While the living room, dining room, and kitchen are often used for entertaining guests, the bedroom is the one room in the house that is often neglected or put on the to-do list for the future.
That’s because it’s a more private area that guests rarely visit. However, there’s no reason it has to be that way. You may want to decorate your room for various reasons, but regardless, the room deserves just as much design attention as the main living areas.
If you’re decorating your room on a limited budget, there are a few things you can do to spruce it up without breaking the bank. Start by rearranging the space or removing furniture pieces that are just cluttering up the room. Then, continue with other approaches such as repainting, adding lighting fixtures, or new artwork. You can always find things on sale or pick them up at a flea market or online discount marketplace.
Decorating your room on a small budget may make the process a bit more challenging, but it also offers an opportunity to be more creative and personalize your room to your liking. Here are a few things to consider:
Contents
Reorganize the room
Before you start decorating, begin by rearranging your bedroom. This alone can give a room a new, fresh look. More importantly, it provides you with the foundation to work with when adding new elements.
Think both functionally and aesthetically. How can you improve the flow through the room? Are there specific furniture pieces you want to highlight, place them front and center to make them the focal point.
What about the bed and surrounding furniture? Do they make the room feel spacious and airy or do they make it feel cramped? Would moving the bed to a different part of the room improve the flow?
Do you want to make the room brighter? Are there furniture pieces that block natural light that you can move to another part of the room? Do you need window treatments to soften the incoming light?
These are all important questions to ask yourself as you start rearranging furniture. It may be a good idea to measure items and even sketch out a plan before you start moving things around to help you better plan.
If you’re happy with the current layout, you don’t necessarily have to rearrange things. Don’t feel like you have to move things if you don’t feel the need. But if you feel like your room could use a little refresh, it’s likely that the placement isn’t quite right.
Add an accent wall
A fresh coat of paint can go a long way in refreshing the look, and the best part is that it’s a fairly inexpensive investment. You can either repaint the entire room or alternatively select a specific wall to be a different color.
Accent walls are a great way to highlight specific areas you want to draw attention to. It could be the wall where your bed is placed to draw the eye to the central piece of furniture. It could be another wall in the room that you want to accessorize and bring to life.
When selecting a color, consider the furniture and other elements in the room. You can either complement them or contrast with bold colors. Accent walls work best with light, neutral color schemes to add some pop.
Think about the mood you want to reflect in the room. Looking for a calming, soothing effect? Want to create more energy in the room? Accent walls can help with that. Choose your colors to reflect the mood you want to portray.
Replace furniture hardware
Updating the hardware on your furniture is a cost-effective way to instantly upgrade the look. Do the handles on your cabinet or dresser look outdated or perhaps a bit worn out? Now is the time to replace them with something more modern and current.
Take a look at the handles or knobs on your furniture. Do they add to the piece or do they just seem like they’re there to serve their function? If the answer is no, replace them with something more creative and eye-catching.
There are several ways to go about this. You can simply upgrade them with more modern materials or styles. You can also opt for a bolder look with more colorful hardware or go for larger pieces that will catch your attention.
Let your imagination run wild and personalize the hardware to make it more appealing to you. If the decor in your home has a certain style, try to think of ways to capture that theme in a creative way.
Decorate the dresser
An easy and inexpensive way to add interest and color to your room is by decorating the top of your dresser. You can either buy new pieces or perhaps borrow from other rooms in the house that appear cluttered with items.
The idea is to spice up your dresser with some new visual interest. Find a centerpiece for the top of your dresser. This piece should either be the focal point of the decor or simply an interesting accessory in terms of size and color.
Some possible options are a beautiful mirror, artwork, a sculpture, or even a large family photo. Once you have chosen your main centerpiece, you can build around it. Try not to overcrowd the top with too many things.
Adding two more items, one on each side to anchor the focal piece and provide some symmetry, should be enough. Some items you can consider adding are lamps, vases, candles, or a plant or fresh flowers.
Affordable rugs
Rugs can add interest and warmth to your room. You’ll really appreciate them on cold mornings when you don’t want to step on a cold floor. The best part is that they don’t eat up your budget too much.
Depending on the color scheme of the room, you can either go for a subtle color that either matches the main colors of the room or the furniture. If your room has lots of light, neutral tones, you can alternatively add some color with the rug.
Think about the placement, size, and shape of the rug. A large rug can make a bedroom that feels a bit empty and cold come to life. If the room is small, a striped rug can help create the illusion of a bigger space.
You can also opt for smaller rugs and place them at the foot of the bed or in front of a bench if you have one. Alternatively, you can place small rugs on the sides of the bed for you to rest your feet on in the mornings.
Add or replace curtains
Curtains are a great way to add some visual interest to your room and help dim the incoming natural light. If your windows are bare or have old blinds, or if they’re old or outdated, consider installing new curtains.
Curtains are available in various colors and patterns. They also come in opaque or more transparent materials, allowing some light to pass through the curtain. A combination of a sheer fabric curtain and a more solid fabric can also work well.
Like with rugs, you should decide whether you want to emphasize them or blend them in with the prevailing colors of the room.
In general, you’ll want to keep the curtains neutral, but you have the option of making them stand out more by using accent colors.
Buy new bedding
Fresh new bedding can help bring some life back into a room without breaking your budget. Bedding comes in an unlimited array of colors, fabrics, and patterns, adding a touch of personalization to the room.
You have the option to choose a very neutral color to work with the room’s color palette or you can add some pop to an otherwise neutrally colored room with bold colors or patterns.
Add a headboard
Headboards help elevate your bed and can provide some practical benefits by serving as a backrest when sitting or reading in bed. Headboards come in all types of materials, from wood to metal to leather.
Choose a material that matches the style of your room. Look at other furniture pieces to get a sense of what will work best. Usually, wood is a safe choice, but if most of your furniture has strong metal accents, you can opt for a matching metal.
Leather headboards provide a comfortable surface to sit or read in bed. Wicker is another option you can consider for a cottage style.
Both materials can work as long as they match the style of other furniture pieces in the room. For example, a sitting chair or bench.
Add a bench
Speaking of benches, nothing adds more comfort, elegance, and visual appeal than a special bench at the foot of a bed.
From using it as a tray table for breakfast in bed to tying your shoes, the bench is a great addition to any room.
Like with the bed headboard, there are many material options to choose from for the bench. You don’t necessarily have to select the same materials used for other furniture pieces, as long as the bench fits with other pieces.
Bedside lamps
Bedside lamps are practical and can add some visual interest to your room without breaking the bank. The easy access to task lighting in bed makes them a functional necessity for reading in bed or getting up at night.
Bedside lamps are available in all types of styles, from modern to traditional to rustic. Choose a style that best matches the theme of the room or your home.
Wall mirror
Mirrors make a room appear larger and can add some visual interest to a room. If you opt for one with a frame, try to stick to the style and materials of other furniture pieces.
It’s possible to use different materials or even styles as long as you find common elements that tie the pieces together, but it can be more challenging.
Pay attention to the size of the mirror as well. You don’t always want it to overwhelm other accessories or furniture in the room unless you intend for the mirror to be a strong focal point.
Wall texture
You can add texture to your walls to change the look and feel of a space. This doesn’t have to be limited to wallpaper, although it may be the most cost-effective of all options.
More expensive alternatives include adding thin bricks for an urban loft look, plaster to add some graininess, stone, or even colored concrete. Wood paneling is also an available option.
You don’t necessarily have to cover all the walls in a room, but you can if you want to. If you want to highlight a specific wall in a room, you can do so with different textures, similar to creating an accent wall.
Artwork
Artwork is a great way to enhance the look of a room. Artwork not only adds color and visual interest, but it’s also a personal expression of both the artist and the owner who chooses the artwork.
Artworks work in almost any location, but likely, you’ll want to make it a focal point of the room. If so, consider where you can place it to achieve this.
It could be right above the bed, creating an obvious focal point, or above other furniture such as the dresser. It’s possible, especially if the artwork is large, to place it alone on a wall you want to highlight.
Ceiling chandelier
A ceiling chandelier can make a big impact when used in a bedroom. It’s not something you would expect, so it can create a “wow” effect on first-time visitors who see it.
They provide ambient lighting to a room and also create a cozier atmosphere. Placed in the center of the room, a chandelier can become a central focal point. Another option is directly above the bed.
Chandeliers come in a range of designs, materials, and styles. Modern chandeliers are often abstract and can resemble ceiling art more than lighting fixtures.
Clear the clutter
The most cost-effective way to improve your room is by decluttering it. Take stock of excessive furniture or other items in your room that are taking up unnecessary space.
If the items don’t add aesthetic or functional value to the room, consider removing them or finding another place where they can be better utilized.
Every piece of furniture or accessory in your room should have a purpose. Think quality over quantity. This way, you’ll get more out of your bedroom decor and enjoy the results much more.