HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'Bargain Mansions': Tamara's buffalo wallpapers, brick trick and lit mirror will give your home a modern touch

Tamara built the washroom around a huge soaking tub since that was the centerpiece of the bathroom

On the December 14 episode of ‘Bargain Mansions’, Tamara showed her favorite ways to design a house, that is, infusing the modern with the traditional. The old mansion that Tamara purchased was for $325,000 and she set a renovation budget of $300,000.

In classic Tamara fashion, her home renovations happen in two phases. In the first phase, she renovates the outside of the house, the living and dining spaces and the kitchen. Here are a few takeaways from Tamara’s home renovation ideas. 

For the second phase of the renovation process, she kept the bedrooms, bathrooms, closet and laundry. For the bedroom, Tamara wanted to keep it classic yet calming. She decided to give the bedroom a classic blue shade that was soothing to the eye and installed an archaic brass chandelier in the center of the room. With huge windows in place that attract an abundance of sunlight, there isn’t really much that your bedroom needs. 

Tamara built the washroom around a huge soaking tub, since that was the centerpiece of the bath. She built a private shower with modern fixtures and closed glass doors. For the vanity, Tamara decided to put wooden cabinets and let the natural color of the wood shine. It gave the washroom a certain warmth. She had lights attached to it on either side with brass detailing and white countertops. She put gray penny tiles on the bathroom floor on one side and charcoal tiles on the other.

In the closet, Tamara installed a hanging closet and marble wallpapers that made the closet look bigger than it was. She also used buffalo check wallpapers in off-white and gray on another wall to turn up the warmth. 

The master bedroom led to an outside porch. Tamara had previously lime washed the brick walls. She recommended wetting the bricks before spraying the lime wash on it. Lime-washing bricks helps in hiding the texture of the bricks by restoring its original feel. She paved the cement walkway in Harrington style. On the porch, Tamara added cedar details to give it the modern yet traditional vibes.

Catch all the new episodes of 'Bargain Mansions' on HGTV every Monday at 9/8c. For more information, check your local listings.