DESIGNING ON A BUDGET 101: BEDROOM

When it comes to my home, my bedroom is my happy place. I’ve put a lot of work into making it a serene, relaxing, and functional but pretty space. There’s a lot that goes into creating a bedroom that you truly love, and it can be more complicated when you’re working with limited funds. But if I can do it, so can you!

If you’re new to the blog, the Designing on a Budget 101 series was created for people like me who want beautiful homes but have an extremely limited budget. I follow a lot of home decor blogs, and I always feel frustrated when I read a post with “budget options” and it includes things like $60 pillows and $500 coffee tables. They’re great for people who can afford them, and I know that everyone has a different budget, but mine is a BUDGET. So, I wanted to provide you all with some tips on designing on a TRUE budget (a-sometimes-eating-Ramen-so-you-can-afford-new-pillows kind of budget). Read on for my best advice on how to turn your bedroom into a beautiful sanctuary while sticking to a budget!

This is the mood board I used when designing our master bedroom!

Function and form are equally important.

When it comes to decorating your bedroom, remember that function and form are of equal importance! Of course you want your bedroom to be a beautiful, relaxing space, but you also want it to be functional so you don’t go crazy. Take function into account when making decisions on things like nightstands and dressers. When choosing nightstands, for example – if you know you like to keep a lot of things like books, photos, etc, on your nightstand, make sure you get a nightstand with a drawer or a shelf for extra storage. Otherwise you’ll be kicking yourself when you’ve knocked something over for the fifteenth time because you got a tiny nightstand with no storage! Along the same lines, if you know you like to keep some necessities on the nightstand and they tend to get messy, get a cute little dish to corral them so your nightstand stays tidy but you still have easy access. I keep a little dish on the lower shelf of my nightstand that contains my favorite Lush lotion, lip balm, and headphones. It’s pretty to look at but keeps my nightstand functional, which I love.

Make a nice bed with a functional headboard a priority.

My number one bedroom decorating pet peeve is beds with no headboard! The lack of a headboard will instantly make your bedroom feel like a cheap college apartment. The good news is that headboards definitely don’t need to be expensive! If you have the budget for it, you can absolutely find nice beds with beautiful headboards on sites like Wayfair, Overstock.com, or Walmart.com. But if you’re on a really tight budget, the solution is NOT to get an IKEA bed with a two inch headboard. Instead, go for an inexpensive bed frame like this one, then pick up an affordable headboard at TJ Maxx or Homegoods to complete it!

Avoid matching furniture sets.

While matching furniture sets can be a great deal and you might think they’re the easiest way to ensure your bedroom is cohesive, they can often make a bedroom feel flat. The DIY Playbook has a great post that goes into greater detail about some of the pitfalls of matching furniture sets – you can check it out here! Instead of matching sets, I recommend searching for pieces that coordinate without matching – they’ll add texture and make the room more interesting. So for example, rather than a wood bed, wood dresser, and wood nightstands, try purchasing a tufted bed, dark wood dresser, and white nightstands! This small change will make your bedroom feel much more magazine-worthy, and more often than not, it’ll save you a decent chunk of change as well.

Up the cozy factor by adding a large rug.

As soon as we signed the lease for our current place, Darian’s first priority was finding a bedroom rug. Our previous apartment had carpeting in the bedroom, and he was gravely concerned about putting his feet on cold hardwoord floors at our new place first thing in the morning. So, I scoured the internet and found a gorgeous (and extremely affordable) rug, which ended up being the basis for our bedroom design. And I have to say, as soon as it was delivered and we started putting the room together, I had major regrets about not using a rug in our old bedroom. Our bedroom looked so much cozier and more effortlessly put together with the addition of this simple rug! Now I always recommend that everyone uses a pretty rug to make their bedroom cozier. You can find amazing and affordable rugs at plaves like Rugs USA, Wayfair, and Target! TIP: When choosing a rug, size is key! An 8×10 is ideal for a queen or full bed, and a 10×12 is great for a king bed. Don’t go any smaller than an 8×10 – instead of making the room look big and luxurious, smaller rugs will break it up and make it look small and choppy.

Choose window treatments that work for you.

Window treatments are an incredibly important part of bedrooms and they’re so often overlooked. The key here is to choose the right treatments for you! If you’re a person who wants to sleep in on weekends or gets annoyed by the sun waking you up early every morning, roman shades, nice blinds, or blackout curtains might be a good investment for you. If you want privacy but don’t care so much about the light, a combination of curtains and blinds might be best. Personally, I always want as much light as possible to pour in during the day, but Darian prefers privacy in the evening since we live in an attached home. Thankfully our condo came with beautiful white wood blinds pre-installed, so we just hung some curtains on either side. That way I can pull up the blinds during the day and Darian can pull them down for privacy in the evening, and the curtains accent them and make the windows look pretty! Regardless of your functionality preferences, I always recommend hanging curtains (even if you have blinds). They’re like jewelry for your windows and they really pull a room together. TIP: When hanging curtains, ALWAYS hang them high and wide! Opt for 96″ curtains and hang them about 6 inches above the window and 4-6 inches to either side if you’re able. I can’t explain why, but trust me – hanging your curtains this way will make your bedroom look massive.

Utilize under-bed storage.

Clutter is the enemy of any calming bedroom. You may be inclined to try to store as much in your closet as possible, but in my experience you’re going to have a much easier time getting dressed in the morning if you have an extremely organized closet. This means you have to find other places to store extra things, and under-bed storage is the perfect solution. For example, we store Darian’s hats (he has at least 40 of them), our extra fan that we use in the summer, and one of our suitcases under the bed. This frees up space in our closets so they stay beautiful and organized, but still gives us easy access to these items when we need them!

Add ALL the pillows.

There are two very distinct groups when it comes to pillows: people who think they’re comfy and pretty and want to surround themselves with as many as possible, and people who think there’s nothing worse than twelve extra pillows on the bed. I fall into the first camp. I can tell you right now that no matter what other beautiful decor you have in your bedroom, it’s going to feel like it’s missing something if you don’t add in some extra pillows. My rule of thumb is that every bed should have at least three layers of pillows. The ideal pillow arrangement looks something like this: two standard pillows in the back, two euro pillows in front of them, two 20×20 or 18×18 throw pillows in front of those, and (optional) a small lumbar pillow in the front. You’ll be amazed at how much more put-together, polished, and complete your bedroom feels with this simple (and affordable) addition!

Make your bed every day!

Ok, so this might not count as a design tip. But seriously, if you don’t already do it, get into the habit of making your bed every day! This is an easy habit to develop, it takes 2 minutes, and it will make your room (and your life) feel significantly more put together. And on that note – when you make your bed, do it carefully and be particular! Take the time to smooth out the comforter and make sure it’s even, and arrange and center the pillows. It’s easy to spot the difference between a bed that has been carefully made and one that has been haphazardly thrown together.

You spend a ton of time in your bedroom, so it’s important that it’s a space you love. With these tips, you can easily make your home beautiful and comfortable without spending tons of money. Do you have any good tips that I missed? Let me know in the comments!