BEFORE & AFTER

During the recent spring ‘24 ORC, Xin of athomewithxin gave her music room an amazing, color-drenched refresh. As beautiful as the space already was, Xin wanted to up the coziness level significantly and generally make the room feel more special.

Above is the “before the before” vs. the actual before. The photo on the left is the music room before any decorating, and the photo on the right is from 2019 after Xin’s first ever DIY endeavor, when she made the incredible built-in with help from her father-in-law. So, while the music room was already lovely, Xin was ready to give the space another pass with her seasoned DIYer skills.

The biggest task on Xin’s to-do list for this space was paint. She’d been itching to try color drenching somewhere in her house, and this room was the perfect candidate since it’s enclosed by French doors. She chose an absolutely stunning mid-tone, dusty blue shade and got to work (and painted carefully around the piano, which was too heavy to move to another room). According to Xin, if you’re painting a color on the ceiling, be sure to roll your paint on in the same direction the light comes through the windows to avoid flashing aka uneven sheen.

The neck pain Xin endured while painting the ceiling was very much worth it—the color drenching alone did so much to make the room feel like a cozy oasis. Next, she focused on using details to make the room feel special, like installing all new hinges and stunning knobs on the French doors, plus spray painting the outlet covers so they would match the other hardware.

While some of the decor stayed the same, Xin knew she wanted to replace the couch since it felt too big for the space, and the amazing leather armchairs she chose bring even more warmth into the space.

It’s so cool to see how with just a few extra years of experience DIYing and decorating, Xin was able to turn an already great room into a true showstopper!

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