house

A few months back, I got a wild hair while David was gone on a work trip and decided to update our guest bedroom. Since it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and something I didn’t exactly run by him, I knew I had to keep this project on a tight budget. Keep reading to find out how I made these updates for under $50!

Looking at those pictures reminds me of what a big transformation this was! The easiest and most obvious change was new paint. This bedroom originally had two toned blue/grey paint that wasn’t bad and actually matched my decor really well. However, the office right across the hall is Perfect Greige and the adjacent guest bathroom is Accessible Beige, so I really wanted this room to follow the neutral trend. I had almost a gallon of Perfect Greige left over from having the office painted, so it wasn’t hard to decide what color to paint this room. Who can turn down free paint?

The closet doors and trim also needed some TLC. I think they were originally cream, but got touched up with white at some point, which wasn’t super noticeable but drove my type-A self just a little crazy. You don’t need much paint for trim, and since it was the only paint I had to purchase, it wasn’t very expensive.

When the first coat went on, I could tell I had made the right decision with the new paint color. It only took 2 coats and some touch up for full coverage, and I was really pleased with the results.

Painting the chair rail was a lot harder than I’d anticipated and definitely the most time consuming part of this project. I used an angled brush like this one and long strokes to keep from making a mess. What I figured out is even if you’re painting on the wall instead of the actual chair rail (by about 1/8″), as long as your lines stay straight, no one can tell the difference unless they look really close.

So, here’s what I thought was my final product:

But, you know what they say about giving a mouse a cookie? Well the same holds true when you give an interior designer a project. Paint wasn’t the only thing I decided I wanted to update . After putting the room back together, the bedding looked washed out and kind of bland. No one loves white bedding as much as I do, and I realized all I had to do was take the duvet cover off the white comforter to get the look I was envisioning! That got my creative juices flowing, so I didn’t stop there. I shopped my house to find a floral comforter to put at the bottom of the bed for a pop of color, and then shopped TJ Maxx for two coordinating throw pillows. I have some self control, but not quite enough to avoid shopping all together!

I really wanted the updated guest room to feel calm and relaxing, so I shopped my house for repurposed accessories to make updates on the dresser.

The replacement accessories are much more relaxed, and I love providing a place for guests to keep small items like jewelry – that little bowl was just perfect.

It’s amazing how such small and inexpensive updates can totally transform a space. The look on my husband’s face when he got home from his trip was priceless!