An Overwhelmingly “Blank” Bedroom Becomes Cozy and Happy After a $250 Makeover
Different color schemes evoke different emotions, so if you’re looking for a change of pace — whether you’re going through a big life change like a move or breakup or time of grief, or you’re just looking for a little more joy in your routine — you might consider a change of paint.
After renting eight apartments over the past decade, Roshini Hegde decided to repaint her bedroom walls for the first time when she moved into her newest space following a breakup. Roshini viewed her new apartment as a fresh start.
“It was important for me to create a healing space that felt comforting but also had room for newness,” she says. “I had a full apartment’s worth of furniture that I’d carefully cultivated, so I didn’t want to have to start over with all of that. Given the white walls, paint just felt like the best way to make the biggest impact to the space.”
When it comes to paint, “there’s nothing like trying out the real thing.”
Roshini’s best painting advice? “Test out your paint colors!” she says. “They always look different in your space, and it’s important to see how they look before committing to full cans. I have tried different paint visualization apps, but there’s nothing like trying out the real thing.”
Although she’s typically drawn to blues and greens, she found herself choosing a tannish-brown shade with a pink undertone (Benjamin Moore’s Mudslide) for her bedroom.
Another tip that Roshini picked up in the process? If you like a color but it’s slightly too dark, you can ask the paint company to mix it 20 to 30 percent lighter to add a bit of brightness. However, she cautions that if you change any color “more than 50%,” you might as well pick an entirely new paint color.
Prepping the bedroom for paint was a key step.
Picking the right color and learning about different paint finishes were all first-time endeavors for Roshini, so she decided to outsource the actual prep work (like taping off the molding) and painting to a tasker on Taskrabbit.
“I knew if I didn’t paint right when I moved in, I would be hesitant to do it, so I made it my #1 priority when planning my move,” she says. Thankfully, she got the keys to her new place a little early, so she added paint before moving any furniture in, and she definitely recommends this route if it’s feasible.
She also says in the future she might forgo the painter’s tape and paint molding, too, for a color-drenched look. She “ultimately landed on keeping the trim white to break up the color a little,” for now, she says.
The bedroom is furnished with budget-friendly finds.
“I also love that all of my furniture and decor ended up working with the color,” Roshini says. “It’s always fun to see your stuff in a new light, and somehow the paint color makes everything feel refreshed.”
Her bedframe is from CB2, and her side table is from West Elm, but she scored it on Facebook Marketplace. She has one lamp from IKEA, and another flower lamp that she DIYed. “The majority of my furniture and decor, I already had,” Roshini says. “The things I bought for this room were the rug and one of the side tables — both secondhand — and I spent around $250 total.”
Future DIY projects might include covering the mirrored closet doors with removable wallpaper, replacing the vanity shelf, and hanging more artwork. “I like to think of all my spaces as a WIP,” Roshini says. “But none of these are urgent or take away from my current enjoyment of the room, so I’ll take it slow!”
At first, Roshini was overwhelmed by how much of a “blank slate” the room was. “I’m happy that I leaned into my strengths and created a space that truly reflects me,” she says. “This project reminded me that even in shaky times, trusting my instincts and going with what I love can lead to something that makes me happy.”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.