How To Get a Farmhouse Style Bedroom Without Going Broke

I have finally finished making over my master bedroom y'all!!!!! I am SO happy to have this sucker done and even more excited to share it with y'all. ​

I've said it before, our house is a snoozefest. It's only 5 years old and so builder grade which translates to blahhhhhh.

When we moved back (you can read about that on my Georgiaversary post) to our house, I was determined to get this house looking more unique and more our taste (okay, my taste, who am I kidding). Since we don't plan to live here forever and will need it to shine bright like a diamond one day, I've been trying little by little to add some character to an otherwise dull house.

Our master bedroom left nothing to be desired before I got to work on it. It is basically an square box with a double window. Yuck! At one point last year, I either had a postpartum hormone attack or a creative jolt, I'll never know which, and decided to test paint colors on different parts of the wall.

Translation: I Picasso-ed (I made that up) the heck out of our room and never picked a color. My dad called it art. I called it hideous.

I had pictures and art sitting on the floor for literally a year. Our dresser was missing knobs and paint from too many moves. We didn't have curtains hung. Our room was sad. Nothing magical and romantic.

I decided enough was enough. I mean, the master bedroom is supposed to be where the MASTERS retreat, right? As hard as my husband works and I try to keep our kids alive, we deserved a cozy and special place to lay our heads at night and having snoring competitions.

I also didn't want to spend a small fortune. While I love browsing Pinterest to get inspiration, it's SOOO obvious that either these designers a.) don't have kids, b.) have gignormous budgets (or get free stuff), or c.) all of the above.

Don't get me wrong, some of these popular pins for "farmhouse style decorating" are GOREGOUS but they're not practical. I didn't even vacuum my floors so my pictures would have pretty vacuum lines because really...why? And I don't know about you, but I don't want to dust 12 knick knacks on my dresser every week. I also have kids to feed and bills to pay like most regular folks.

So when I decorate, I think about the following few things:

1.) Is it functional?

2.) Is it worth the money?

3.) Is it perfect for ME and not Pinterest?

Thankfully, this go round I didn't have to buy very much. We purchased a new bed last year from Wayfair. {I LOVE Wayfair by the way! I could devote an entire post to that. But I won't because they aren't paying me}. I also sanded and stained a dresser and nightstand to match that we already owned.

Don't be tricked by savvy DIYers, redoing furniture can be tedious work but it is well worth it! My tip: skip the crappy MDF/composite furniture. Shop local antique shows, flea markets, garage sales, etc. for pieces with good bones (i.e. real wood). Bring them back to life with chalk paint or a good sanding/staining sesh. Add new hardware and voila, custom WOOD furniture!

Okay, I'm going to take you through each picture and show you HOW and WHERE you can decorate your bedroom to make it pretty and lovely without spending an entire paycheck!

Let's start with the main focus: the bed. This is the Reeve's Panel Bed in white from Wayfair! Super sturdy (aka heavy) and moderately priced. The duvet cover is from Pottery Barn (that is a splurge but I had a gift card). The quilt and shams are from Target. The lamps (I'm serious y'all) are from Walmart.

Whoever said your decor has to be identical on either side of the bed was wrong! The nightstand on the left is the one I redid. The one on the right is from a store called Nadeau: Furniture with a Soul. Check them out! Everything is real wood, very inexpensive, and super cool. They are opening stores all over the country it seems!

Make sure your art above your bed is big enough to stand out. If you have a long wall, like I do, or a large bed, your art needs to be proportionate. This would look super silly if I had 2 small pictures or 1 medium sized mirror above the bed. Remember: be proportionate.

Okay on to the next area: the wall with a window.

Now, I had equal wall space on either side of my window which was nice in terms of measuring. And again, you don't have to make everything symmetrical. In fact, when decorating, you should use ODD numbers (I broke the rules on the left side). Part of the farmhouse/fixer upper style's charm is that things don't necessarily match.

Tidbit about curtains: they should ALWAYS touch the ground! To make your room appear taller, hang the rod 5-7' above the window. It will naturally draw the eye up!

I am super excited about this dresser and mirror! I've had this dresser since I was a little girl. It started off an ugly and very 90's hunter green and pine finish. Then I poorly painted it black. I brought it back to life using Americana Decor chalk paint that I grabbed at Hobby Lobby for $9 and a matte top coat for extra protection. I did the same thing with a random mirror we had and now it looks like a custom set! I upgraded the hardware with knobs I found at Hobby Lobby for about $40. So, for less than $100 we have brand new looking furniture! It totally transformed the space too!

I really love how our bedroom looks and feels now! Before, it was a chaotic mess and hard to unwind. Now it is a place of calm and relaxation...until the kids come jumping on the bed!

Here's what I used and where I bought it:

Paint- Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams

Furniture Paint- Americana Decor Chalk Paint in Primitive (found at Home Depot or Hobbly Lobby) {I also used this on the 2 frames by the window}

Bed- Reeves Panel Bed by Birch Lane (found on Wayfair) Curtains-Sheer Curtain Panels from Target (rod found at Home Goods)

Bedding- Threshold by Target and Pottery Barn

Lamps- Better Homes and Gardens from Walmart

Moss Bunny, No. 2 Bucket, Frames, Candle Holder- Hobby Lobby

Happy Decorating!!

Anna

#rusticdecor #functionalspaces #interiordesign #farmhousedecor