You’re going to love the amazing room designs I’m sharing today from our Greater Nashville Chapter of RESA® 2018 Meaningful Makeovers project at the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home. AND you are going to learn a few designer secrets that you can try in your own home!

This first design was created and implemented by Angela Myers of Angela Myers Home and Carol Raetz of Carol Raetz Interiors, LLC, both of which are certified EPS™ (Expert Psychological Stagers). The wall color is Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt SW6204.

design by Angela Myers Home and Carol Raetz Interiors, LLC

When I say they implemented the design, I mean REALLY IMPLEMENTED the design. Carol and Angela sewed window treatments, created wall art, and hung a ceiling fan:

And, they did something else pretty cool:

Designer Secrets, #1:  Add millwork or trim to create architecture where there is none.

Although I didn’t get a “before” shot of their closet doors, they were previously identical to the ones in the room I worked on:

closet doors before

They transformed the doors by adding custom millwork to add architectural interest where there previously was none. Isn’t this a great idea?

This next room was designed by Natalie Orr of Main Street Home Staging & Designs and Jamie Watson of JW Nash and Co., both of which are certified EPS™ (Expert Psychological Stagers). The wall color here is Sherwin-Williams Wool Skein SW6148.

design by Main Street Home Staging and Designs and JW Nash & Co.

Designer Secrets, #2:  Alter used furnishings to increase functionality and style.

Notice the cute leather strap and wood chair in the corner?  That was actually an old bar-height chair that they sawed down to chair height for the boys’ room. This room belongs to a pair of younger boys, who need a place to store some toys. See the cute upholstered seat between the dressers?

Jamie and Natalie painted and upholstered the existing toy box so that it could do double-duty in this bedroom. Here’s Jamie opening the lid to show me the original colors of the toy box. How’s that for thinking outside the box?

Designer Secrets, #3:  Use paint to add architectural interest to boring doors.

These ladies found an inventive way to dress up their hum-drum closet doors. They stenciled the doors with arrows, then painted the trim around the doors to tie in with the painted symbols and the headboard fabric. The effective use of paint alone can add architectural interest to a space. Just so cool!

The final room was designed by Carol Bass of The Practical Decorator and Stacey Foster of Staged to Suit. The wall color here is Sherwin-Williams Light French Gray SW0055:

design by Staged to Suit and The Practical Decorator

They created such a fun room, and I just love the buffalo check bedding.

The last designer secret is in the bathroom attached to this bedroom.

Designer Secrets, #4:  Hang contrasting curtain panels in layers to give a bathroom a designer look.

It’s such a small space that it was difficult to get a good shot of this, but you can spy it in the mirror:

The ladies used a typical shower curtain as a liner, then hung taller standard drapery panels on the outside of that to elevate the look.

I hope you enjoyed these fabulous rooms designed for a great cause by talented and generous Nashville-area home stagers! Later this week, I’m going to share the befores and afters of the room I designed for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home. This will include a tutorial of a really cool painted mural that even a novice can do, so stay tuned!

Our next Expert Psychological Stager™ certification course is in September, and we would love to see you there! Click here to learn more.