In the past when I redesigned a room, I have always tried to keep costs down to the point where at times it affected the design and then I would wonder why the room didn’t feel right or complete. Have you ever done this?

Well, I don’t know about you but I was tired of it. Of course, money is important but isn’t design just as important? Isn’t room design just another art form?

If I didn’t say YES! to both of those questions, I wouldn’t be honoring my profession as an art teacher!

I couldn’t go completely rogue on the money but I could loosen up the purse strings a bit… you know, in the name of art. Could I still keep costs down but allow the design to completely drive the project? 

I was ready to give it a try, you know, be like a HGTV designer! 

Let the pretending begin!

Here is the BEFORE…  

I have found the best way to keep track of my ideas, designs, and colors is to collect lots of pictures.  Professional designers call this a “mood board”.

I call it a Pinterest Board! Check out and follow my board called Guest Bedroom Ideas.  It will help get you started with your bedroom project.

Can you guess which of these five bedroom areas cost me the most?

Painting the Room Furniture Hardware Bedding Accessories

I was surprised. Answer is at the end of this post!

Let’s begin…

PAINTING THE ROOM -$49

Painting is my least favorite thing to do in a room design. I want it to be over as quickly (and nicely!) as possible so that is why I don’t tape. I use a trimmer and it is SO much faster! ANYONE can do it. If you hate taping as much as I do, check out this video. It saves so much time! 

I chose the paint Linen by Magnolia Home mostly because it’s at Ace Hardware which is close to my home, but also because the paint is fantastic!  One gallon covered the entire 12 by 12 room.

Cost Breakdown for Painting the Room/ Total $49 Linen Paint by Magnolia Home at Ace Hardware - 1 gallon at $49 Brushes, rollers, trimmer were used from a previous project - free

FURNITURE - $244

Since furniture is usually the most expensive cost in a room, I always think about interesting and creative ways I can reuse or update existing furniture.

I had hubby drag out an antique bed from the basement (full size).  The bed was gifted to me by a friend years ago so it was essentially FREE except for the cost of paint. I spray painted it with Rust-oleum Universal Spray in Oil Rubbed Bronze.

It was very old and creaky so we did have to notch out some of the wood on the box spring base so it would be tight and not squeak.  It worked great and the stability of the box spring stayed in tact.

Since the bed was painted, I felt natural wood nightstands would add warmth and texture to the room. I had every intention of buying two until I started cruising FaceBook Marketplace. You can read all about how I upcycled a nightstand for this room in my post Natural Wood Furniture Makeover.  It is full information on HOW I choose and refinish vintage furniture.  

 I had a chair in our basement, so I went on Amazon and found a slipcover for it. 

Slipcovers are never a perfect fit so I used TIDY PINS to pin fabric in place so it didn’t slide.  You can read more about how I use Tidy Pins in this post. 

Last piece was the dresser and again, I went to Facebook Marketplace to see what I could find. I had a love/hate relationship with what became Frankendresser (pictured left) before turning into the beautiful piece you see on the right below. I purchased it for $15 and put $65 into it including paint and wax sealant.  You can read all about it here.

Cost Breakdown for Furniture /Total $244 Nightstand Makeover (stripper, wax, white wax) - $70 Dresser Makeover (stripper, paint, wax, sandpaper) - $80. Other smaller round nightstand - $45 Slipcover for chair - $42 Rust-Oleum Universal Spray Paint for Bed - $7 Wrought Iron Bed Substitute on Amazon (Just in case you love the look!)

HARDWARE - $111

I usually overlook hardware in a room but not this time. The large oil rubbed bronze pendant light worked better than a chandelier in this small space.  I really like the sleek understated richness of it.  The gold shiny door handles were changed to oil rubbed bronze and the curtain rod was place up high and wide to give the small window some breadth. 

Cost Breakdown for Hardware /Total $111 Schoolhouse pendant light - $70 Oil Rubbed Bronze Curtain Rod - $10 Oil Rubbed Bronze closet handle (no lock) - $15 Oil Rubbed Bronze door handle (lock) -$16

BEDDING - $65

My favorite places for bedding will always be Homegoods and Target and they did not disappoint for this room! 

The white waffle-like quilt (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE) was only $30 at Homegoods!  DING DING DING!  Winner (thumbs pointing at myself)!  It did not come with shams but it really didn’t need them when I found the printed sheet sets from Target on SALE for $14 for each SET! (I am not really sure why because they were full price online.) 

Finally, my trick for hiding an ugly box spring is to cover it with an awesome fitted sheet which I also got from Target.

The blue coverlet was one of the few things I reused from my boys’ childhood bedrooms.

Cost Breakdown for Bedding / Total: $65 White Quilt from HomeGoods (no shams) - $30   (White Quilt Substitute from Amazon)  Sheets - 2 sets on sale at $14 each = $28 Fitted sheet for box spring - $7

ACCESSORIES - $270

Did I say that furniture is the most expensive thing in a room?  Not in this makeover!  Are you as surprised? I was!

Accessories can make or break a room in both design and cost. All the individual prices were VERY GOOD however, it added up quickly!

Keep in mind there were a few things I did reuse like the TV, the grey pillow on the bed, and the Water Hyacinth Bowl on the dresser.

Cost Breakdown for Accessories / Total: $270 Round Mirror from Target (in stores only) - $60 Bamboo roman shade (Tuscan) from Walmart.com - $60 White Sheer Curtains from Walmart (2) - $12 Water Hyacinth Woven Basket at Homegoods - $16 Water Hyacinth Woven Basket Substitute from Walmart Water Hyacinth wastebasket at Homegoods - $12  Water Hyacinth Wastebasket Substitute at Walmart Blue Accent Pillow at Homegoods - $20 Lamp Base - Large from Target - $20 Lamp Base - Small  from Target - $10 Accent Lamp - Extra small from Target - $10 Lamp Shade - Large  from Target - $20 Lamp Shade - small  from Target - $10 Wicker Candle at Homegoods - $8 White ceramic planter with faux plant at Homegoods - $12

All in all, it was a FUN project and I am very happy with how it turned out. It feels cozy and most importantly, it feels complete.

I probably could have gotten away with a little under this final price but remember, I wanted the design to drive the project and guess what? I am so much happier with the result.
 

GRAND TOTAL FOR ENTIRE MAKEOVER: $739

Good luck with your next room project and shoot me some comments on how YOU let design drive your decisions!

Happy Creating!

Amy

I almost forgot! You can make the art in this room. Check out Super Simple Flowers!