Deb Nelson tackles a shed for today's decor on a dime!

Watch this segment in Episode 119.

Hi, Steven and Chris --

We need help!

Our family just downsized from a pretty big house to a smaller house -- one of the nice features of this new, smaller house is a cute little shed in the backyard. The shed is currently being used to store the extra furniture we didn't need after the move and some random gardening supplies.

The shed is such a fun little space and I have the feeling that we aren't using it to its full potential. It seems a shame not to be enjoying it for something other than storage, especially during the summer when the kids will want to be outside.

Do you have any ideas for what we can do with the space?

Thanks for your advice!
Alison and Michael

Deb Says:
Michael and Alison had a great little shed in their backyard. They had some amazing pieces of furniture they were storing there so I had some beautiful things to work with. It was a shed that the homeowners wanted to use for something other than storage. They recognized they could use this space to extend their living space and wanted to use it to it's full potential. I was inspired by what they had and I wanted to create an outdoor living room for Michael, Alison and their family.

Design inspired by:

The design plan for this space was really inspired by some of the lovely pieces that Michael and Alison already had. They had 2 gallons of cloud white paint, they had the white banquette and they even had a chandelier I found in there. At the start, these were some things that set the overall "look". I was going for something comfy and cozy but also elegant - kind of an elegant shabby chic. There were lots of white items so I decided to use lots of silver accents for a glamourous feel.

I started off with paint. Michael and Alison had already bought the white paint, so I knew they wanted to go with this colour scheme. Since this was raw wood it did need to be primed, but the white paint looked brighter and lighter and I loved how it transformed as soon as it was painted.

Michael and Alison had some amazing pieces of furniture being stored in the shed, so I had a lot of great stuff to work with. In fact there was so much in there I couldn't use it all! They had this beautiful white banquette that I used against the back wall. I liked how it fit in there like it was custom made to go there. It was right up against the walls, so since the piece had no arms the walls almost made it feel cozy and comfy since it fit right in there. Now when you put some pillows in there, it feels like you have a corner to lean on even if there are no arms.

Deals that I found:
I painted the floor white, but also found an indoor/outdoor rug that was on sale and added a nice little bit of pattern to the space. It fit really well and it was a good inexpensive find. These indoor/outdoor rugs are very durable and can stand up to a lot of wear and tear.

The other pieces I added in were the mirror over the banquette. This was a good find at value village, it was just $29.99 and it was a really perfect size and shape for the room. Originally it was a dark brown wood, I gave it a little bit of paint to the frame, I wanted to give it an older, antiqued tarnished silver look.

I also added in the console. I wanted something to provide a little storage (or be a bar area) and I found this at Value village for a steal too. It was just $18, but looked very different before. It was a cheap looking orange/brown and looked kind of like that old brown basement paneling. A coat of cloud white (that we had left over from the walls) was a dramatic change. And the front doors were clear glass panels, that open. I used the peel and stick vinyl to give the appearance of frosted glass doors and then you can hide all kinds of stuff behind those doors that you don't see. It also just softened the feel of the piece by adding the frosted glass look.

I made a simple and inexpensive piece of artwork too. I used a piece of board I painted white, and then printed out blown up letters (of Michael and Alison's childrens names) in a font I really liked on a regular printer. I cut out the shape of the letters with an exacto blade and then taped those onto the board where I wanted it located. I used nickel furniture tacks from the hardware store to then fill in the shape of the letters. After you have the letter filled in, just untape the paper and hang it up. You can customize it to any font, any words, even any shape. The options are endless; you can use different colours tacks, or even just use thumbtacks.

Michael & Alison also had these cute lamps, I added some new shades. The silver shades are really inexpensive ice buckets. I just placed the ice buckets over the existing shades. With the silver shade on the silver base the lamps looked elegant and glamorous.

I also made the roman shade for the window. I bought a creamy white colour piece of fabric from the remnant room and also bought all the supplies to make it at the fabric store in the notions area. I bought the white rings, the string, and the velcro and actually I did all the sewing by hand.

I also used some other furniture Michael & Alison had in the shed, the black coffee table, and 2 little garden chairs that were grey metal. I painted them with white spray paint.

Michael and Alison also had tons of great accessories. I used some of their pillows, bar accessories, lantern, stool, blanket and plant/planter as the final details to the space.

Get Deb's Roman Blind Instructions

Budget:
Artwork $21.97 - includes board & tacks
Mirror $33.98 - includes silver paint
Console Table $30.99 - includes vinyl for glass & primer
Roman blind $17.00 - includes fabric & notions
Carpet $44.00
Ice Buckets $27.00
Spray Paint $5.00
Primer $19.99
TOTAL SPENT $199.93

Resources:
Console table
Mirror
Purchased From:
Value Village
Locations Across Canada
www.valuevillage.com

Indoor/Outdoor Rug
Primer
Purchased From:
Canadian Tire
Locations Across Canada
www.canadiantire.ca

Curtain Fabric
Roman Blind Accessories
Purchased From:
Designer Fabric Outlet
Toronto, ON

Goldfinger Paste Wax - Silver
Purchased From:
Aboveground Art Supplies
Toronto, ON
www.abovegroundartsupplies.com

Art Board
Purchased From:
Curry's Art Store
Locations in Toronto & Quebec
www.currys.com

Upholstery Tacks
Purchased From:
Home Hardware
Locations Across Canada
www.homehardware.ca

Ice Buckets (Used as lampshades)
Purchased From:
Tap Phong
Toronto, ON
416.977.6364

Seating
Coffee Table
Chandelier
Decorative Accents
Paint
All Items Found in the Homeowners Shed

Visit Deb online at:
www.debnelsondesign.com

Deborah Nelson's hairstyling by Sugar n' Spice.