How to Redo a Room for $700
| By Barbara Knox |
|
(Photo by Susan Gilmore)
For whatever reason, Minnesotans are really interested in the private lives of TV news personalities—so let’s get this out of the way: Jason and Alyssa DeRusha (Jason of WCCO News’ “Good Question” fame) have nothing weird in their refrigerator (we looked). Their two little boys, Seth and Sam, are adorable (3 and 1, respectively). Their neighbors seem to like them. On the weekends, they spend a lot of time in the city, possibly at Brasa, Pop! or the Strip Club, three of their favorite restaurants. They buy local art and prefer modern to traditional design. We refrained from looking under the bed or otherwise invading their personal space during our protracted photo shoot.
The Setup: When Jason and Alyssa volunteered to get the room makeover on HGTV’s Decorating Cents, they had no idea when the crew would actually show up. So you have to give them credit, because the show’s producer called and said “tomorrow” when youngest son Sam was just three weeks old. They packed up the boys, vacated the premises and let the designer—who just happened to be METRO Style Enforcer Cy Winship—do his thing.
The Challenge: Jason describes the “before” room as “seven shades of beige with lots of sharp edges and toys all over the place.” His only request to the show’s producer: “Anything but floral wallpaper.”
The Makeover: The first thing Winship did was spend the bulk of his budget on floral wallpaper. (Oops.) Then he made-over some furniture—two side chairs he found in an alley and two vinyl-covered ottomans that turned up free at the U of M’s ReUse Center—to stay on budget. Finally, he added a ’60s-esque room divider to separate the new family room from the kitchen, and a pole in the corner that he calls “an indoor totem” and Jason calls “the stripper pole.” (“We’ve tried it but it’s really not functional. Very disappointing.”)
The Reveal: “We loved it immediately!” Alyssa says. “It was perfect for us.” Jason adds, “I didn’t want to be that dork that comes in and gushes at the end, but then I was totally that dork. I even love the wallpaper.” —B.K.
Jason & Alyssa's Best Tip: "Check out Carroll's Furniture in Arden Hills - it's reasonably priced and a great secret for people who like modern design."
The Setup: When Jason and Alyssa volunteered to get the room makeover on HGTV’s Decorating Cents, they had no idea when the crew would actually show up. So you have to give them credit, because the show’s producer called and said “tomorrow” when youngest son Sam was just three weeks old. They packed up the boys, vacated the premises and let the designer—who just happened to be METRO Style Enforcer Cy Winship—do his thing.
The Challenge: Jason describes the “before” room as “seven shades of beige with lots of sharp edges and toys all over the place.” His only request to the show’s producer: “Anything but floral wallpaper.”
The Makeover: The first thing Winship did was spend the bulk of his budget on floral wallpaper. (Oops.) Then he made-over some furniture—two side chairs he found in an alley and two vinyl-covered ottomans that turned up free at the U of M’s ReUse Center—to stay on budget. Finally, he added a ’60s-esque room divider to separate the new family room from the kitchen, and a pole in the corner that he calls “an indoor totem” and Jason calls “the stripper pole.” (“We’ve tried it but it’s really not functional. Very disappointing.”)
The Reveal: “We loved it immediately!” Alyssa says. “It was perfect for us.” Jason adds, “I didn’t want to be that dork that comes in and gushes at the end, but then I was totally that dork. I even love the wallpaper.” —B.K.
Jason & Alyssa's Best Tip: "Check out Carroll's Furniture in Arden Hills - it's reasonably priced and a great secret for people who like modern design."
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