If you’re looking for budget bedroom makeover tips, you’ve come to the right place! I’m going to share my guest bedroom makeover reveal with you and give you all the tips for making your space feel new and inviting without spending a lot of money.
By the end of this post, you’ll have all the tools you need to start your own budget bedroom transformation.
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
Let me show you a few pictures of what this bedroom looked like right after we moved into the house. There wasn’t really anything wrong with it other than it was boring and dated.
Plus, I was extremely over the cheap faux cherry finish on the furniture. It sat like this for quite a while.
bedroom before makeoverPin
CREATE A MOOD BOARD
Before you even start the decorating process, do yourself a favor and create a mood board.
It’s free, fun, and easy and is an excellent way to put all of your thoughts and ideas into one place. By using a mood board, you’ll be able to get an idea of what your end design will look like.
Not only does it help with the design process, it helps to keep costs down by helping you stay on track with your makeover budget.
Here’s an example of a mood board for my breakfast room makeover plan that I created for my mood board tutorial.
This example might look a little design’ery to you, but the nice thing about mood boards is that you can make them as simple or as detailed as you would like.
mood borad for breakfast room makeoverPin
ADD CHARACTER ON A BUDGET
When a room is lacking character (like this one), the addition of moulding is a simple, budget friendly way to give your space a fresh and polished look.
Whether you choose crown moulding, picture frame moulding or another type, moulding makes a room look expensive without really trying.
The big blank wall, where the bed is located, was just that – a big blank wall. It seemed to overwhelm the room with its lack of interest.
So – the first budget-friendly project of the makeover was to enhance and add interest to the architecture of the room.
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
I wanted the room to have a cozy, yet uncluttered look, so adding board and batten to that wall, instead of filling it with a bunch of artwork, was a great, inexpensive solution.
Not only does the new wall treatment add interest it also adds lots of texture and is a nice feature that really draws your eye to this spot.
To prevent warping and knot holes, we used 1″x4″ pvc boards instead of pine boards to create the wall. For reference, this wall measures 13’3″ wide x 8′ 3″ tall and each one of the openings between the boards is 22½’ wide x 21″ high.
SAVE MONEY BY PAINTING FURNITURE
Painting, instead of replacing, your existing furniture is probably the #1 money-saving tip I can give you for any budget bedroom makeover.
I gave my old, ugly, fake cherry finish furniture a paint makeover using an easy technique that fits right in with the cozy vibe I wanted for this room.
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
It was the largest undertaking of the whole makeover, but the furniture that we already had was in perfectly good condition, it just wasn’t to my taste any longer.
So – the dresser, mirror, and nightstands got a brand new look for very little money!
detail of painted mirror framePin
THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX
If you simply must add or replace furniture, save money by thinking outside of the box.
I wanted to update the seating in the room but didn’t want to go to the expense of new arm chairs.
Outdoor furniture to the rescue! By purchasing outdoor armchairs and cushions, at a discount store, I was able to save hundreds!
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
UPDATE EXISTING LIGHTING
Have you taken a look at light fixture prices lately? Good grief – they are so not budget friendly!
Take a look back at the before photos and you’ll get a glimpse of the ceiling fan that was original to the room.
The frosted glass and ugly shiny brass embossed with grape clusters had to go! In its place, I put the chandelier that was originally located in the dining room of our home, prior to its makeover.
The chandelier started out as verdigris green with shiny brass accents, so it took a bit of scheming to come up with a new design for it that would complement the rest of the decor in the room.
The re-do of this chandelier is another easy-peasy project that anyone can do.
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
SHOP DISCOUNT AND THRIFT STORES
When it comes to a budget makeover of any kind, discount and thrift stores are your best friend!
The original heavy, ornate bed was much too heavy for this room. A simple, non-fussy, upholstered headboard was just what the room needed.
By shopping at a discount store, I was able to replace it with a pretty upholstered headboard for a fraction of the cost of what I would have paid in a furniture store or to have one custom-made.
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
The headboard that I used comes with legs that can be attached, but the depth of our baseboards kept it from lying flush against the wall. To overcome that little issue, we just chose not to attach the legs.
Instead, we added a D ring to each corner of the headboard on the back and hung it directly to the wall. Worked like a charm and I actually prefer this to being able to see the legs since they are covered with black fabric.
All of the bedding and pillows came from discount stores as well.
When I put a bed together, I don’t hide away the actual sleeping pillows or even put them into a decorative sham. It’s too much trouble to take them out each night and replace them the next morning, so I simply “hide” them behind the other decorative pillows on the bed.
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
Lamps and accessories are perfect items to purchase at a thrift shop! If a lamp base isn’t the right color, grab a can of spray paint.
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
SAVE MONEY ON ARTWORK
There’s no need to spend a fortune on framed artwork! Shop thrift stores for frames that you can fill with inexpensive posters or printables.
I needed two large pieces of art to go above each of the nightstands, but I quickly found that pre-framed art was going to be very costly.
I spent just a few dollars on pictures that I didn’t like, just to get the frames. With a fresh coat of paint and two inexpensive posters, they look brand new.
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
I purchased two downloadable prints from Etsy to fill frames to flank either side of the dresser mirror.
cottage style budget bedroom makeover with a navy blue upholstered headboard, board and batten feature wall, diy painted furniture and cottage style accessoriesPin
I hope this post has inspired you to see that giving a bedroom a makeover doesn’t require a hefty budget.
With some creativity, a bit of DIY, and thoughtful purchases, you can significantly transform your space.
Start small, be patient, and watch your bedroom evolve into a space that truly feels like your own. Thank you for joining me on this decorating journey—here’s to making your home more beautiful, one room at a time!
