Skip to Content

Master Bedroom On a Budget – Part One, The Plan

I want to redo our master bedroom and make it an enjoyable place to sleep. Here’s the problem with that idea:  My budget for this amazing redo that I have planned is tiny. So, I’m treating this as a challenge. Funds are tight, but I’m determined to make over this room. I think it’s possible to change up your whole look for not much money –   Come see my plans for our master bedroom makeover on a budget!

First, a little background on this room. My very favorite thing about our master bedroom is the size and that’s also the thing that stumps me –  It’s huge. And I know that sounds super awkward to say that in a negative sense, and I’m certainly appreciative of the size (our previous bedroom was 10×10).

But I’m finding it very hard to make this room as I want on my budget. I love that it’s big enough for dance parties with the kids, yoga with my 6-year-old, and it’s kinda evolved into their playroom (especially at night when they are supposed to be brushing their teeth or getting ready for bed).

We still have our old crib mattress in there and the kids refuse to get rid of it. Keep in mind, my youngest is 6! We have no use for a crib mattress other than a landing pad for jumping from bed to floor. They play with this old beat-up mattress ALL THE TIME. So I guess it stays. Guess I got my $100 out of that thing, huh?

Anyway, I thought it might be helpful to create a dreamy master bedroom plan for the near future. I look at Pinterest on a daily basis and there are one million and one ideas to steal from there.

Here’s What We’re Starting With:

Outdated furniture and decor in a master bedroom before a makeover.
A before picture of a master bedroom update showing the layout of the room.
A blue antique dresser and mirror in the corner of a master bedroom.
An antique chest of drawers with an attached mirror next to the door of a master bedroom.
That orange chair is here to stay (it came out of my Grandma’s farmhouse and is one of my faves, despite the color).

And coming next is the embarrassing part that no one wants to see! This is the catch-all space and the space we use for Charlie (aka brown dog). See that beautiful vintage crib mattress??

And random pillows, chairs, DVD equipment, extra dog bed, and random rug??…This area needs a barn door to just hide it. It’s supposed to be a “sitting area”. But let’s face it, this is real life. We don’t have a basement so the dumping ground has to be somewhere.

A cluttered master bedroom before a makeover.

Now that the embarrassing part is over,

What Can We Change on a Shoestring Budget?

What’s the biggest impact for the money? Anyone, Bueller? It’s paint. See that lovely builder flat brown paint on the wall above? The color isn’t horrific, but it’s probably the crappiest paint around. It comes right off if you try to clean it and it’s just blah.

Now, don’t get me wrong – Paint is pricey. However, here’s my plan. For right now, I’ll buy as much as I can afford and paint as much as I can. This is going to be a slow going makeover, but that’s okay.

This is the way I have to do it and stay on budget. If I want to do it all at one time, I need to come out of pocket with a bunch of cash just to paint. And I don’t want to just paint. I have a vision for shiplap in this room! And here’s some of my inspiration:

Farmhouse On Boone

A bed with a metal farmhouse headboard up against a white shiplap wall with wall sconces on either side.
What’s not to love??

And this one:

mrsrollmanblog – Neutral Cottage Master Bedroom

A farmhouse master bedroom inspiration picture for a makeover.

And yet another stunner:

Naptime Decorator

An inspiration photo for a farmhouse master bedroom makeover.

So clearly the theme here is a shiplap wall. And actually, as I am sitting here writing, I’m realizing that I would forgo painting the rest of my ginormous room if I had to choose between that and shiplap. See how my brain works and see why I drive my husband nuts. I’ve already changed my plan just while writing this post.

How to Stay On a Budget While Decorating

First things first – use what you have. For me that means I will use the major pieces in the room. Because A. There’s no budget for all new stuff and B. I like a lot of it and it works for us.

  • Bed –  We upgraded to a king size a few years ago and I found that great upholstered headboard online at Wayfair.
  • Bedding – This is my absolute fave and I used Christmas money this past year to buy it. When I decided I wanted linen bedding, I was sorely disappointed at how out of my price range it was until I found this one – (you can see my favorite linen bedding here).
  • Nightstands – These are staying because they are perfectly functional and I love them. You can read more about their hideous beginnings here. However, as much as I love the color, I think they will get a coat of paint to go with the neutral/calm look I’m going for in here.
  • Dressers – We have three big pieces and two will stay and one may get the shaft. It’s an antique baby dresser that I refinished, but again, it’s not exactly working for the look I want in here. That also may be a way to increase the budget if I can sell it. Score!
  • Curtains – I don’t love our curtains and would prefer all white, but the sun comes up on this side of the house and it’s kinda necessary to have some sort of light blocking panels. I doubt the hubs is going to cave on this one and curtains can get pricey so they may not make the budget cuts.

So, this leads to where I can spend my tiny budget and get the biggest impact. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

Plans

  • Shiplap – This is the major change I have planned for this room. If you love farmhouse style and you’re looking for big impact for not much money, this is it. We already have most of the tools necessary to install it and we had a practice run with our bathroom. I have $100 planned to account for the wood, paint, and supplies.
  • Paint  – At this point, I may only be able to afford paint for the shiplap, but that’s ok. It will take a bit, but eventually all that lovely (aka terrible) builder flat paint will be gone.
  • Accessories – I want to bring in some greenery (and trust me, it’ll be faux greenery for this black thumb). If the budget allows, I want a focal piece above the bed. I’ve had the DIY starburst mirror for years, and it’s time for a change. I have two large frames that I bought for $2 each at a yard sale so I can paint those and look for some reasonably priced art.
  • Curtains – Yes, these are on both lists, but if the budget allows and I’m able to find some light blocking white curtains, then it’s a win win.
  • Recover the bench – I’ve recovered it twice. Third times’ the charm right?
  • New lamp shades – I don’t dislike these lamps. They are $5 goodwill lamps I sprayed white, but the shades are always wonky and crooked. Maybe I’ll have enough dough leftover to get some new shades.

Stay Tuned

As soon as I can talk the hubs into helping me go get wood for shiplap, it’s on! And – I’m planning on installing it myself! I’m not sure if his perfectionism will let that happen, but I’m certainly gonna try! And, I’ll have a full tutorial on my success (or the part where I go begging for his help because I just can’t get it right!). Hopefully Master Bedroom Update Part Two will be right around the corner!

Update:  Check out these posts to see what we did –

DIY Shiplap –  Click Here!                  

New Lighting – DIY Pendants Click here

Makeover Complete! –  Click here

SaveSave

SaveSave

Brandy

Friday 28th of April 2017

This is beautiful! I love the rustic feel of it!

Melissa

Friday 28th of April 2017

Thanks so much! Rustic, old, and vintage is just the way I like it!

Ruth in NZ

Thursday 13th of April 2017

I am sooo looking forward to seeing your makeover. We are on a budget too so I love seeing people be very creative and make strategic choices. All the best for the shiplap!

Melissa

Thursday 13th of April 2017

Thank you for the encouragement! I am determined to make this work so it will definitely involve some strategic choices! Thanks for following along with my blog!

Holly

Wednesday 12th of April 2017

What a great big bedroom! You are so lucky! We have enough room for a bed! Can't wait to see the final product! I love farmhouse style!

Melissa

Wednesday 12th of April 2017

Thank you! And I still can't believe they put a room this big in a house! It's definitely a change from our 10x10 from before. Hopefully the final product won't be too far off in the future and thank you for following along!