Amazing improvement!

Love the transformation!

inspiring – small subtle changes making huge differences.

The after looks clean and fresh!

Wow, how to follow Miss DO?

First of all, I would say nice job. The original looks even worse up-close, and I think the after is pretty, soothing and understated.

And all done for $40? Awesome. In summary, your landlord should be thrilled to have tenants like you.

Thanks for featuring me on Design Sponge!

I’ve gotten a few comments on my site about the green color I used. It looked like a cool, highlighter green in the store but it was more of a warm, rich avocado green in the lighting at home (both artifical and natural) which was perfect – it looked horrible under florescent lights. As always, I recommend bringing home the swatch or some sample paint because the color changes throughout the day. I love it though.

It’s called: S-H-F 400 Rolling Hills by Behr Paint. http://www.materials-world.com/paint-colors/behr/behr-colorsmart/behr-colorsmart-45.htm

To Miss Do:
Thanks for your feedback. We didn’t paint or stain the shutters like we wanted to – they weren’t really worth it, it would have been better to replace them all together. I wish we had more time and money to do more with the nook (everything came to $40). We don’t own the house, so everything had to be approved by the landlord. The flowers do look last minute – my friend brought them over and I stuck it in the vase because I was busy. My mom does flower arrangement so I’ll have to ask her for some tips! Thanks for pointing that out.

This looks great! What brand and colours of paint did you use?

Paula – thanks for sharing the paint color and the before & after. I wish my old rental home would have looked half as nice as this.

There’s so nice work done here! It’s so hard to live in a home that you can’t change too much nor do you want to sink money into a place that you don’t own. You did a great job. I think your mom will tell you that 3 flowers in a clear vase is classic. And even more so when the flowers were a gift. Nice to see an absence of clutter.

I LOVE that green! Kudos to you for only spending 40 dollars and Boo to the haters!

Miss Do has forgotten her manners. If you don’t have something nice to say than don’t say anything at all. I think this lesson was taught in Kindergarten.

I on the other hand – think the “after” looks incredible. Good job and don’t let a jerk get you down.

Wow, well I happen to think that you did a great job! In the picture of the corner shot, my eye went from the green wall to the shutters and in my opinion the color of the shutters and the wall balance off of each other quite nicely. And you did all this for $40?! I think you deserve a pat on the back, not a grilling of what you SHOULD have done. Geez!

Re: Miss Do’s scathing remarks and uppity attitude.

The “THING” on the wall is a thermostat for regulating home temperature. Generally considered immobile in a rental property. It is mounted approximately at chest height. Aligning the hooks to this would result in low hanging jackets.

Color choice on the nook was limited by a conservative landlord. Had you known all the facts before ripping the nook a new one, you may have bitten your tongue just a little.

The wimpy and unacceptable sunflowers were a party gift from the previous night. We actually like them the way they are, and do not enjoy over abundant old-lady style bushy floral decorations overpowering visual and olfactory senses. I am not one bit embarrassed.

The shutters were left brown because common house paint would have interfered with the working mechanical louvers of the shutters. Perhaps we can paint them anyways and use a wood graining comb to give them a nice fake wood look?

Please consider the feelings of others before posting your anonymous and really out of place criticism. It was a lot of work to do what we did, and I’m proud of the result.

i think paula and mike did a fantastic job. i think in design, youre given certain challenges, ie: “THING” on the wall aka thermostat that is immobile, and to accomplish great design, you know what these challenges are, and find ways to work them into your vision. oh, and i think one of my favorite parts is that this only cost $40 bucks.

as for the sunflowers and avacado shade of green, it pretty much screams “paula” to me, and lets not forget that less is more. a gaudy bouquet of flowers wouldnt have suited the owners of this home or the home itself quite as well.

great job, you two! you will be inspiring many future renovators of apartments if you havent already :)

and ps critisizm is constructive only through proper delivery. no one wants to listen to an asshole.

I really wish people would stop painting just 1 wall.

If you would like an accent color, the way to go would to paint pinstripes or on the moldings.

Painting just 1 one is very late 90’s

lovely way to lightly freshen things up!!

I really appreciate Grace quarantining what was apparently a nasty email. I absolutely cannot fathom why anyone would want to criticize someone’s efforts to upgrade their home. I don’t follow Design Sponge to read snarky comments, I like reading the comments from people who post here because they are constructive, and I avoid blogs that do allow snide, or pompous or just plain mean comments. I mean come on — it’s not like there is a shortage of unpleasant views on the Internet that needs to be filled! I thought this before and after was very striking, admired the bold use of color, was deeply appreciative of the work involved and loved the spare element of the flowers casually put in the space!

Love the way that shade of green gives both a vibrant pop of color and warmth to the space. Great way to transform the room!

flannel shirts, accent color walls, grunge….maybe i’m just a big fan of the 90’s, but i’m pretty happy with my accent wall. as a renter, i think you did a fantastic job. your landlord is lucky to have you and it’s great to see transformations that renters make on here.

wow! so simple, but cool! I can’t wait to see what they do to that dark kitchen!

If I were your landlord I would be thanking God to have found people like you!! I am impressed that you love your personal space enough to take care of it in such a way. I feel the same way about my spaces and have spent lots of time and energy re-doing spaces that did not belong to me. I always felt better about myself and better about my home in the end. GREAT JOB! THANKS so much for sharing this with us, and WOW your $40 went a LONG way on this project!

Looks really great guys. Even nicer in person =)

I totally agree, your 40.00 went along way here! :) The after is very refreshing! :)

..and the green… LOVE it!

Thank goodness we are free to decide our own personal design style! You did a great job and you should be very proud!

Thanks guys! Appreciate the comments. And yes – I can’t wait to tackle the dark kitchen.