An “Ancient Beige” Bedroom Gets a Color-Drenched Makeover for Under $500
When it comes to painting, some people are more comfortable with bold paint colors than others. Designer and home stager Carla Morrone (@casa_de_car) has “been color drenching rooms for a couple of years now,” so she’s no stranger to head-to-toe color.
Her advice for anyone considering giving a room a paint makeover, especially a dramatic one, is as follows: “Go with the house, go with your mood, and go with how light plays in a space.” That, and “When it comes to a saturated color, quality paint it’s definitely important. Don’t skimp on that. It will save you so much time.”
Here’s how paint made a big difference in turning a guest bedroom into Carla’s personal primary bedroom in her home.
Pink made it feel personal.
Before this was Carla’s primary bedroom, it was a guest bedroom, and before that, the walls were an “ancient, worn beige,” Carla describes. “It had nothing but potential and really just needed a good scrub, and quality paint.”
To make it a suitable guest bedroom, the room “got a fresh refinish of the original heart pine floors … and I just gave it a coat of white paint to keep things neutral,” Carla explains. But for her own sleep space, she wanted something a little more dramatic.
“I went to town with paint samples,” she says. “I tried blues, greens, even violets, before discovering this particular pink.” (It’s Sherwin-Williams’ Pressed Flower.)
“I LOVE playing with pinks, and this was the perfect space for it,” Carla says.
“The thing is, paint is so easy. And it’s one of the easiest and cheapest things that you can change in a space.”
The homeowner has budget-friendly furnishing tips.
Carla’s friend helped her move her primary bedroom furniture into the room. The bed (with built-in nightstands) is from Article, the ottoman is from AllModern (currently unavailable), the rug was gifted from Balta, and the dresser and chair are vintage.
“The pink dresser is something I have carried with me for about six years, and it has also seen a couple of paint makeovers,” Carla says. “I painted it this very light blush two or three years ago, and it just so happened to be the perfect fit in this room with this new color.”
Carla’s decorating advice is to shop your own home. “If you are changing things up as often as I do, you might have something already on hand that’s perfect for that space,” she says.
Her other advice is to save money on window treatments. “I don’t spend hundreds of dollars on curtains and curtain rods,” she says. “My number-one source for curtains is and has always been Amazon; I think people tend to overthink curtains in particular.”
Carla went with a pop of red for her curtains, and she loves the way her sunny, blush-colored bedroom turned out. “Whether I am getting ready to go out or getting ready for bed, the colors and decor really make me feel my best,” she says.
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