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Although the kitchen is often viewed as the most important room in the house, for many of us, the bedroom is our favorite room. Here, we can switch off, forget our troubles and rest our weary bodies. If this sounds like an impossible dream, it may be time to refresh your bedroom and bring it to life. If your decor is drab or dated, you haven’t changed your bed for as long as you can remember and your rugs and curtains have seen better days, here are some tips to create a beautiful boudoir without breaking the bank.
Update your colorway
Choosing new colors is one of the easiest and most affordable ways of updating your bedroom and giving it a fresh new look. When you’re decorating your bedroom, bear in mind that this should be a calming space where you can go to wind down and catch some sleep. Avoid clashing colors or busy prints and keep things simple. Colors like green and blue are proven to make you feel more tranquil while neutral tones create a calm atmosphere. Pastels are also a great option. If you love bright colors and you can’t bear the thought of having a room without flashes of hot pink or yellow, keep the walls white and use candle holders, vases, frames or cushions to add color. Alternatively, you could go for a feature wall and paint one wall a bright or strong shade and leave the others white.
Before you start painting, it’s well worth taking a trip to the hardware store and buying a few tester pots. Apply a small amount of each shade to the wall close to the window so you can see what the color looks like in natural light. Let the paint dry and then decide which tone you like best. Before you get your brushes and overalls out, lay down some dust sheets and cover the furniture. Sand down the walls and wash them with a damp cloth. If you’re painting over a dark color with a lighter shade, it’s a good idea to apply a coat of primer. Once this has dried, you can start the first coat. Wait for it to dry before you layer on the next coat. Use tape to protect window frames, doorways and sockets. It’s a good idea to use a roller for large spaces and to switch to a brush when you’re painting around power sockets or along the skirting board.
Make the bed the show-stopper
When you go into your bedroom, you’re usually looking forward to getting into bed and drifting off to the land of nod. There’s nothing more inviting or appealing than a bed with fresh sheets and pillows and cushions piled high at the end of a frantic day. That is if you find your bed comfortable and you’ve got soft furnishings ready and waiting to adorn your bed. If you’ve got an old mattress, or your bed frame is dated or damaged, it’s time to look around at some new models. A worn mattress can affect your sleep quality, and it may also contribute to back pain while a new frame could really make a feature of your bed. If you haven’t bought a new mattress for years, read reviews at Mattress Guides to help you narrow down your options and take some time to wander down to a couple of stores and try some different styles and brands out. Make sure you know how big the mattress is before you order a frame. Buying a new bed may not come cheap, but there are ways of making savings. Look out for flash sales and end of season discounts. It’s also a really good idea to subscribe to discount websites and to register with stores you’ve visited. If you sign up for online newsletters, for example, you may find that you get discounts sent to your inbox and information about special offers.
Once you have a new bed, treat yourself to a new bed set and use throws or blankets and cushions to make the room look cozy. You can pick up these accessories for a few dollars at a cheap home store or order them online from auction sites.
Learn to accessorize
You don’t always need to make wholesale changes to a room to inject serious style. If you like the color of the walls and you’re perfectly happy with your bed, using accessories can create a completely different look. You could use framed photographs to make a montage on the wall, hang some shelves and fill them with vases of flowers, potted plants or trinkets or adopt a casual, laid-back look with shaggy rugs, mismatched cushions and a vintage chair in the corner. Have a look online for inspiration if you’re struggling for themes and styles. If you’ve got plain white walls, monochrome is a great idea, and it’s really simple to do. All you need is a gray high-pile rug, some graphic print white and black cushions, a simple white bed set, and a few black and white plant pots, lamps, and frames to create a stylish, budget-friendly boudoir.
If your bedroom looking a little more drab than fab? If so, you don’t need to spend a fortune to bring it to life and create a stunning sanctuary you can’t wait to retreat to at the end of the day. Switch up the colorway, experiment with accessories and accents and make your bed the focal point of the room. Look out for ideas in magazines and search for low prices online. You can often find copycat versions of designer pieces and fabrics for a fraction of the price. If you see something you like, use a search engine to locate similar items and compare prices from different retailers. If you don’t want to make massive changes to the room, but you do fancy revamping the style, embrace the art of accessorizing and channel themes you love. You could go for anything from vintage Parisian chic to modern minimalist.
