The 30 Best Bedroom Makeovers We’ve Ever Seen

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Although it’s a room you spend nearly half of your life in, the bedroom often falls goes on the back burner when it comes to your lengthy list of home improvement projects. It’s understandable—it’s a room that guests don’t often see, plus most of the time you do spend in the space is with your eyes closed.

But experts say the right upgrades are not only aesthetically pleasing, but can even help you sleep better. If that’s not enough to convince you to pick up the hammer or paint can, check out these awe-inspiring bedroom makeovers. They may just convince you to bump the room to the very top of your to-do list.

A dark paint color and dark wooden accents only exacerbated that dark, dreary look of this one-window bedroom. So when the couple renovated, they opted to turn that tiny window into a gorgeous French door to let in plenty of extra natural light and opted for a sleek, clean all-white color palette to keep everything nice and bright.

This home’s first-floor master suite had a strange, small layout, so rather than force it, the homeowners decided to turn the room into something they’d always wanted: a library. The result is jaw-dropping—like something you’d see in an estate or museum of some sort.

This bedroom’s original orange-colored walls and blue trim made the entire space look like some sort of man cave, not a haven for sleep—plus, it distracted from the beautiful original brick wall. To help the feature shine and restore the room to its original glory, the owners leaned into a new deep green shade to complement the red brick wall, plus added new lighting and cozy accents like a rug.

Another boldly colored bedroom makes the list, too. This once-orange bedroom earns its spot on the list because it manages to maintain color and interest on the walls with a water color-looking mural. The hand-painted look is actually a set of vinyl decals that you, too, could have in your home for about $215 — not bad for an accent wall that looks professionally commissioned.

This makeover’s for the color lovers out there. Instead of sticking to neutrals, designer Carla Morrone painted the window-filled bedroom in her 1880s home with Sherwin-Williams’ Rachel Pink (for the walls) and Behr’s Ice Rink (for the floors.) She loves the way the colors change throughout the day as the light changes through the windows. “It’s pretty magical — from peachy to moody to hot pink,” she says. The colorful, whimsical room is like something out of a Wes Anderson film — with a “Grand Budapest Hotel” poster to boot.

Thanks to some truly beautiful wallpaper on the ceiling (yes, the ceiling!), a fresh coat of paint, and a few decorative touches, this once-blah guest room became a fresh and welcoming space full of charm and color. The only problem? Their guests might never want to leave.

Although already a cozy and serene space, this bedroom was missing a little something. To bring the room from neither here nor there to truly wow-worthy, one simple touch: a faux wood beam with draped sheers surrounding the bed.

This bedroom had tons of potential—original wood floors, an attractive rug, a gorgeous vintage bed—but it needed a nudge towards greatness. A soft gray paint color, a gilded wallpaper accent wall, and a few additional decorative elements propelled the room to new heights.

Because it’s such a small room, the homeowner had to get very creative when arranging furniture to keep the bedroom from looking cramped. Still, she managed to fit a king-size bed into the space. What’s more, the mix of textures and patterns distracts from the lack of square footage, making everything feel earthy, interesting, and full (but not claustrophobic).

These homeowners made the most of every square inch in this oddly-shaped space in their old Victorian home, creating a stunning and serene master suite, complete with sleeping quarters, a sitting room, and a large walk-in closet.

This makeover is proof that even a small bedroom can become a space you want to be in. This bedroom, which once had tons of beige and ’80s flair, is now fully modern with rustic appeal that perfectly suits the space. It’s also teeming with clever storage solutions to make the room feel much bigger than it really is.

Although a gray, white, and wood bedroom always has understated charm, this one needed a little something more to bring it up to its full potential. Wallpaper, bookshelves, and decorative accents in a new predominately pink, mint, and white color scheme is just what it needed.

A bedroom once described as “sad” now has a stunning accent wall made from ordinary board and batten and some seriously cool rustic wood sliding closet doors—a far cry from the original descriptor.

In this impressive bedroom makeover, what was once a series of cramped rooms became one big, airy, and sun-drenched master suite with cool architectural details, like exposed joists and a vaulted ceiling.

This makeover is proof that you don’t need a big budget — or any budget at all! — to turn a room on its head. This couple used all reclaimed pallet wood to create an insanely intricate and eye-catching accent wall, plus sold their original bed — a move that actually made them a profit on the DIY.

What was once a largely forgotten storage space became a spare bedroom any guest would jump at the chance to stay in, thanks to an unexpected and fun color and lots of DIY touches that include a faux fireplace and a hidden television.

A coat of fresh white paint provided the perfect blank canvas for a kid’s room full of fun, whimsical touches, like an accent wall littered with constellations, a teepee bed any child would go crazy for, and some super fun pom-pom trimmed curtains.

What was once a builder-grade beige box with no architectural interest is a far cry from that now, thanks to a year-long renovation project. The DIYers made all the right moves, including brightening up the paint color, swapping out the dated ceiling fan for a vintage fringed pendant light, adding a charming ceiling medallion, and collecting plenty of other vintage touches along the way.

After the COVID-19 pandemic brought this adult back to her childhood bedroom, she wanted to create a space that didn’t feel like she was staying in her childhood bedroom. To take the space from drab to boho chic on a budget, she leaned on just paint and a few decorative accents.

A “cold white box with two mattresses on the floor and some random toy bins” is now a glamorous and sophisticated haven for two sisters, thanks to an unexpected paint color—black!—and some luxe gold and white accents.

Before its reno, this bedroom was stuck square in the ’90s, plus had an improperly installed laminate floor that further distracted from the room’s potential. A new, dark wood floor laid the foundation, then details like walls bright white and faux board and batten really brought the room into its own.

When your bedroom feels grimy, it’s hard to unwind properly. To give their teen a more serene space, these homeowners swapped out the ugly seafoam green carpet, then relied on simple DIY projects—like a faux crystal chandelier—to make the room a sophisticated, yet girly space their daughter could grow with.

Before, this bedroom was mostly plain and had clunky shutters over the windows that darkened the space. But painting the wall behind the headboard blue and filling the room with furnishings that were a mix of traditional (like the nightstands) and more contemporary (like the arched mirrors, which also help bring more light into the space) make it look like a dreamy escape in a boutique hotel.

Added texture, including a stick-on stone accent wall, a board and batten headboard, a fluted threshold, and a clay-like paint effect, takes this builder-grade bedroom from 2017 suburbia to old-world Europe. In total, the high-impact, low-cost DIY upgrades cost only $2,000, but the room looks much more custom and expensive.

Although this room was once  “a dumping ground,” as the homeowner puts it, it actually had great bones: brick walls, an arched recessed window, a skylight, and cool slanted ceilings (as attic bedrooms so often have.) Those features looked even better once the space became a a chic upstairs bedroom with a beautifully eclectic style and smart storage, too.

This 1959 bedroom was “so old that things were coming back into style, like the grass cloth accent wall,” the homeowner says. Unfortunately, that grass cloth was also falling apart and peeling off. A new $100 DIY accent wall revives the old space, as does a bold new paint color (Glidden’s Connecticut Blue).

Ringing up at just $300, this entire bedroom redo was easy on the wallet — especially the headboard, a DIY upholstered replacement for an old IKEA one. Rather than buy new, the homeowner wrapped her dark wooden headboard in egg crate cushioning and quilt batting then sewed a drop cloth over top for a canvas-y, upholstered look. It’s a non-permanent upgrade that softens the whole space, and better yet, the headboard cover can be removed to be cleaned.

Because this couple had crammed both of their desks into their bedroom, and because their bed was lacking a headboard, the room was leaning more toward college dorm than grown-up suite. Thankfully, a DIY-savvy friend stepped in to help make the most of their space and their existing furniture with a bedroom makeover that cost just $400. She lifted the existing bed by setting it on a box spring (wrapped in velvet for a more high-end look) and created a headboard out of 1×3 pine boards and burlap. She also upcycled her friends’ existing IKEA Kallax and swapped it for one of the desks in the bedroom. The end result? A fully adult-ified space with a serene, sophisticated palette.

One bedroom became two in this bedroom/nursery redo completed by a growing family. The resourceful couple managed to squeeze the nursery into a small corner of their already-smallish Brooklyn bedroom by swapping a couple of chairs for a crib, glider, and several storage-friendly finds. The best part? The new furniture and baby decor (including a free Facebook Marketplace crib and a discounted rug remnant) seamlessly blend with the apartment’s existing warm minimalist vibe.

Black and white paint and accessories do wonders to make this once-sage green bedroom feel new again. The white paint on the walls helps to accentuate the room’s great natural light while the black behind the headboard creates a focal point. The other small but significant changes working in the bedroom’s favor: new panel curtains with rods hung close to the ceiling for a lengthening effect, a DIY headboard, and handmade floating nightstands.

Additional reporting by Sarah Everett