Live Green Room Makeover

As part of my Life Improvement Project Design seminars with IKEA and Family Circle on the road, I found myself in Portland, Oregon and Draper, Utah this past weekend at the IKEAs there.  I was there to talk up how good home design can empower and transform your life...

Outside the TV studio

Before hitting the stores, I stopped in to the Good Morning Portland television program to do a quick, LIVE "Green Room" makeover (the place the show's guests gather before going on the air) to promote my upcoming in-store seminar the next day at IKEA Portland.

Checking the ear piece - so I can hear the director!

I always enjoy seeing a space in person for the first time.  Then, it's a matter of being creative on my feet and pulling a new look out of the existing space.  It truly becomes a fine example of how to take a room that may seem to have no life left in it and making it something you can see with a set of new eyes.   It's amazing what simple changes can do.

Here's a glimpse of the before space

Here you can see the "before" space...  I decided to rearrange the furniture - remove some pieces and shop the offices for new pieces that could be repurposed into the room.  Sometimes shopping your house for things you already own is a great way to give your rooms an instant boost.

By rearranging the existing sofa I was able to create a more inviting seating area.  I accessorized the sofa with new throw pillows from IKEA.  On the existing bookshelf (now moved), I added some simple white accessories from IKEA combined with those that I found while shopping the office.  It's all about reworking and mixing things you have with things you buy.

The video below will show you more of what I did in about 20 minutes, however one of the fun parts of this new look to me was the "tree" and up lighting.  The addition of the tree (from an office nearby) truly makes the space more inviting and adds a layer of visual interest.  Add to this the magic of lighting.  IKEA has great lighting options that are very user-friendly.  In this case, a simple up light on the floor illuminates what could be a boring, dark corner of the room.  Now it has light!