Affordable Before & After Bedroom Makeovers

Designers share their incredible room transformations and expert tips.

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October 21, 2016

By: Lori Johnston

Related To:

After: Punch of Color

Mix bright colors with earth tones. Atlanta designer Steve McKenzie kept the bedding a soft cream so that the decor and colors could be changed easily without having to replace everything.

Before: Dated Traditional

This room was dull and unpolished, but designer Steve McKenzie, owner of Steve McKenzie’s in Atlanta, brought in fresh new touches to completely change the feel of the space. The redo was part of a Dwell with Dignity makeover.

After: Bright, Budget-Friendly Artwork

Become your own artist. The elephant artwork to the left of the bed was actually a DIY project that a coworker of Atlanta designer Steve McKenzie painted. The brightly upholstered wingback chairs were McKenzie’s jumping off point for the room’s colors in this Dwell with Dignity install.

Before: Bare Bedroom

Before the makeover, this bedroom was sparse and dull, but designer Ann Wisniewski took the space and made it a comfortable retreat for renters as part of a Dwell with Dignity project.

After: Restful Retreat

When you’re trying to create a restful bedroom space, go with a neutral base. The blues and greens in this room’s bedding, lamps and houseplants give the makeover by Atlanta designer Ann Wisniewski a relaxing vibe. DIY blogger Dena Stormer painted the original bedside tables and replaced the hardware to create an all-new look for this Dwell with Dignity makeover project.

Before: Basic Boy's Bedroom

Before the makeover, this little boy’s room didn’t show his love for fishing or space at all. Designer Egypt Sherrod redecorated the space to make it more personal in her Dwell with Dignity makeover.

After: Aqua Inspiration

Work with what you’ve got. The beds in both kids’ rooms received an update by DIY blogger Dena Stormer, giving the room a jolt of playful color and pizzazz. The boy who lives here loves fishing and space, so designer Egypt Sherrod, who pitched in with AmericasMart to redo the children’s rooms in this Dwell with Dignity install, gave the room a blue and green color palette and hung fish artwork over the beds.

Before: Bunk Room

Because of limited space, rearranging wasn’t really possible when GordonDunning redesigned this room as part of a Dwell with Dignity install. With the help of DIY blogger Dena Stormer they revamped the room’s color palette with a coat of bright red paint, reusing much of the existing furniture, to give the room a fresh new look.

After: Love of Games

Make a space that will last. “You don’t want things to be temporary. You want things that they can grow with,” said Cate Dunning of Atlanta-based GordonDunning, who decorated this bedroom as part of a Dwell with Dignity install. This bedroom was for three boys who loved Super Mario Brothers and the Atlanta Falcons, so GordonDunning incorporated red accented with blue and hung framed Mario art prints from Etsy on the wall. The beds were already in the room, and DIY blogger Dena Stormer painted them with Sherwin-Williams Positive Red.

From: GordonDunning

Before: Lackluster Bedroom

Give kids' rooms they can grow with. Egypt Sherrod worked with AmericasMart to makeover the children’s rooms in this Dwell with Dignity project. She says her main goal was to create a comfortable space for the kids that reflected their personalities that they wouldn’t outgrow too quickly.

After: Pretty and Posh

To give a child’s room makeover longevity, start neutral and then add color in the details and art. Egypt Sherrod decorated this room as part of a Dwell with Dignity makeover, and she started with light, airy decor and then added pink and purple accents fitting for this little girl’s room. Sherrod’s favorite part of the space is the woven light fixture.

From: Egypt Sherrod

Before: Black Canvas

This room was a completely blank canvas before designers Lisa Turner and Wallace Bryan of Trinity Mercantile and Design Company worked their magic. Using cool colors with pops of red throughout the room, Turner and Wallace were able to create a welcoming space for residents of Dwell with Dignity, an organization that helps families who have struggled with homelessness and poverty.

After: Vibrant and Plush

An upholstered headboard adds plush comfort, and bright throw pillows tie yellow and red into the bedding in this Dwell with Dignity install. Georgia designers Lisa Turner and Wallace Bryan of Trinity Mercantile and Design Co. recommend picking pieces of furniture that go together but don’t match perfectly to get a designer look for any budget.

After: Consignment Cool

Don’t shy away from consignment and resale stores. Metro Atlanta designers Lisa Turner and Wallace Bryan repurposed a vintage dresser from a consignment store for less than $500, a huge discount from the price of a new dresser of that size. Paired with a mirror, it created a good vanity space. The red lamp and the gold bedside lamps were donated to this Dwell with Dignity makeover room by Currey & Co.

After: Red Accents

Don’t be afraid to add color. The resident in this Dwell with Dignity makeover loves red, but metro Atlanta designers Lisa Turner and Wallace Bryan know that red would be too much as the main color in a bedroom. They managed to keep the space calm and bring the favorite red into the room as a brilliant accent, starting with this art that they found at a consignment shop.

Before: Odd Placement

Before, a bedroom with a window on only one side of the bed presented a design dilemma.

After: Symmetrical Setup

A bedroom makeover solved the design problem that was created by the room’s unusual one-window layout. To create symmetry, the designer sourced a mirror and hung window treatments on either side, says Kirsten Yonson, co-owner of SwatchPop. She brightened up the lamps and added art above the bed for a fresh update.

Before: Plain Guest Room

Before, a guest bedroom’s paint color and outdated bed linens give the room a washed out, neglected feel.

After: Going for the Gold

Gold is a regal choice that demands attention in this once-overlooked guest bedroom. Glass and antique brass side tables give the room a more modern look, and are topped with lamps from a discount home store selected by Atlanta designer Jennifer Foster. A streamlined slipcovered headboard offers flexibility for future makeovers.

Before: Limited Pattern

Before, a child’s bedroom has a traditional headboard and bits of color, but has very little decor and lacks a design theme or palette.

After: Jewel of a Room

A bold wall color, reminiscent of Tiffany blue, is one of the most inexpensive ways to start off a bedroom makeover, says Atlanta designer Jennifer Foster. The room now has a sophisticated playful style, with a daybed from a home decor store that makes room for a baby grand piano passed down from a grandmother. The lamps also are off-the-shelf from a discount home goods store.

Before: Messy Spare Room

Before, a home office is a cluttered space with no real design. The homeowners wanted to get rid of the clutter and transform the space into a bedroom.

After: Timeless Teen Suite

Converting a home office into a bedroom meant Georgia designer Jennifer Foster had to refurnish the room. Her designer tip in these situations is to purchase big-ticket items from decor collections for teens, which are typically cheaper. To save money on this renovation, Foster turned to home decor retailers and online outlets. The canopy bed cost less than $1,000, and the white bedding is just the right base to switch out the raspberry accessories when it’s no longer a favorite hue.

After: Raspberry Red

For a custom chair without the custom cost, save on the frames that will be hidden underneath a fabric of your choice. Metro Atlanta designer Jennifer Foster purchased chair frames from an affordable home decor store and had them reupholstered in a fun raspberry chenille.

Before: Bare Design

Before, a bedroom looks sad with no headboard, wall decor or drapes. It’s poised for a makeover.

After: Fresh and Flexible

After a makeover by Terracotta Design Build, the “room with a bed in it” is transformed into a neutral retreat that’s far from boring. “If your bedroom looks like a dorm room, the first thing you have to do is add a headboard, and it will be immediately grown up,” says Terracotta's Ili Hidalgo-Nilsson, an architect and designer. Keeping the walls and furniture neutral allows you to infuse color with pillows and lamps, which can be changed out more affordably.

From: Terracotta Design Build

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Photo By: Dwell with Dignity/Thomas S. England

Photo By: Dwell with Dignity/ Thomas S. England

Photo By: Dwell with Dignity/Thomas S. England

Photo By: Dwell with Dignity/ Thomas S. England

Photo By: Dwell with Dignity/Thomas S. England

Photo By: Dwell with Dignity/ Thomas S. England

Photo By: Dwell with Dignity/Thomas S. England

Photo By: SwatchPop

Photo By: Eanes Foster Design

Photo By: Terracotta Design Build

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Affordable Before & After Bedroom Makeovers

Related To:

After: Punch of Color

Before: Dated Traditional

After: Bright, Budget-Friendly Artwork

Before: Bare Bedroom

After: Restful Retreat

Before: Basic Boy's Bedroom

After: Aqua Inspiration

Before: Bunk Room

After: Love of Games

Before: Lackluster Bedroom

After: Pretty and Posh

Before: Black Canvas

After: Vibrant and Plush

After: Consignment Cool

After: Red Accents

Before: Odd Placement

After: Symmetrical Setup

Before: Plain Guest Room

After: Going for the Gold

Before: Limited Pattern

After: Jewel of a Room

Before: Messy Spare Room

After: Timeless Teen Suite

After: Raspberry Red

Before: Bare Design

After: Fresh and Flexible

Shop This Look

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