Before and After: An Entirely New Beautiful Bedroom for Only $350
While a master bedroom with an adjacent sunroom is a glorious thing to have, this particular one was “dreary and dated”—and not very sunny. It was overwhelmed by comfy but massive furniture and ready for a fresh look.
Here’s the sunroom first. Nothing fresher than lush greenery, bright blooms, and a happy bird on a newly bright white wall. Avery Michaels of Holland Avenue Home boldly hand-painted this mural—inspired by Rifle Paper Co.’s Shanghai Garden—and it’s a smash success. This corner, a spot purely for daydreaming and reading, is the perfect place for a lovely mural that deserves closer contemplation. It’s incredibly sunny, its colors amplified by the rug and chair in the perfect hues. A new table with mid-century charm provides a spot for a cup of coffee and a book, and all together, Avery has created an absolutely dreamy corner.
The live-edge accent table is from Target, and the rug, chair, and plant stand are thrifted.
I decided to update our master bedroom after finding a floral bird fabric with a berry colored background at Mood Fabrics in New York City. I saw it and immediately started thinking about what I could sew with it, which led to the idea of giving our master bedroom a colorful update. The sunroom desperately needed a fresh coat of paint, but I decided to take things one step further and hand-paint a mural inspired by the bird fabric. I wanted to create a cozy and eclectic master bedroom suite that reflects my husband’s and my decor preferences of cozy textures and collected decor.
I completed the update over the course of six weeks for the One Room Challenge as a guest participant. I painted a moody accent wall behind our bed, sewed new pillow covers, painted almost every inch of the sunroom, and hand-painted a mural. The entire project (including a new IKEA dresser) cost $350. That budget went towards the $150 dresser and $25 new hardware, fabric for the pillows, paint, and frames for new artwork above the bed. I did every step of this project by myself (except building the dresser and painting the ceiling of the sunroom, which my tall husband helped me with)!
That is a low, low price for a bedroom makeover, especially considering all the changes made in the actual bedroom:
While this photo could definitely be an “after” shot, Avery was ready for more:
Our master bedroom was a blank canvas. For nearly three years, we had all white bedding, pale gray walls, and wood furniture. I liked the simplicity, but I was craving color and personality. The attached sunroom had so much potential, but was dreary and dated.
Even though the headboard, lamps, and nightstands are the same, this bedroom now has a much cozier vintage vibe. Major contributing factors are the colorful and cozy textiles (especially those fabulous floral pillows) and the bird poster, which makes perfect use of that small wall. And, of course, the beautiful pup! The biggest change is the new accent wall in a lovely shade of sage green. A carefully coordinated shade of paint graces the ceiling of the sunroom, tying the two spaces together.
The green paint in the bedroom is Luxe and the paint in the sunroom is Early Riser, both by Magnolia. The headboard is from Target, the linen duvet and pillowcases are IKEA’s PUPERVIVA, the bird poster is by Cavallini & Co. on Amazon, the nightstands are IKEA’s TARVA, and the lamps are from Target.
I love that I’ve never seen another space like this one. I took bold risks with color, pattern mixing, and painting. I didn’t look for outside inspiration before designing the space—I just thought about what my husband and I love. I love the mural I painted. It is cheerful and whimsical and one-of-a-kind. I love that I decided on a whim to paint the sunroom ceiling my favorite sage color instead of plain white. I love that our bedroom is a cozy and beautiful space for my husband and I to enjoy. If I could do this project again, I wouldn’t do anything differently!
If you’re designing your bedroom from scratch, stick to the basics for the “big stuff” like furniture and bedding. Our wood furniture and white bedding gave me a great blank canvas to experiment with pattern and color through accent pillows and a throw. Though I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the choices I made, it would be easier to switch out a few pillow covers instead of all of the bedding or furniture. My other word of advice is to do what you love instead of doing what is trendy. I don’t think our space is necessarily “trendy,” but we love it and that is what matters. When you follow trends, you’ll want to redo everything as soon as it is no longer “in.” If you decorate your home resourcefully and according to the things that make you smile, you will always love where you live.
Thank you, Avery Michaels of Holland Avenue Home!