Almost Free: Create a Bedroom You Love on a Budget
Almost free. This phrase reminds me of bartering at markets when you ask “how much is this?” and the answer is “almost free”. There are definitely things we bought and paid for in our Master Bedroom. Even things that we purchased at regular retail stores and not at thrift stores or garage sales. But a lot of the big items in the room were, in fact, free. Here are some details to help you create a bedroom you love on a budget.
If you can’t find what you like, make it!
Making an upholstered headboard was a fairly easy process. I have no pictures of us creating ours as it was a few years ago now, but there are many good tutorials available online. We used plywood, foam, some batting, fabric, and a staple gun. We attached the headboard to the wall by attaching an angle cut 2×4 to the back of it, and then attaching the opposite angled 2×4 to the wall (so that the headboard 2×4 nestles nicely into the wall 2X4). The fabric was purchased from ebay for $30 and there was enough to do the headboard and to create a faux matching bedskirt. For the faux bedskirt I simply cut straight lengths of fabric, including smaller sections to act as the corners. I then hemmed all edges with no-sew iron on hem tape, and then duct taped the skirt to the bedframe underneath the mattress. It now looks like we have a custom made fully upholstered bed and the whole project cost well under $100. There are a ton of other fun DIY headboard ideas out there – just do a search on Pinterest and you will have more ideas than you could have imagined.
Accept Hand-me-Downs and Upcycle Them
If friends or family or neighbours are getting rid of furniture, give it a chance! The big ol’ black dresser used to be a super high gloss dark dark brown pine. We stripped the top and refinished it with stain and varathane, then painted the base black and added matching handles.
Keep your eye open when you are driving (But of course still watch the road!)
We picked up our nightstands for free on the side of the road. Look for “shape” when you are looking at old furniture – if you love the shape, don’t worry about the finish. Our nightstands aren’t even solid wood, but with a coat of primer and some leftover red paint they now tie in perfectly with our headboard.
Shop at Thrift Stores, Garage Sales, Markets, and Clearance sections
The blue lamp was purchased at a thrift shop for $5. It used to be an ugly browny gold color that didn’t pay homage to it’s truly beautiful shape. With some primer, craft paint, and a top coat of varathane it is transformed. (Tip: make sure 2nd hand lamps are in working order before purchasing). The shade was picked up for $5 on clearance at Walmart.
The white star was picked up at a Vintage shop and painted white, and the seagull print was purchased at our neighbours moving sale. The window frame was found in the garage at our first house when we moved in, and we painted it and replaced the glass with mirror.
I also picked up the bamboo ladder at the same market. It used to live in my son’s nursery but has been repurposed in our bedroom to display a white matelassé.
Shop Big Box and Retail: but only buy things you LOVE
Don’t be afraid of big box! Just because you are buying something at a retail or big box store (like Walmart, Canadian Superstore, IKEA, or my favourite, Home Sense) doesn’t mean that it can’t be beautiful. But only buy something if you LOVE it. I have picked up cute little accessories, art, and bedding at these stores and successfully mixed them with other thrifted/DIYed/retail pieces to create a look that we love. The art in both these pictures (including the birds) was bought at Walmart. The lamps and the blue and green floral pillows are from Home Sense. And the baskets and white bedding is from Canadian Superstore. These pieces are mixed in with our upcycled furniture and accessories, DIY upholstered bed, Coombs market purchases and my homemade red chevron pillow. The key is to not go out and purchase everything at once from a retail or big box store. Give yourself time and let your look and style evolve as you find and make things you love.
Find an Inspiration Piece Use Paint/Fabric/Art to your room together
Begin with or search out an inspiration piece that creates a scheme.
It could be a piece of art, a fabric, cushions or a throw. Use this as an anchor to tie together the rest of the pieces in your room. In our Master Bedroom our anchor piece is the throw at the bottom of our bed. I bought it at a nearby country market. I love how it ties together all the colours in the room and helps connect the master bedroom with the darker teal in the attached Ensuite Bathroom.
Remember that paint is your best friend!
I used paint, and lots of it in our bedroom revamp. I painted quite a few things in our room to give them the look that I wanted (dressers, nightstands, lamp, vase, frames, ladder) and to tie them together with the colour scheme of the room.
Free / Thrifted/ DIY or homemade items:
- both dressers (given to us by friends and family)
- the bedside tables (found on the side of the road)
- the blue lamp (thrift store)
- the window frame turned mirror (found in the garage at our first house)
- the seagull print (a neighbours moving sale)
- white star on wall (used to be black) picked up at a vintage shop
- DIY upholstered headboard and matching bedskirt ($30 fabric bought off ebay)
- Red chevron bolster pillow made by me with fabric from Fabric.com
Items we purchased retail:
- the bed and bedframe
- the bedding
- Pillows: blue and green floral pillows are from Homesense,
- the silver and green lamps on the nightstands are from Homesense
- accessories on dresser were picked up at various stores over the years
Update: We have since made a few changes in our Master Bedroom: Check out Summer Master Bedroom: Gallery Wall and Mixing Pattern on the Bed to see how it looks right now…
Remember, my housie friends, HOME wasn’t built in a day. Enjoy the journey!
This post was featured at!
Linking up to some of my favourite Housie Parties
I’m in love with BOTH these color schemes, it looks excellent and it’s very inspiring to know you did it all on a budget 🙂
Amazing bedroom! You are a creative and wise woman. All those recycled and low-cost pieces of furniture are beautiful and elegant. I am speechless with your budgeting skill. The room turned out so neat and stylish. And those pillows are astonishing!
Such a lovely room! I would love to know where you got the beautiful blue floral blanket on your bed! 🙂
Hi Brittany! I got the quilted throw at a local market that sells international finds… though I have seen some similar ones online at Wayfair before. Good luck with the search – and thanks for your visit!
I love the pretty bright colors in your home!!
I love it! I am a cheap person and love to make things on a low budget. You did an awesome job on this!!
Thank you! We are pretty frugal around here too!!
This room is BEAUTIFUL! I love that you created it on a budget, and thanks for sharing where you found each piece. You have such great vision! I am featuring this on my blog today 🙂 http://www.unoriginalmom.com/original-fridays-10/
Thanks Meredith! So excited you linked up to me!!
Krista
Beautiful room. I love how all the colors work together. I have an inspiration piece for my daughter’s room, taking my time finding thrifting and buying all the right coordinating items. Thanks for sharing.
-Sarah
Hi Sarah!
I used to want to just ‘get it all done’… but now I so much more enjoy taking my time and collecting, searching, making, and upcycling. The room feels so much more personal that way:)
Krista
I admire your use of color and patterns. Another superbly decorated space! It’s so cheery and happy. Even cooler that you were able to make it over on the cheap!
Thanks Angela! I try to do most things ‘on the cheap’ around here:)
Looks great! I love the pillows and the wall color. What paint color did you use on the bedroom walls?
Hi Paige! It is called Blue Bow by CIL – just purchased at Walmart after my Benjamin Moore color pick was an epic fail and my husband and I could hardly sleep in the room because it was so florescent!! This blue is soft and pretty but still quite blue:) I love living in it!
Krista
Love your blog!
I would love for you to share your favorite posts and link up at my TGIF Link Party.
http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/2013/05/tgif-link-party-2.html
The party opens Thursday night and closes on Wednesday night at midnight.
Please, invite your friends to party too! The more the merrier!
Hugs, Cathy
Hi Cathy,
Thanks for the invitation:) I will check it out!
Krista
Your before and after picture says it all. Wow. What a difference.
I am featuring this post, Krista, on Ducks ‘n a Row’s blog hop this week.
We go live at 7pm EDT. Tell your friends and stop by!
Blessings,
Sinea
Ducks ‘n a Row
Thank you Sinea! You are too sweet! Thanks so much for hosting and for including our bedroom in your features!
Krista
Great job and I love this post! Featuring you tomorrow!
Bisous
Isabelle
Yay! Thank you so much Isabelle:) Have a fabulous week!
Krista
Just wanted to tell you that I’ve featured this today and I’ve pinned this post!
http://www.52mantels.com/2013/04/colorful-home-ideas.html
Yay! Thanks so much Emily!! Have a fabulous day:)
Krista
Thank you SO MUCH for this post! WE have an IKEA bead that we have loved for ever but now I think it is just time for somthing new. We got new dresers and have just felt the bed was wrong for us. You have given me so much to think about. Seriously I will be up all night thinking of what to do to up date my bed! LOL
I am new to your blog but so glad to have found it! Fallowing you now 🙂
Hi Kasey,
I am glad I gave you some things to think about! So glad you found me too, am thrilled to have you following! Nice to meet you:)
Krista
Wow, this is wonderful! Thanks for sharing at Give Me the Goods Monday! I am picking you as my feature pick for this week! There will be a feature post featuring you tomorrow (Sunday). Be sure to stop by my blog and check it out!
Thank you so much Chelsea!! I am so excited to hear that fabulous new! Enjoy the rest of your weekend:)
Krista
Your bedroom is so happy…thus the name of your blog! 🙂 I love the pillows on your bed. What a great combo. Great job!
Thank you Val! The pillows are one of my favourite parts too… They really help tie the whole room together. Thanks so much for your visit!!
Krista
Thank you for sharing your bedroom decor. It’s really cool! I love how you repurpose. We always look at flea markets, yard sales, and just along side of the road too. It’s fun, like a game to us. Your room is so colorful and bright.
Consider yourself hugged,
http://simpleesue.com/try-one-new-recipe-a-week-butterscotch-apple-fluff/
Thank you Sue for your kind comments. I love that “game” too!! Thank you for your visit, hope to see you again:)
Krista
Gorgeous room Krista! I love the colors…and this is right up my alley. 😉 My house if full of thrifts, hand me downs, etc. It’s amazing what you can do, and how inexpensively you can decorate a home! 🙂 I LOVE it!!
I’m so glad you shared it on the Project Inspire{d} party this week. 🙂
Nancy
Thanks Nancy! I love to decorate that way as well… plus then you can do so much more when you are creative and not spending a lot while doing it:) Thanks for hosting, I love your party!
Krista
Ummm wowza! You did an amazing job. I especially love the look of the bed. You would never know the bed skirt is duck taped on! I’m blown away!
Thank you so much Clydia! I am thrilled that you came over to see it! Hope to see you again,
Krista
I love the bright colors and detail. Looks very springy! Visiting from http://www.hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com
Thanks Angela! So thrilled you came by!
Krista
I LOVE your makeover! So pretty! I color all the fun colors you brought in. I also really like that saying in the one picture. So neat! Thanks so much for sharing at Thursday’s Temptation. Your link got the most views so I will be featuring it tonight at this weeks link party!
Jill
Yay! Thank you Jill!! I am so excited to hear that! I will see you there tonight:)
Krista
I love all the bright colors! Thanks for sharing at Pinworthy Projects.
Thank you Carrie! Thank you so much for hosting:)
Krista
oh and… thanks for linking up to Tasteful Tuesdays at Nap-Time Creations… Winners for the giveaway will be announced Wed… Have you entered?
http://www.nap-timecreations.com
I don’t think I did… I will head over. Thanks Emily!
Krista
I love that you duct taped your bed skirt on!! My is seriously wonky right now and I was thinking I would have to take it off to sew… I may just get out the tape :o)
Lol! A little duct tape is all you need to fix a lot of things:) It has stayed on like that for a few years now…
Krista
Everything goes really great together! I love the pillow colors, the window mirror, and the awesome subway art sign! Great tips too 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing with us at Weekend Wonder! Hope you’re having a lovely day!
Thank you Jessie! I appreciate you coming over in person to check it out!! Have a fab week,
Krista
This is a great looking room! So bright. Thank you for sharing! I’d love to have you visit me at Get Your Crap Together! We have a Pattern Party from the 1st of the month to the 10th and would love you to check it out. See you soon!
Thank you for your kinds comments Chelsea! And thanks for the invite, I will check it out!
Krista
Oh my gosh the fake bedskirt is BRILLIANT! I just finished a tufted headboard this weekend and didn’t even think about adding the same fabric as the bedskirt to make it look like one whole, cohesive piece!
So glad I saw this! Back to the fabric store I go!! 🙂
Shannon
Hi Shannon,
So great to have you visit! I would love to see how yours turns out! I will come and visit:)
Krista
The bedroom looks absolutely PERFECT Krista!
Thanks sooo much for partying with me! Can’t wait to see what you link up at The DIY Dreamer… From Dream To Reality tomorrow evening!
Thank you Christine! And thanks so much for hosting your fabulous party. I will definitely see you there tomorrow:)
Krista
Such a fresh, colorful room! It looks great and so affordable. The white bamboo ladder is a GREAT find. Gorgeous.
Hi Lora,
The ladder was natural bamboo but I painted it white – I love the lightness and texture it adds to the room. Thanks so much for your visit and comments!!
Krista
Such a cheery bedroom! Love the headboard and bed skirt….I’m about to make a no-sew bedskirt for my son’s room, so it’s nice to see such a great example of one 🙂
Thank you Gretchen. It was easy! Just a little duct tape to attach the no-sew fabric strips to the boxspring. I look forward to seeing how yours turns out!
Krista
Great Redo, I am loving that seagull painting and the birds on the wall, Where did you find those ?
Hi Christy! Thank you. The seagull print was bought at our neighbours ‘moving sale’ when they sold their house, and the little white birdies are from Walmart (shhhhh)…. but I have seen similar ones at Urban Barn. Thanks for your visit!
Krista
Your room looks great! I love the colors! I am your newest follower on Pinterest! I am happy to find your blog!
Thanks Amanda! I am thrilled to have you following! Great to meet you:)
Krista
Beautiful and so inviting. I love the birds and I would feel like I am on vacation in this bedroom! I would love if you link this on my Monday link party!
Xo
Thank you! I love the white birds against the blue walls – feels so summery:) I will hop over to your party – thanks for the invite:)
Krista
SO pretty!! I love the use of color!
Thank you Emily, I am so thrilled you came to visit!
Krista
Thank you so much for linking up your beautiful room.
And thank you for hosting Rita!
Krista
Wow! Love everything about this room from the colors, to the accessories, to the fabrics! You are very talented! 🙂
Aw, April that is very sweet of you to say! Thank you so much for your visit:) Hope to see you again!
Krista
Your bedroom looks like it belongs in a magazine! Great pics and great tips!
Hi Tricia! You are too sweet! Thank you:)
Krista
I love this room, what a great inspiration!
Thank you so much Rachel! And thank you for coming by!!
Krista
Love the colorful pop of pillows on your bed! (And that seagull painting.)
Thank you! and thanks so much for your visit:)
Krista
Your room is lovely and so colorful! I always advise people to decorate with items that you truly love and that have personal meaning. What could be more meaningful than something you made yourself or found on fun thrifting day…and who can resist the high of getting a bargain! 🙂
Absolutely – I couldn’t agree more Kim! Thank you for your visit and comments!!
Krista
I love this room. You did a great job. We have a link party called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Blog Hop and would love to have you share this and any other posts with everyone. It runs from Tuesday night through midnight Sunday. Here is the link to the party.
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/04/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop_16.html
We hope to see you there.
Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
Hi Debi and Charly! Sounds great! I will hop over and check it out:)
Krista
Such a pretty room! Love this idea! I’d love for you to come link this up at The Weekly Creative- a party I co-host with The Girl Creative!
http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/2013/04/the-weekly-creative-4/
Smiles,
Melanie
Reasons To Skip The Housework
Hi Melanie! I am number 38 on the your linky party… Thanks so much for the invite!
Krista
I really like the print about Love! Where did you find it? I love your choice of colors.
Hi Julie,
Okay… I am going to admit (with only a tinge of embarrassment) that it is from Walmart. I know… but good find, right? I LOVED the colours and the saying… so I got over the big box storeness of it… just like I was talking about in the post:) Thanks so much for your visit!
Krista
Great room! love it!
Thanks Genie!
Wowwwww Amazing Job Krista! I looks so Homey now! Lovely!
Thank you so much for sharing, so many great ideas!
xoxo
Cami @ TitiCrafty blogspot
Hi Camila,
I feel homey there:) Thank you so much for your visit today! Nice to meet you,
Krista
Love it!!!
Thank you Crystelle:)
Your bedroom is drop-dead gorgeous… I am so in awe… and peaceful too.. Great for sleeping. I really like the color scheme and the ladder. Where did you get the ladder, or did you make it?
🙂
hugs x
Crystelle
Crystelle Boutique
Hi Crystelle,
I got the ladder from a local area market called The Coombs Country Market. They have lots of super cool fun import stuff. It used to be natural bamboo colour, so of course I had to paint it:) Maybe they would be available at import stores. Or an old vintage ladder would be a great blanket hanger too.
Krista
Love what you did, especially on a budget. I’m in the need of a bed-skirt for my guest bedroom redo, I’m think I’m going to just try and make my own after seeing how nice yours turned out. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Christina,
Thanks…the bedskirt was easy and looks really high-end in person. I would highly recommend trying it! Thank you so much for your visit and your kind comments:-)
Krista
Love this! The bold pillows are my favorite. Added you to bloglovin!
I would love it if you would come share at my link party!
http://cupcakesandcorndogs.com/2013/04/handmade-wednesday-7-promote-yourself.html
Great to meet you!
Amanda
Hi Amanda,
So thrilled to have you following along!! I will definitely hop over and check out your party, thank you for the invite. See you again soon!
Krista
Wow!! I LOVE the difference in your before and after pictures!! GORGEOUS room!! I’m very jealous:) These are all great tips! Thanks for sharing them! I came over from Mom on Time Out.
Thanks Megan!! I appreciate all of your lovely comments! And thanks for visiting again:)
Krista
Love your room and those pillows! Our bedroom is also mostly free – hand-me-downs, curbside finds, DIY and yard sales. All great places to find treasures. 🙂
Hi Anu! It is more fun to collect it that way, isn’t it… then when you look around at it all you remember it’s story. I love when things in our home have a little secret story to tell 🙂 Thanks so much for your comments!!
Krista
Such a pretty room! Love the colors! Life to the full! Melissa
Thanks Melissa, I always feel calm and contented looking around our room when I go to bed at night… that is the whole point of decorating it I guess:) Thanks for your visit!
Krista
What a gorgeous room! And I LOVE that you did it all on a budget! So brilliant! Have a wonderful week, Krista!
~Abby =)
Thanks Abby! Everything is done on a budget around here… like to save for other things too (like our children’s education fund, lol).
Krista
Great job on fixing up your bedroom on such a sweet budget! I love re-purposing garbage and fixing up furniture.
Saw you sharing at Whimsy Wednesdays
Debbie 🙂
Hi Debbie,
So thrilled you came by! I LOVE fixing up stuff that other people saw as garbage too… feels so good to complete a transformation like that, doesn’t it? Thanks so much for your visit!
Krista
Love those bright colors of pillows–I need to get some color on my bed!
Hi Steph,
Thanks… I love the color and the print of the pillows… they make the task of making my bed in the morning fun!! Thanks so much for your visit and comments!
Krista
Very nice!!
Thank you Diana, and thanks for coming by!!
Krista
I love the colors in your room and I especially love your faux bedskirt. I really would like a bedskirt, but they are so expensive and often not quite right, but your idea sounds so easy. Thanks.
Hi PJ,
Thanks for your visit! It really was easy… I encourage anyone to try it. It doesn’t take a ton of fabric, or you could probably even do it using a sheet cut to size, hemmed (or no-sew hemmed) and duct taped to the box spring.
Krista
What a gorgeous room! I love the bed and your faux bedskirt. Such a better solution than trying to wrestle a real bedskirt in between the mattresses. Great post!
Thanks Kelly, it was a simple and inexpensive solution and the bedskirt looks custom to the bed. I am so thrilled that you came to visit!!
Krista
Wow, your bedroom is so bright and cheerful! You have definitely scored some great finds and given them wonderful new looks!
Hi Carol,
Thank you… and thanks so much for coming by! I think you can turn most things around with a little creativity and elbow grease:)
Krista
Thanks for stopping by! Love the bedroom! Almost free is awesome, huh? I love what you said… “if you can’t find what you like, make it”! Totally agree! Hope you have a fabulous week.
Hi Laurie,
Almost free is awesome! Thank you for coming by as well, hope to see you again,
Krista
What a beautiful & bright room! Love the mix of colours and patterns. Love that seagull painting too!!
Thanks for popping over!
Have an awesome day 🙂
Hi Anne,
I definitely love a room with some colour and pattern in it… not everyone’s taste but it cheers my day:)
Thank you for coming by!
Krista
Loving this super sunny and happy room!
It is calm and quiet in the evening but sunny and happy in the day… the perfect combination for a bedroom. Thank you for coming by!!
Krista
What a colorful and happy room! I love all your ideas! Great inspiration! Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog. Made my day!
Hi Leah,
So glad you came by to visit as well! I love the cottagey look you have going in your kitchen… I want to add a little of the colourful happy we have in other rooms of the house to our kitchen soon:)
Krista
Great tips, I really like how you combined patterns and colors.
Thank you Tina!
I am certainly not afraid of colour and pattern and of mixing them up… you know it is ‘right’ when it feels calming, not jarring, despite the number of disparate elements you have included… Thanks so much for your comments,
Krista
all these are very good tips you have provided Krista! 🙂 The tip I loved the most was about: to give ourselves time, find the things we love and let your look and style evolve! I agree with you 100% on this one, I’ve made the mistake of buying everything from the same place, thinking it looks good and then after living in that space you realize some accessories or furniture doesn’t make any sense or it’s not even something you like or ever liked but it looked great in the store! Thanks again Krista for all the tips and inspiration! Ingrid
I know Ingrid, I was in such a ‘rush’ at first to get my house decorated (our first house 12 years ago) that I don’t think I always made the best decisions… I have learned a lot since then. Letting things change and evolve over time is the fun part. After all, what would I do if it were actually “done”???
Krista
You bedroom looks great! I love all the colors and little unique details you incorporated, like the birds on the wall and the birdcage on your dresser! Looks great! Thank you for the tips!
Selene @ Restoration Beauty
Thank you Selene,
There is kind of a (hopefully subtle) bird theme going on… maybe it is not so subtle after all:) Thanks so much for coming by and commenting!
Krista
Great tips! Would love it if you would link this up to Give Me The Goods Monday: 1 Party, 5 Blogs! http://www.rainonatinroof.com/2013/04/give-me-goods-monday-link-party-4.html
Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof
Thank you Jenna, I will definitely go and do that:)
Krista
Great post! Love all the bright colors….and love that it was all on a budget! Would love to have you share at my party going on!
http://www.madetobeamomma.com/2013/04/homemade-by-you-47.html
Thanks Katie! I will hop over there right away:)
Krista
Ah, Krista, this is so beautiful!!! Great job girl, you should be proud!!!
Thanks Natalie! I am so thrilled that you came by!
Krista
Pretty room; everything looks so peaceful and relaxing! I love the idea of using one inspiration piece…I usually try to do that, but it doesn’t always work, lol 😉
Hi Kelly,
Thanks… it does feel pretty peaceful and relaxing in there at night. I love the pale blue walls – in the evening they feel restful and in the morning they feel energizing. Thanks for your comments!
Krista
Krista – you had me coming a-running over to you when I saw the words “almost-free”! Your bedroom is gorgeous! I love the use of colour and your accent pillows are to die! Are those Fabric.com fabrics?
Either or, amazing job! I would love to own this bedroom!
Hi Tara,
The two blue large scale flower pillows and the smaller green woven pillow are from Home Sense. The red chevron is homemade with Fabric.com fabric. I think you could recreate the larger ones using a large scale Suzani print like the one put out by Premier Prints (like the one I used for our laundry curtains).
Aside from a few major things there really was a lot of “free” or very cheap things that went into creating this room. Thanks so much for your comments!
Krista