diy home projects Archives - Make it with Kate

I’m so excited to participate in the Fall One Room Challenge for 2021! I’ll be doing a game room makeover (and it will be ready just in time for Christmas). Included will be some much needed storage and organization and a handful of fun DIY projects.

This game room makeover is part of the One Room Challenge. It will include DIY building projects, wall treatment, and more! #oneroomchallenge #BHGORC #gameroommakeover #diyprojects

What’s the One Room Challenge?

The One Room Challenge happens twice a year in the Spring and the Fall, and is an online event where design influencers makeover entire rooms and document their progress on their blogs or on Instagram.

I’ll be participating here on my blog with weekly updates and projects throughout the 8 weeks, as well as in posting on my Instagram account. (If you aren’t following me on IG, head over and follow because I post almost daily on stories with tutorial and walk throughs of various projects).

I encourage you to check out the One Room Challenge site and browse the blog there as well, you will find so much inspiration from fellow designers and DIYers!

Game Room Makeover Plan and Budget

I know you’re probably ready to know what the space currently looks like and what my plan is! I can’t wait to add some functionality to this space.

This room was actually the location of my very first DIY project in this house, I made DIY Built-in Shelving for board games and baskets of kids toys.

However, the other side of the room is the video game and art display area, and it’s a disaster. I’m ready to tackle it and make the whole room complete!

Game Room Before

I feel like I need a disclaimer for this picture, I didn’t clean up the space because I wanted to show you how it looks on a ‘normal’ day. This will give you a sense of why I’m building the space that I am planning.

When planning out a project I make a bulleted list of what the space is used for, exactly what is currently being stored there, etc. This way, in my planning I can incorporate all of these into the build.

I know, it’s bad.

In taking inventory of this space, I need:

sufficient counter space for easy charging of consoles and controllers for video games
bins for video games
seating
art storage
artwork display
desk seating

And here is the wall opposite this one where I did the built in shelving.

Let’s make these two walls match a bit better!

New Game Room Makeover Design

I’m so excited about this new game room makeover design, it will add storage and functionality and will be really streamlined (and cool).

My kids are currently 6, 8 and 10 and my hope is that the design will carry them through the next handful of years of entertaining friends and hanging out together.

Game Room Design Mockup

This game room makeover is part of the One Room Challenge. It will include DIY building projects, wall treatment, and more!

The new plan will include a wall to wall built in for desk space and storage, along with artwork display and a ‘brick’ wall.

There will be a handful of DIY projects to tackle here to make this space pretty on a budget. Included will be:

DIY built in media console and desk
faux brick wall
DIY picture frame shelving
DIY faux marble countertop
(possibly an interior french door makeover)

I hope you join along the next 8 weeks to see the transformation of this room!

Game Room Makeover Budget

I’ll be honest I don’t love talking about money, but, I do know that part of hoping to inspire you to try DIY projects in your own home is giving you an idea of what things cost (and showing you how you can make a big impact on a budget).

So, here is the rough breakdown, and yes, I almost always go over budget so I know budget for extras that I don’t know about yet, ha!

unfinished wall cabinets = $310
faux brick panels = $115
joint compound/liquid nails/etc = $30
hardware = $20
plywood = $60
paint/epoxy/supplies = $50

Total = $585 (rounding up to $600 for small extras)

I’ll be doing this project over 8 weeks as part of the one room challenge, so this helps me break down the budget to spread to out over time as well!

Considering that if I had to have a 12′ console built for this space it would cost much more than that alone, this will be a budget friendly way to renovate this space!

Check out all of the posts in this series for progress

Week 1: Game Room Makeover Plans and Mood Board (current post)
Week 2: Make a Faux Brick Wall
Week 3: DIY Built in Gaming Console from Stock Cabinets
Week 4: DIY Faux Marble Countertop with Epoxy
Week 5: DIY Picture Frame Shelves
Week 6: DIY Neon LED Light Sign
Week 7: DIY Couch with Stool Seating
Week 8: DIY Indoor Climbing Wall
Final Game Room Reveal

When we first moved into this house, one of the first DIY home projects that I knew would be quick and easy, but give me a big bang for my buck was painting the outdated, brass fireplace.

Check out how to paint a brass fireplace below, I promise you, it’s super easy. My number one recommendation with this project is to get the right spray paint. You are definitely going to want a high heat tolerant paint if painting a functional fireplace.

How to Paint a Brass Fireplace

There are only a few materials for this easy project that you will need, again, pay attention to the type of spray paint you use!

Materials needed:

painters tape
brown craft paper
matte high heat spray paint (I used Rustoleum High Heat Automotive Paint)
razor blade (optional)

Grab what you need from Amazon!

What to do:

Step 1. Prep the fireplace. I know this seems time consuming but trust me, you are not going to want to get spray paint on your surrounding materials, especially if they are porous like stone or brick. The glass will be more forgiving (see why below).

Thoroughly wash the brass with soap and water to cleanse of any residue and let dry completely.

Prep the space by cutting brown craft paper to size of the glass panels and then large sections to cover the material on the outside of the fireplace.

Tape the paper in place keeping the edge of the tape along the edges of the brass fireplace.

Step 2. Use your high heat spray paint to completely cover the brass fireplace.

*Tip: when using spray paint, make short light ‘strokes’ with the sprayer across the surface. This will keep the paint from pooling, resulting in drip marks down your fireplace.

Repeat this process resulting in two coats of the high heat spray paint.

Step 3. Once dry (it will dry quickly) remove all of the tape and the paper from the area. If any spray paint gets on the glass panes, simply take a razor blade and scrape the paint off, it’s like magic!

Enjoy your newly painted brass fireplace

You will be amazed at just how much this simple DIY can really modernize and transform your space!

Don’t get me wrong, I love a well-placed gold accent in most of my projects, like when I painted this DIY Wall Sconce from a Table Lamp gold, but the brass fireplace is not one of my favorite looks. A classic matte black however looks really updated and sleek. Enjoy your painted fireplace!

Game Room Makeover: Fall One Room Challenge 2021 (Week 1)