16 Nov 2011 FUNKY FRUGAL: Houston home redo

by Tanner Cangelosi

One of my best friends recently said goodbye to her newborn son as he went to be with the Lord. Andrew was his name, and he has already impacted many lives, including my own. He has taught me to cherish my children, even in the stressful moments and to be thankful for them. As I have watched my friend and her husband walk through this difficult time, I am amazed at their faith in the Lord. I thank them for that. I thank God for them.

I wanted to do something for my friend, but didn’t know what. This past summer I was able to go and visit her in Houston in their new home. It was beautiful, but lacked coordinating décor in a few areas. I asked her to pick a room, and I would redo it – like our own design show! So fun.  

She chose her guest bedroom, so I took into account what she had already: Walmart bookshelves, two twin beds, a desk, a dresser and a side table. After rearranging the room, we did a little shopping. Unfortunately, we are not blessed with an IKEA in Central Arkansas, but the good news is because of that I still have money in my bank account. She chose new duvet covers and pillow shams with tiny red flowers all over them. Beautiful.

We then went to Lowe’s and purchased a quart of coordinating paint in the red, but with a high gloss finish. Next, we went to Goodwill to find some cheap old frames. We found funky frames and also stumbled upon a great used canvas. Finally, we went to Hobby Lobby for some wrapping paper.

When we returned to her home, she Googled “headboards” and found a simple design she really liked. I then painted two identical designs on her walls with the red paint for instant coordinating headboards.

With the leftover paint, we painted the frames, corkboard and canvas the deep red color. We hung some of her own photos in the room, and finally, I covered the back of the shelves in the wrapping paper and re-organized the books and frames. When we put the whole room together, it turned out wonderfully.  

I was so blessed to do this for my sweet friend. I wanted to show them comfort, and doing this helped me more than it helped her. Andrew has forever changed their lives and the lives of those they love. My hope is that guests that come and stay in their home will remember that imprint that Andrew left on the Henderson home.