Quick Fix: Boost Your Bedroom for $200 or Less
Blowing past your budget will be a thing of the past when you check out these pro designer tips for inexpensive bedroom updates
Spring is upon us, and with it comes what is often a costly seasonal decor swap-out, especially when it comes to the bedroom. Before you start painting accent walls and adding decor pieces to your online shopping carts (I'm already guilty), take a moment to read what the design experts have to say on how you can update your bedroom with pieces and additions that cost less than $200 — and sometimes cost nothing at all.
Fix: Clean the windows and drapes inside and out
Cost: Free (unless you get them professionally cleaned)
Interior designer Joni Spear recommends a thorough spring cleaning for windows and window dressing. "Dirty and grimy windows and dusty draperies may take a few hours to clean, but having sparkling windows and fresh curtains more than makes up for the effort. Clean windows and drapes cost you nothing, have a big impact and can really make the bedroom sing," says Spear.
Cost: Free (unless you get them professionally cleaned)
Interior designer Joni Spear recommends a thorough spring cleaning for windows and window dressing. "Dirty and grimy windows and dusty draperies may take a few hours to clean, but having sparkling windows and fresh curtains more than makes up for the effort. Clean windows and drapes cost you nothing, have a big impact and can really make the bedroom sing," says Spear.
Ariadni Incandescent Light Dimmer - $19.00 »
Fix: Install dimmers
Cost: $20 and up
Change the bedroom's mood and look with a dimmer, a greener and budget-friendly alternative to buying new light fixtures or lampshades. "You can create a serene ambience in an instant with dimmed lights," says Spear.
Fix: Remove computers, gadgets and TVs
Cost: Free
To achieve a clean and streamlined look in the bedroom, Spear suggests a spring resolution of placing gadgets outside of the bedroom. "You'll be surprised to know that you no longer have any need for cord organizers and other clunky, space-eating accessories — and that your bedside table and floors are free of clutter," she says.
Cost: $20 and up
Change the bedroom's mood and look with a dimmer, a greener and budget-friendly alternative to buying new light fixtures or lampshades. "You can create a serene ambience in an instant with dimmed lights," says Spear.
Fix: Remove computers, gadgets and TVs
Cost: Free
To achieve a clean and streamlined look in the bedroom, Spear suggests a spring resolution of placing gadgets outside of the bedroom. "You'll be surprised to know that you no longer have any need for cord organizers and other clunky, space-eating accessories — and that your bedside table and floors are free of clutter," she says.
by Dreamy Whites
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Fix: Get creative with your headboard
Cost: Varies
Upholstered and wall-painted headboards are all the rage, but a greener, budget-friendly approach would be to salvage architectural pieces. "Get creative. Place architectural detail in your bedroom, especially if there is none, with pieces like salvaged doors and windows that act as a headboard," says Spear.
Cost: Varies
Upholstered and wall-painted headboards are all the rage, but a greener, budget-friendly approach would be to salvage architectural pieces. "Get creative. Place architectural detail in your bedroom, especially if there is none, with pieces like salvaged doors and windows that act as a headboard," says Spear.
Fix: Add new accessory colors
Cost: Free to $200
You know that serving tray in a boring color that's collecting dust in your kitchen pantry? Give it a good wash and a new paint color that's on trend for spring, like mint green, lemon yellow or orange.
Here, design blogger Michelle Hinkley uses a tray painted canary yellow, taking the bedside tablescape from blah to beautiful.
Cost: Free to $200
You know that serving tray in a boring color that's collecting dust in your kitchen pantry? Give it a good wash and a new paint color that's on trend for spring, like mint green, lemon yellow or orange.
Here, design blogger Michelle Hinkley uses a tray painted canary yellow, taking the bedside tablescape from blah to beautiful.
by Pottery Barn
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Deirdre Duvet Cover and Sham - $29.50 »
Fix: New bedding
Cost: $30 (for a pair of shams) and up
Since the bed takes up so much of a room's visual space, changing the comforter has an enormous impact, says interior designer Marie Meko. Even a new pillow sham pattern can lift the visual appeal of the bedroom.
Fix: Play with how you dress the bed
Cost: Free
Interior designer Rachel Greathouse encourages experimenting with making up your bed in different ways: Instead of the comforter coming all the way to the top of the bed, for example, try folding it at the bottom and adding a lightweight coverlet underneath for a splash of color or pattern.
Cost: $30 (for a pair of shams) and up
Since the bed takes up so much of a room's visual space, changing the comforter has an enormous impact, says interior designer Marie Meko. Even a new pillow sham pattern can lift the visual appeal of the bedroom.
Fix: Play with how you dress the bed
Cost: Free
Interior designer Rachel Greathouse encourages experimenting with making up your bed in different ways: Instead of the comforter coming all the way to the top of the bed, for example, try folding it at the bottom and adding a lightweight coverlet underneath for a splash of color or pattern.
Organic Cotton Pintucked Duvet Cover, White - $99.00 »
Interior designer Nicole Lanteri consistently finds quality bedding in places like Target and West Elm. She says, "You really can't go wrong with white bedding." If you're looking for a crisp white duvet cover with loads of texture, try a pin-tucked spread; pull up the covers and sleep in what feels like the inside of a marshmallow.
Fix: Bring in a new dresser
Cost: New six-drawer dressers start at $150
Lanteri says that many times the dresser or armoire in a bedroom is often "outdated or from another home, doesn't fit right in the space or even provide the needed storage." Springtime is a good time to invest in a new dresser that reflects the design style of your bedroom and also meets your storage needs. "Like the bed, the dresser takes up a lot of visual space in the bedroom — make sure yours fits your style perfectly."
More:
Lampshades Shine for Quick Decor Change
8 Quick Changes for the Impatient Decorator
Cost: New six-drawer dressers start at $150
Lanteri says that many times the dresser or armoire in a bedroom is often "outdated or from another home, doesn't fit right in the space or even provide the needed storage." Springtime is a good time to invest in a new dresser that reflects the design style of your bedroom and also meets your storage needs. "Like the bed, the dresser takes up a lot of visual space in the bedroom — make sure yours fits your style perfectly."
More:
Lampshades Shine for Quick Decor Change
8 Quick Changes for the Impatient Decorator
