Style Tips For Decorating A Bedroom On A Budget

Everyone deserves a calm, soothing bedroom retreat that helps you rest, relax and recharge after a long and demanding day. While it is easy to create a stylish bedroom when money is no object, it can be much more difficult to achieve these goals on a limited budget. However, if you are creative and resourceful, you can have a beautiful bedroom and not lay awake at night worrying over how you are going to pay for it.

First, Think Outside the Box
Before you can tap into your creativity, you need to leave some preconceived notions behind. Realize that you do not have to buy new or expensive furniture to get a great looking bedroom. Resale shops, antique stores, flea markets and even garage sales are great sources for furniture and accessories that you can refinish, paint or repurpose to suit your style. Also, do not get tricked into thinking that you have to buy a matched suite of bedroom furniture where the dresser matches the headboard which matches the bedside tables, etc. Mixing and matching gives you a more eclectic result with personality and distinctive style.

Re-think the Headboard
A headboard is the centerpiece of bedroom style, but if you have a bed frame and mattress without a headboard there are plenty of low cost options to choose from. A salvaged door with interesting molding can be painted and turned sideways on the wall for a unique headboard. Inexpensive fabric can be stretched over homemade wood frames or craft store foam board and arranged on the wall to create a grid style headboard with modern attitude. A series of empty picture frames can be arranged on the wall above the bed or choose wall art, a wrought iron screen, wood screen or Shoji screen to fill in for a headboard and bring an instant focal point to your bedroom that can set the stage for other decorative choices,

Instead of Matching Bedside Tables
In a smaller room, a single bedside table may be your best option. Shop at a thrift store or flea market for an interesting table that can be painted to tie into your color scheme and used to hold a lamp, alarm clock, books, water decanter and a plant. If you need a lamp on each side of the bed, one or both lamps can be replaced with wall mounted swing arm sconces. You can also use a wooden chair or stool as a side table, a bookcase or a plant stand. You can even build a shelf into the wall for storage that saves floor space.

Inexpensive Window Treatments
If you sew, fashion new curtains out of sheets or fabrics and trim them with ribbon, buttons, fringe or a contrasting fabric for a custom look. Or buy inexpensive curtain panels and use similar embellishment to make them look high end. For privacy and light control, an inexpensive flat folding fabric shade can be mounted inside the window. Discount stores carry a good variety of curtain rods and other hardware, valances and curtain panels at easy-to-live-with prices.

Pulling it All Together
More important that how much you spend on furniture and accessories is how you pull everything together. Start with a color scheme and chosen style, and then stay true to your design goal by using budget pieces to stand in for expensive items featured in decor magazines, websites and catalogs. A little paint or fabric and some ingenuity can give you the bedroom of your dreams without the credit card nightmare!