Updating Your Bedroom for Under $100
1. The first and perhaps the simplest thing you want to do in a bedroom is to de-clutter surface areas. If you have piles of paper sitting on your dresser or piles of clothes sitting on a chair, this is the first thing you need to take care of. Put the papers, clothes, or other items where they rightfully belong and free up space. The room really will look must nicer with even such a simple change.
2. Add a few cute accessories to your dresser. Functionality is important here as well. A nice jewelry box not only looks good but stores your bracelets, watches and earrings away so they don’t get lost or collect dust. A decorative tissue box holder keeps your tissues looking pretty. A lamp provides much needed light but a pretty lamp does the same thing while also dressing up the room.
3. Use baskets to contain all of the little trinkets that have no other place to be. A nice wicker basket placed on the dresser or on the nightstand (or both) will hold quite a few things that will keep the surface of the dresser from looking overcrowded and cluttered.
4. If your bedroom does not already have a chair in it, I would suggest you purchase one. It doesn’t have to be an expensive chair but make sure that it fits in with the decor of the bedroom. Now, this chair will not only look good in your bedroom but will serve a purpose as well. You can sit in the chair to put on your shoes in the morning (thus not disturbing your partner if he is still sleeping when you get up in the morning). You can sit on the chair to watch television or to work at a desk if you have one in your bedroom.
5. Painting may be costly depending on the size of your bedroom. But, it may be an option you are willing to try. A good coat of paint, either white or a cheery pastel color can brighten up a room. If you do the job yourself, it may be less costly than hiring someone to do it for you.
6. If painting is out, you may try either a cheerful border paper where the wall meets the ceiling. You can buy a couple of rolls of this border paper and put it up yourself. Do try to find self sticking border paper so you simply have to wet it not actually apply paste.
7. Painting your own mid-wall border is another option. If your room is big, a big pattern about halfway up the wall is a good choice. Use several colors that go together and alternate between them to make a pattern. Stencils can be purchased at any craft store along with the proper stencil paint. It is really a very simple though somewhat time consuming project to undertake!
8. A new comforter may be all you need to make the whole room look new. Quite frequently you can find sales of “bed in a bag” where you get the comforter, sheet set and pillow shams all for one price, often around $50. The whole bed, which one must admit is usually the focal point of a bedroom looks new and with the right color or print, it can really change the whole tone of the room.
9. If you don’t want to change the comforter or spread on your bed then perhaps some new pillow cases or throw pillows will make the change you need. Throw pillows can be quite decorative and even such a small change can be a big difference.
10. New curtains can be expensive at times but you can buy valences that look pretty and make a room look new again. Coordinate new valences with the new comforter (or the old if you don’t buy a new one) and/or throw pillows you use on the bed. It will really bring the room together.
11. Throw rugs can also make a nice touch in a room even if it already has wall to wall carpeting. Throw rugs are a nice way to add a splash of color to the floors. Do be sure that they do are not hazards for tripping on. Placement can make the difference as can throw rugs with rough edges or edges that may not sit flat on the floor.
12. Put a few nice pictures on your walls. These need not be expensive and can be family pictures or scenery pictures of places you’d like to or already have visited. We once did a jigsaw puzzle of a beautiful lighthouse. We used puzzle glue to keep it stuck together and then framed it. It makes a really nice picture to hang on our bedroom wall. I’ve seen people hang ornate paper fans and other decorative items on the walls as well.
Using just a few of these ideas can really change the way you feel about your bedroom. You can lighten the colors to make it more bright and cheerful simply by changing a few simple items. And, do remember that a little change goes a long way. Change one or two things now and then another few in a year and it’ll seem like you can have a bedroom make-over every year! Good luck and happy decorating!
