$500 Room Makeovers: Surfer chic washes ashore Home retreat gets creatively charged with innovative touches

Mark is an actor, a musician and a surfer. He's looking for a home office where he can learn his lines, practice his guitar and catch up on the latest surfer mags. He and his wife have a charming cottage on a hill with stunning city views. They would like to see this lower-level storage area turned into both a funky studio for Mark and a guest room for visitors. They love the comfortable leather chair and ottoman, but are willing to part with the plastic storage bins and the faded cotton rug.

The good news

At 19 by 19 feet, the area is certainly large enough to accommodate both guest room and office furnishings.

The leather chair and ottoman are in terrific shape, and their classic lines will work well with any design.

The neutral low-pile carpeting, while not the most stylish, is clean and unobtrusive.

The bad news

The chair and ottoman are the only pieces of salvageable furniture.

The fireplace is unattractive and dingy.

There are no artificial light sources, which are needed for a work space.

The plan

First, we'll move the unused books, papers and record albums to a storage area in the garage. This room needs to be a relaxing, inspirational place for Mark to work, and his clutter is distracting. Next, we'll introduce the bright, warm colors of summer to this drab, gray space using paint and accessories. The fireplace will get a face-lift, and the whole dingy area will be transformed into a surfer cowboy lounge -- for less than $500.

The grand total: $494.70

The color palette

This home office is atypical in that our worker bee is an actor, so regular office work will not be a part of the environment. I wanted this space to have a funky, avant-garde feel; to be a place where Mark could feel inspired and creative. The color scheme came from his collection of vintage Hawaiian postcards -- the colors of the sea and sun. Celadon green walls with punches of blazing orange accessories make for an exciting, youthful look. Black, white and silver accents add sophistication.

Paint color -- Alligator Alley, Kelly-Moore KM 3390-2

The details

The brick fireplace got a shiny new makeover.

The best buy in the room was definitely the coffee table. It was being discontinued and the price had been reduced to $27! Ask your favorite stores when their end-of-the-season and restocking sales occur to score some outrageous deals.

We moved the existing chair and ottoman to the corner of the room and added a floor lamp for a soft glow by which to read. The oblong shape of the lamp mimics that of a surfboard and adds a punch of personality.

The base of our new sofa has the same dimensions as a twin mattress, which means Mark can dress it with standard bed linens for instant guest accommodations. The artwork in the background was fashioned from something you may use in your office every day.

We added some gnarly beach vibe to ordinary table lamps.

Since most of Mark's work involves reading and rehearsing, a proper desk wasn't necessary. I substituted a much less expensive sofa table (also called a console table) in lieu of a more costly office desk.

The projects

Fireplace cover

I'd always wanted to work with corrugated steel but had never found the right project until here. As a fireplace cover for our beach-inspired office space, it adds a certain surf shack ambience.

Items you will need:

Corrugated steel (enough to cover the area)

Measuring tape

Sharpie or marking pen

Newspaper (optional)

Straightedge

C-clamps

Circular saw with a special metal-cutting blade

Leather gloves

Eye and ear protection

Caulk gun and masonry adhesive caulk

How you do it:

Measure and mark the steel to cover the area. (A template made from newspaper can be helpful in this process.) Use the straightedge to ensure that your lines are perfectly level.

Secure the metal sheeting to a work surface using the C-clamps. Using the circular saw with a metal-cutting blade, cut out the fireplace cover.

This is a loud, violent process; sparks will be flying all over the place, and the saw can get away from you if you're not careful. Remember: "Slow and steady wins the race." Take your time, wear your safety equipment, and all should go fine.

Using the caulk gun, apply the masonry adhesive caulk to the "hills" of your corrugated steel. Place the steel against the brick of the fireplace front and secure until dry.

Hawaiian lampshade

Mark owns an impressive collection of vintage Hawaiian postcards. I wanted to incorporate them into his office but wasn't sure how until I purchased the lamps for his desk. The lamps were attractive but needed a bit of pizzazz, so I decided to apply the images to the lampshades for a touch of island flare.

Items you will need:

Postcards

Photocopier

Scissors

Lamp with shade

Decoupage glue

Artist's brush(es)

Adult-size hula skirt

Hot-glue gun and glue sticks

Upholstery trim

How you do it:

So you can keep the original postcards in their pristine condition, make color copies and cut them out with the scissors. (The lighter weight of the copied images is also much easier to adhere to the rounded surface of the lampshade.) Apply the images to the lampshade using the decoupage glue and artist's brush. But be sure to test the glue on the image first -- some copier inks will bleed upon contact with the glue and ruin your project.

Next, attach the hula skirt to the bottom edge of the shade using the hot glue. Upholstery trim finishes the look.

Trim the skirt to the desired length.

From the book "$500 room makeovers" by Lisa Quinn

Photographs � 2006 by Mathew Carden

Published by arrangement with Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.

Author Lisa Quinn's Web site is lisaquinninc.com. She can be reached via e-mail at lisa@lisaquinninc.com.

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