Master Bedroom Makeover: Our Renovation Before & After

Welcome the master bedroom part of the home tour!
This is the very first post ever written about our master bedroom. Enjoy!

When we first found our 1970's fixxer-upper, I fell in love with the master bedroom the minute I saw it. It was really ugly the first time we saw it, but I could see through the outdated colors and woodwork. All I could see was major potential. 
This is the story of how I completely overhauled our bedroom on a really teeny budget. So that you can see how far this room has come, here is how it looked when we first moved in.



And after a few creative ideas and tons of paint, this is the master bedroom today.

Since the beginning, I've been on a tight budget when it comes to updating this room. So, I did what I do best. I headed to thrift stores, searched Craigslist, and made a lot of stuff by hand. Because of this, the entire room has cost me well under $500 to complete. And that even includes all of the things I've added over time.

(see my thrift store shopping tips here)
 Next time you think you can't improve a room, remember this post! If I can do it, so can you. Promise.

This room had so much outdated wooden trim that I used to refer to it as the wooden dungeon. It just felt dark and depressing. I'm sure my awesome furniture didn't help matters much, either. 



Getting a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and painting the trim white was my first priority for this room.

This was what the room looked like after two full weeks on non-stop painting by yours truly. The bed was also moved to a different wall. In the 'before' picture, the bed was against the wall where the dresser is now.

  

The room was completely updated just by using paint. For the walls, I chose Behr Sandstone Cliff, and for the trim I chose Behr Premium Plus Semi Gloss Ultra Pure White.
For a complete tutorial on painting your trim, read this post.  

Once the room was painted, I had to furnish it. That bed-on-the-floor thing just didn't cut it. So, I decided to find a bedframe on Craigslist, and then I made a headboard from an old piece of scrap plywood and some clearance upholstery fabric. Unfortunately, I didn't document my first attempt at headboard making, but I recently made another one and you can see the full tutorial here. 

Here is the first headboard I made.


For the rest of the room, I scoured thrift stores finding furniture that I liked the shape of. Then, I painted each piece of furniture white to give the room a more cohesive look. Works every time!

I scored this awesome dresser (seen here) at a local thrift store for only $50. 

I found this little vanity at a thrift store, and painted it. I also reupholstered the stool, changed the hardware, and added a mirror that I spray painted gold. (vanity tutorial seen here.)

I even stenciled the top of the vanity with gold metallic paint to make it extra special. 

The bedding and rug were the only new, store bought additions to the whole bedroom. I try to go 'new' with that sort of thing. The white striped duvet cover is from Target, the euro shams were from Marshall's, and the floral rug was from Home Depot. 

 I found an old brass chandelier at a thrift store. I needed something to replace the disgusting brown ceiling fan! It's a little too big, but still an improvement. I'm still searching for something better.

Here's what the view of the other side of the room.

and then facing the master bath and sitting room.

As you can see, the entrance to the room is flanked by gorgeous french doors. There is a whole other room on the other side that we have yet to figure out a purpose for. 

There's also a large walk in closet that is behind those two doors by the white dresser. 

Here's the before picture of that little side room.....TOTALLY drowning in wood paneling.

Sometimes, ya just gotta see the potential in things!

I'll leave you with this thought: No matter how much or how little money you have, you can make your house special on a shoestring budget. Sometimes, it just means you have to wander into thrift stores, have your husband check old furniture for spideys, and learn how to use a paint brush.

If I can do it, so can you. I'm not a designer, or an expert in anything. I just thought about what I wanted my space to look like, and figured out a way to do it! I'm also never afraid to change something. I make a lot of decorating mistakes along the way (see here), and sometimes I just start from scratch and try something different! Just go for it!!

Don't forget to pin this post so you'll have this info when you need it!

Pssssst.  Want more?

For more about this bedroom (there have been tons of crazy updates since this original post),

Check out our house tour here!

or check out my fave DIY ideas here.

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