When Lee sent her Design Dilemma after photos, we were excited to share them. Many of you are eager to see how our mood boards translate into real rooms, and this makeover is a great example. Lee asked for help turning a mismatched, unfinished space into a practical and attractive zone for sorting mail, doing homework, and storing everyday items. Because the room sits between several adjoining spaces and functions as a pass-through, it needed to be both stylish and highly functional. Here’s the before picture to refresh your memory:
We created a mood board to bring order, balance, and practical beauty to the space. The goal was to define the area visually while maximizing storage and work surface—here’s the mood board we used as a guide.
Now for Lee’s after photo. This is her refreshed homework and mail zone adjacent to the front room and kitchen:
The difference is striking. The round pendant instantly draws the eye and defines the work area, while woven baskets echo the texture of the round jute rug beneath the desk. The desk pairs perfectly with a functional wall of Ikea bookcases that mimic the look of built-ins, creating a cohesive and purposeful composition.
This overhaul was so exciting! We got nearly everything you suggested and as soon as we built all of the Ikea stuff it immediately started to look great in there. Your ideas really did make for a big change. We love it. The bowl on the desk is always changing (sometimes it’s full of fruit but I also love your crayon idea – we’ve got boatloads of those!). Brilliant work! Thanks so much! -Lee
Thanks to Lee for sending her update—seeing completed projects is always rewarding. She did a fantastic job of adding the right number of boxes and bins to meet her storage needs and keeps the styling fresh by changing the desktop bowl depending on her mood. This makeover shows how a few well-chosen, budget-friendly pieces—modular Ikea bookcases that read like built-ins, a simple pendant light, a textured jute rug, and affordable art—can transform a mismatched room into a unified, functional space.
Lee’s budget-friendly approach is notable. The bookcase and desk system cost about $317, the pendant was $49, and the rug $84—bringing the total for the major pieces to roughly $450. That’s an impressive result for a near-complete restart, proving a major visual and functional update doesn’t require a huge budget.
Let’s give Lee some well-deserved praise for her thoughtful execution and for sharing these after photos. We hope more Design Dilemma updates like this keep coming—there’s nothing better than seeing a concept come to life.
Update: We no longer have the capacity to accept commissioned mood board projects and instead produce general inspiration boards. If that changes in the future, we’ll make an announcement.