Home Makeovers on a $300 Budget

The New York Times hired five designers to help five New Yorkers who had been downsized. The hook? Their budget was $300. 

"...since there have always been decorators who insist you can do a lot to improve a space with little or no money, using the furnishings and accessories you have, now seemed a good moment to put their theory to the test.

Last month, the Home section approached several New York interior designers (only a few of whom, to be fair, had ever espoused anything like that theory) on behalf of five people in and around the city who had recently lost their jobs and were beginning, by their own accounts, to go stir-crazy at home.

The designers were asked to remake a room for one of these prospective clients — whichever room bothered the client most — spending no more than $300 (just under the average weekly unemployment benefit in New York State), excluding their own labor."

Check out the article and the great photos, especially the Multi Media Slideshow "How the designers did it." Great stuff for all of us!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/garden/12m-intro.html?_r=1&ref=garden