Discover a bedroom makeover with a modern touch: a wooden bed adorned with striped pillows, flanked by nightstands and lamps. Abstract art graces the space above, while a plant and black dresser provide contrast. A cozy chair completes this stylish transformation.
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DIY Affordable Guest Bedroom Makeover in 8 Weeks

ByLisa

The One Room Challenge is back for another season and guess who is participating? You guessed it. Me! For the next eight weeks I will be transforming the 2nd guest bedroom upstairs. I am beyond excited to share my plans with you and to update this blank canvas and add some visual interest. If you recall, this is not my first time participating in the One Room Challenge. Over the years I have transformed five spaces in less than 40 weeks time and each time I get a little more ambitious with my project list. This time will be no exception. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show while I tackle this bedroom makeover!

A modern guest bedroom makeover features a black accent wall, wooden bed frame, abstract wall art, and patterned rug. Two wooden nightstands with lamps flank the bed. A sleek black dresser and lush plant complete the look. Text reads "DIY Guest Bedroom Makeover.

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What is the One Room Challenge? 

First things first, for those of you who are not familiar with the One Room Challenge or ORC as it is often referred to, it is a bi-annual event hosted by Linda at Calling it Home and media partner Apartment Therapy where bloggers, designers, and content creators are challenged to make over a room in eight weeks and provide weekly updates. I’m not going to lie, it’s a bit stressful at times, there are often tears and many curse words, but it is always totally worth it! The best part is it keeps me focused and committed to completing a room makeover in a timely fashion. 

My Past One Room Challenges

Before I dive into the bedroom makeover I am addressing this time around, let’s talk about my past projects. Last time I participated I built an entire room from scratch, for wine. That’s right, I built a wine cellar in a dark corner of my basement. This one is going to be hard to beat, but at least I have a full cellar of wine to get me through this one, right?  

Before the wine cellar I fulfilled my childhood dream and built a bunk room for fun! This room is definitely one of my favorite rooms in the house and of course includes a swing, because why wouldn’t it? 

On a more practical note, my ORC before that was a much needed family room makeover where I added a cable railing, almost went missing over paint, and finally fell in love with my massive 70s fireplace. 

On my second One Room Challenge I made over the backyard and unleashed my inner desire to build things! My outdoor sofas and matching dining table were the gateway projects to a whole new world for me. 

And for my very first ORC I helped my mom upgrade her kitchen by solving a skylight problem, painting the cabinets and building an island from stock cabinets. 

Fall 2023 ORC Bedroom Makeover

For this One Room Challenge, I will be upgrading the other guest room with a brand new look and I will finally address the giant elephants in the room. Carpet and popcorn ceilings I am looking at you. This is the starting point. 

A neatly made bed with a beige comforter and six decorative pillows sits in a freshly redesigned bedroom. The room, part of a recent bedroom makeover, has gray walls, a window with beige curtains, a bedside lamp, and framed artwork. A carpeted floor and light-colored ceiling fan complete the look.

Overall it isn’t completely tragic but to me it feels pretty flat and lacks that modern boho vibe I am into these days. The neutral tones in here are definitely not terrible but some simple changes will have a major impact on the overall room look. 

DIY Bedroom Transformation Plans 

First on the list, the popcorn ceilings. I hate them and they have got to go! Luckily this is the very last room in the house with them and I will never have to scrape popcorn ceilings again! If you were here for the home office makeover, you know how that ceiling went. But I learned my lesson last time and will not make the same mistake again. 

The carpet. There are no words to express how much I despise carpet and how gross it really is. The prior owners had a bunch of kids who were apparently never supervised with markers. The hope was to rip out the carpet in the first few years of living here, but 11 years later here we are. Better late than never, right? I will be adding new wood floors that match the hallway that have been sitting in my dining room for two years now….true story. 

A dark brown dresser with four drawers sits on beige carpeted flooring, hinting at the need for a bedroom makeover. The carpet has visible stains, one yellow and one reddish. Part of a bed with a brown bed skirt is on the left side of the image.

With the new flooring, the old baseboards will also be retired. This is the last room in the house with these and I won’t miss them. Although the closet baseboards came in clutch for my front door update. Yep, I stole the trim from the closet for another project, because who was ever gonna know? 

Carpeted floor with beige texture beneath a plain white wall featuring a single electrical outlet. A simple wooden baseboard runs along the wall at floor level, setting the stage for a bedroom makeover that transforms simplicity into serene elegance.

Along similar lines, the new door that was installed when I made over the hallway will finally get trim added! Afterall, it’s only been two and a half years, haha!

Experience a modern bedroom makeover featuring a dark dresser and mounted TV on light-colored walls. The open door reveals an accent wall adorned with framed photos. A light carpet and minimalist decor complete the stylish transformation.

The ceiling fan. I will admit, I chose this fan 11 years ago, but it no longer fits my style and the way I see it, it has served it’s purpose. So the fan and ceiling light will be getting an upgrade. 

A ceiling fan with five wooden blades and three glass light fixtures hangs from a textured white ceiling, the perfect addition to this bedroom makeover. The room includes part of a mirror and a partially visible door, complementing the refreshed style.

The bedroom furniture. While I do not plan to buy a single furniture piece for this room, that could change over the next eight weeks. But the plan at the moment is to update the existing dresser and night stands with a fresh coat of paint, new hardware, and maybe a little something extra. To be continued….

A recent bedroom makeover features a dark wooden dresser with a large mirror above it. The dresser is elegantly adorned with vases, a plant, and small decorative items. A glimpse of the bed with a beige comforter peeks in from the left side against light-colored walls.

An accent wall. If you follow my designs, you know I often add an accent wall. They create a focal point in the room and have a huge impact for not a lot of money. At the moment I am not sure if this will be a batten wall, a slat wall, or a shiplap wall, but there will be one and it might be a dark color 😉 

The bed. While I do like the headboard and it went well with this look, it’s a bit too farmhouse for my final design plan. So I will be building a brand new DIY headboard and bed frame! And after the bunk bed build and our bed, I am hoping this one will be fairly easy, but famous last words, am I right? 

A neatly made bed with a beige and brown comforter is adorned with patterned and solid throw pillows, capturing the essence of a bedroom makeover. The simple, elegant headboard complements two bedside tables holding matching lamps with textured bases against a pale gray wall.

The closet. Like most 1970s houses the closet in here could definitely use an interior upgrade to the storage efficiency. It’s builder basic and honestly has become a dumping ground for things we should probably toss. I am working on a few ideas but I don’t think it will be as involved as Barry’s closet, but we will see. Hopefully I only have to go to IKEA once this time…

The open sliding doors reveal a cluttered closet, ripe for a bedroom makeover. It's filled with boots, shoes, an iron, clothes hangers, an ironing board with a floral cover, various bags, and miscellaneous items. A shoe organizer holds footwear and other small objects.

The closet doors are definitely not my first choice either. I painted the faux wood years ago but I am thinking something more like the closet doors in the bunk room. But I don’t want to give away all the details just yet 🙂 

A modern bedroom makeover featuring black sliding closet doors, a wall-mounted flat-screen TV, and a corner chair with a patterned cushion. The light-colored carpet complements the framed picture on the wall, creating an inviting atmosphere.

The TV. Do we really need a TV in here? No. But when we upgraded the TV in the family room we moved the larger family room TV to the basement gym and moved the basement TV in here. I am hoping to make it less of an eyesore and more of a design choice. We will see what my creativity brings me. 

In the midst of a stunning bedroom makeover, a flat-screen TV is mounted on a beige wall between two dark-colored doors. Below the TV is a white electrical outlet. The light-colored carpet complements the scene, while a ceiling fan subtly reflects on the screen.

Painting. The whole room will also get a new color on the walls with a fresh coat of paint because would it even be a room makeover with me if there were no painting? I am one of those crazy people who finds painting completely relaxing. Just throw on a true crime podcast and go to town! Seriously, I am obsessed with true crime and probably consider my alibi at least twice a day. That’s totally normal, right? Paint color TBD but I am leaning towards a white color scheme with pops of color in natural tones.  

Speaking of crime, I have been committing one of my own with these shorty curtains. Can Someone please tell me why they even still make 84 inch curtains? They should just up the size to the correct length of 90 inches. It is just the right thing to do. Obviously I plan to hang longer curtains which will instantly make the ceilings feel taller in here!

A bright bedroom makeover features a large window adorned with beige curtains. The room showcases a bed with a white comforter and orange bed skirt, a stylish black bench, and framed artwork on the gray walls. Above, a ceiling fan with a light completes the refreshed aesthetic.

Lastly, there will be new decor which is one of the easiest ways to update a space. Obviously new throw pillows because we know I have an addiction there. I may or may not replace the side table lamp but I definitely have a few ideas here. A new area rug, maybe an oversized mirror, white bedding, and some some picture frames, will go a long way and have a big impact!

A cozy bedroom makeover showcases a bed with white and brown pillows, a wooden headboard, and a beige comforter. A nightstand with a lamp and decorative items sits beside the bed, while a dark dresser adorned with a plant and decor enhances the room's charm.

Finally, let’s talk about the budget. We all know money doesn’t grow on tress so I will be re-using as much as I can and raiding my decor stock pile, aka, my basement. But since I am replacing flooring, changing all the decor in the room and addressing the closet, I am setting my budget at $2,500. And if you remember how much furniture and decor costs, this is a lean budget.  

On the positive side, this room is not a small bedroom. It is actually very spacious at 12×13 for about 150 square feet so I have plenty of room to get creative with the new bedroom design. My overall vision for the room is a modern bedroom with clean lines, neutral tones, with a bold pop of color, and textured materials for a boho vibe. This is my design board for the new room. 

A modern bedroom makeover features a wooden bed with black and white bedding, flanked by nightstands with lamps. Abstract art hangs above the bed. A dresser with plants and a circular mirror is nearby, along with a cushioned chair. A large plant adds greenery.

Bed | Nightstands | Rug | Lamps | Rocking Chair | Dresser | Mirror | Bed Pillows | Accent Pillow | Wall Art | Single Vase | Vase Set | Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree 

So that’s the plan folks! Join me again next week to see how my guest room makeover is going. This week is going to be a BUSY one so make sure you follow along on Instagram to see all the behind the scenes in my stories! There will be a lot of DIY going on here, so get ready.  No bunk beds this time, but I will be building a bed 😉 

A woman sits on a patterned rug in front of white bunk beds with dark green accent walls, celebrating the bedroom makeover. She raises her arms joyfully. Nearby is a white cabinet with a plant on top, and the room is bright and modern.

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Don’t forget to stop by the One Room Challenge to check out all the other participants and be prepared to be inspired! I am surrounded by insanely creative and talented interior designers, bloggers, and influencers! 

Garrison Street Design Studio - DIY Affordable Guest Bedroom Makeover in 8 Weeks

 

A guest room with a large bed adorned with patterned pillows and a beige comforter exudes charm. A framed picture adds elegance, while curtains frame the window. Text on the image reads, "Bedroom Makeover in 8 Weeks! www.GarrisonStreetDesignStudio.com.

This post, DIY Affordable Guest Bedroom Makeover in 8 Weeks, appeared first on Garrison Street Design Studio.

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