers on craigslist or a garage sale, and then give it new life with paint and hardware.? Check out Miller?s Wine Cork Buffet project.

One main point that Miller stresses in her blog is the importance of knowing when to save and when to spurge. For her newborn nursery, for example, ?I knew we?d be spending a lot of time in the glider so I wanted something comfortable that looked good and I had no issues dropping the money on it.? To compensate, Miller knew that she needed to budget other aspects of her daughter?s nursery. ?I found a $40 dresser on Craigslist that I painted and added new hardware to, I created some of the wall art and I found a cheaper crib that I customized by painting the bottom green.? See the finished product here.

Photo Courtesy of Ashley Miller

Photo Courtesy of Ashley Miller

Photo Courtesy of Ashley Miller

Tags: Ashley Miller, bloggers, decorating tips, design tips, designing on a budget, home decor sale, home improvement, home redesign, home redesign tips, household renovation, Melissa Michaels, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA

Source: http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/home-and-design/home-design-features/2012/07/13/home-improvement/

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