Inexpensive Total Bedroom Makeover

We just completed an total bedroom makeover that didn't break the bank and the new look is outstanding if I do say so myself. We painted walls, ceiling, and closets, installed a ceiling fan, and replaced everything except the bed. And.....today is reveal day.

I have a lot of photos, including the before-makeover photos. I’m not posting the how-to on the paint, etc. today because that would make the post really long.

I have a list of everything I bought and where I bought it at the end of the post—no affiliate links….just added for your information. The new look is clean and crisp. There isn’t any of the before décor remaining in the room except for the bed and mattress…..oh, and some of the wall décor.

When I started putting the room back together, I tried using my colorful quilts on the bed with different comforter sets and blankets. I never achieved a look I liked. 

The photo above shows the room before the makeover looking in from the hallway.

This is how the room looks after the makeover when looking down the hallway. The white paint and the new décor are so refreshing.

A look at the blue bedroom with the bed and side table before the makeover.

Now…..after the makeover. All of our bedrooms are small, and I made several changes to make the room appear larger.

The bed is full size instead of a queen. I purchased the metal bed after our son married and moved out. This was his bedroom. I decided on the full-size bed to save space. It’s not like a futon or daybed and will sleep two guests.

Before the new makeover, there was a small side table on the right side of the bed. To make the room look larger I removed that table and moved the bed a bit closer to the wall. Just those few inches added more floor space on the left and made the room look bigger. There is still plenty of walking room between the bed and the wall. I decided a few years ago that less is more when it comes to furniture and my small bedrooms.

Here you see the wall at the foot of the bed where the closet is located. We painted the louvered closet doors with a paint sprayer. If you missed the painting of the louvered doors post and video, you can see it here.

Do you notice in this photo how close the window is to the closet wall? That new curtain rod just barely fit the space. There is a hair’s breadth between the curtain rod finial and the abutting wall. The wall hangings are framed prints the JTS accumulated during his time in the Army. I did not rehang all of them, just a select few.

The new piece of painted furniture is perfect for this spot, and guess what. I didn’t paint it. I went on a hunt, looking for a piece to go under the window. I wanted it to be tall enough to almost reach the bottom of the window sill. I wasn’t sure if I wanted a painted piece or a stained piece, antique or vintage or fairly new.

On my first shopping trip I found the piece above. I debated buying it because it was a bit shorter than I was looking for. But….the small chest was only $68, and that included tax. I bought it with the thought that if it didn’t work out, I could always resell the chest and get my money back.

As you can see, it looks great in the spot. I first thought someone painted the chest, but on further inspection, I think it came from the manufacturer this way. It’s made of real wood, and I’m very happy with it. The trim paint on the chest is a grayish color and the pale gray is wiped across the front of the drawers. The side panels are also painted the gray color. I like the carving, the legs, the knobs, everything.

Not wanting to limit the color scheme to navy and white, I added just a few pops of red. I love red. It makes me smile. On the chest top, you see one of the blue and white candle holders I made and a vintage red cup that makes a great faux succulent planter.

I also added a thrift store brass lamp and a few magazines to the display. You always need a bedside lamp and this brass lamp is a nice heavy one. The white lampshade is from IKEA.

The first thing I did when putting the room back together after the awesome paint job was to decide on the bedding. That was my starting point for the decor. Once I was happy with the comforter set, I started shopping and decorating in earnest. I haven’t added up the cost of the room makeover yet, but I didn’t break the bank.

In trying to give the room a warm and welcoming feel I added the greenery….which is faux, as I don’t have a green thumb. The large potted plant is sitting on one of my junk treasures. I bought new curtain rods to hang the pretty curtains I finally found after much hair-pulling.

I bought a set of curtains at J.C. Penny’s and the panels were different lengths. One panel was an inch longer than the other panel. It was not working for me. I took those back and started my curtain search again. You know, curtains are expensive.

I bought new rods because the ones I had looked really puny. The difference in rod width from ½ inch to 1 inch really makes a difference believe it or not in the overall look. They give the room a more designer look.

I wanted to install the rods almost to the ceiling, which is the look these days, but I couldn’t find a length I could work with without doing a bit of hemming or sewing. Not for me. I didn’t want the curtains to puddle on the carpet. I’m over that look. How about you guys?

The curtains I ended up buying have grommets which save a bunch of money on curtain clips. And the curtain panels were only $14.99 each. That's a deal on curtains. I’m not a big fan of dresser mirrors, and I rehung the slim wall mirror I had in the blue bedroom before.

I added things to the room as I found something I liked or would work. The Toucan planter sitter is an end-of-season sale find from Target as is the fish sitter on the windowsill and the nautical-style bell hanging from the window latch in the photo showing the new chest of drawers. Little things like these put the finishing touches on a room.

The photo above doesn’t show the little Toucan, fish, and bell details because this photo was taken before I found them. You also see I have two candleholders on top of the chest instead of one. My decorating is always a work in progress, especially when putting a room together for the first time.

When I finally decided on the navy bedding, I knew it needed something else. But I had no idea what. None of the quilts in my quilt collection seemed to work, and I didn’t have a throw that matched the bedding.

It wasn’t until I was in Target one day and I spotted the decorative pillows with the red tassels that I knew what the navy bedding needed. Those pops of red.

The ceiling fan is a much-needed addition. I love ceiling fans in bedrooms. I don’t know why they have such a bad reputation. If you live in the hot south, you need them. I chose bronze to match the bed frame and curtain rods.

This ugly recessed square light fixture was original to the house. We….or the JTS had a time taking it down and putting up the ceiling fan. I will have a tutorial on that soon. As far as Miss Sofi goes she has decided she likes the new navy and white bedroom better than the orange and turquoise one so she has changed rooms on me. Just look at the photo below....

Sofi and Natalie put the doll house furniture under the chest of drawers for the "Fairies". They love playing in this new room.

Sofi was lending me a hand the day I took photos of the bedroom. She never really wants me to take her picture unless I'm working on a project. Then she needs some attention. I don't mind at all.

Before and After Bedroom Makeover Photo

Inexpensive Total Bedroom Makeover. New room décor information:

Navy Comforter Set With Pillows And Shams (King Set, I didn't want to use a bed skirt so got larger comforter) – T.J.Maxx
Pair of Navy, White, And Red Tassel Pillows – Target
Curtain Rods – Tuesday Morning
Curtains – Bed Bath & Beyond
Potted Plant – At Home Stores
Ceiling Fan – Lowes
Chest of Drawers – Local Flea Market

I shared the white paint color and how I choose it here.

To see the orange and turquoise bedroom reveal click here.

That’s it. What do you guys think of the bedroom now? Do you like the before or after better? I would love to hear your opinions. If there is something you don’t like or you would change you can tell me…in a nice way. I read all of your comments.

Have a great day, Kathy    p.s. thanks for being here and please excuse any typos or weird wording because I wrote this post late last night

Find our room painting tips here.