After giving our floor stencils a full seven days to cure (it’s humid here), we finally moved the furniture back into the sunroom and took photos of the completed mini makeover. We split the work into three phases; earlier posts documented each step. To appreciate the change, it helps to remember how the room looked when we bought the house four and a half years ago: a thin, matted rug that smelled like dog. Charming, right?
We pulled up that rug the first day we moved in, then stained and later painted the concrete floor. The transformation was gradual, but the great views made the sunroom one of our favorite spots from the start—once the stinky carpet was gone. Here’s how the room looked about a month before the mini makeover. It felt calm and serene, but the heavy use of tans—walls, rug, floor pillows, daybed cover, ceiling accents and even some furniture—made the space feel a little flat. Our goal was to keep the neutral base but add a few pops of color and personality without spending more than $150.
Here’s the finished room after we brought in a dresser from another room, painted the daybed, installed sleeker curtain rods, painted the ceiling a soft sky blue, and stenciled the floor. In person the space reads a bit differently than in photos: the view through the glass doors becomes the dominant focal point, while the stencil pattern on the floor is subtler. Photos tend to flatten that depth and make the stencil contrast appear stronger than it does live. Friends and family who have visited describe the floor as a quiet improvement that makes the whole room feel more soothing—sometimes a transformation is simply hard to capture on camera.
We love how the aqua tones in the stencil complement the sky-blue ceiling, which helps the room feel brighter and airier. Painting ceilings a soft blue—sometimes called “haint blue” in Southern homes—is a classic way to widen a space and enhance the sense of openness.
The dresser added a lot of practical storage for board games, baby toys, and other everyday items. It came from an existing room, so it was a free and functional addition that helped tidy the space.
Small styling tweaks made a big difference. We added a few colorful beach towels to hooks (handy and cheerful) and moved a faux orange tree into a corner next to our shoe basket. I made that tree more than five years ago when I needed low-maintenance greenery; a few faux stems planted in real dirt inside an inexpensive Ikea planter gave it a surprisingly realistic look. Many people assume it’s real—maybe the dirt helps sell it.
We also kept a small corner vignette with an inexpensive marble-look table and a ceramic dog that remains one of our favorite thrifted steals. These little details add personality without costing much.
One of our favorite results is how the stenciled floor peeks out beneath the doormats, area rug, and daybeds—both daybeds sit on legs, so you can see the pattern continuing underneath them. Since most of the larger furnishings remain neutral tans and whites, the added blues and aquas feel playful and layered without overpowering the space. Best of all, these changes are easy to undo: the ceiling and floor are just paint, and accessories can be swapped in minutes if we want a different look later.
On a budget-friendly note, we scored two floor pillow covers on clearance for $6 each. They were square Euro shams that fit perfectly over our existing floor pillows, giving the seating area a touch more contrast for just $12.
Here’s the budget breakdown for this mini makeover:
- $0 – Dresser and mirror (reused from the guest bedroom)
- $0 – Second daybed (reused from a different room)
- $0 – Primer and paint for the daybed (already on hand)
- $20 – Ceiling paint (Tide Pools by Behr, semi-gloss)
- $40 – Curtain rods from Ikea
- $20 – Glidden oil-based porch/floor paint for the stencil (color-matched)
- $30 – Ceiling stencil purchased from a local stencil supplier
- $7 – Sponge for the stencil project
- $12 – Floor pillow covers (clearance Euro shams)
- Total budget: $129
For under $130 we refreshed furniture, updated the ceiling, and added a stenciled floor—small changes that together make the sunroom a place we want to spend more time. Clara already seems mesmerized by the pattern, which is funny and delightful. If we ever tire of the look, we can repaint or switch accessories quickly and inexpensively.
What about you—working on any mini makeovers? Any sunroom transformations or clever faux-plant hacks to share?
Want to follow the makeover from the beginning? The three project phases were documented in a series of posts covering each step of the transformation.