The challenge: DIY bloggers Sarah and Dan Pollio, Joinery & Design Co., have been making improvements to their home in the Twin Cities west metro area and sharing the results on Instagram. "We love creating spaces together," said Sarah, a designer. "We've been going room by room," said Dan, a builder, woodworker and project manager. The goal of their blog is to help people undertake professional-quality DIY, he said. "Just because you're doing it yourself, you can do it right and not cut corners."
The couple recently enhanced their 7-year-old daughter's plain-vanilla bedroom as part of the Paintover Challenge Room Makeover sponsored by Frog Tape, one of their brand partners, for a chance to win a donation to Room to Dream Foundation on their behalf.
The ground rules: The bloggers were challenged to redo a space using three things: paint, painter's tape and a $500 budget. They also were required to incorporate a design trend identified by interior designer Taniya Nayak. (The Pollios chose A Place of Zen.) Fifteen bloggers nationwide participated in the challenge, including another Minnesotan, Kate Chipinski, of Northfield. Five finalists will be selected this week, then consumers can vote to choose the winning blogger and a chance to win $1,000.
Thinking pink: Color was key to the Pollios' bedroom makeover. "It was a simple white room for almost a year," said Sarah. In keeping with the Zen theme, she opted for a "peaceful color palette." Their daughter wanted pink, so Sarah chose a soft smoky shade for a colorblock paint treatment. The room has a vaulted ceiling, which presented a design challenge, said Sarah. "Do you paint the peaks?" They didn't, leaving the ceiling and upper walls white. "With the colorblock, it gives good dimension and height," she said.
Serene accessories: Sarah chose "calm organic accents" for the room, including natural textiles, a modern rug with a high-contrast pattern, a mirror above the bed with a rattan frame and a reading lamp with a basket-weave shade. There's a bit of live greenery on the nightstand, which their daughter waters herself. "She's a little plant mama," as well as a budding designer, who weighed in on selections for her room, said Sarah. "She loves talking to me about color and design."
