For many people, the bedroom is more than just a place to sleep at night. By repainting it, you have the opportunity to create a relaxing environment, which reflects your personality and allows you to rest better at night. By adding recycled items or simple DIY decorations, you can modify it to suit your needs. You can even include Feng Sui elements to turn your bedroom into a sanctuary of sorts.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Plan and Rearrange
Step 1. Draw up a 2-dimensional design of the bedroom and furniture
Use a tape measure to measure the size of the room (length and width). On a sheet of squared paper, draw a scale image of the room where 3 squares correspond to 10 cm.
- Include the location and dimensions of doors, windows, cabinets, fireplaces, and so on in your design.
- Draw the furniture to scale on a sheet of paper. Measure the length and width of each large piece of furniture (e.g. bed, wardrobe, sofa).
- Cut out these templates and arrange them in the project to realize the space you can take advantage of.
- Bring the furniture design and models with you if you need to shop or "rummage" in some flea market. This way you will know if you have enough space to enter what you intend to buy.
Step 2. List your room decor ideas
Write in a search engine, such as Google or Bing, "easy ideas for decorating the bedroom" or "cheap and DIY bedroom".
- Before embarking on a project found on the Internet, write down the instructions and compile a list of the materials and equipment you will need.
- Gather the tools and materials you need before starting the project.
Step 3. Clean the chamber
Make room and reorganize, eliminating all that is useless and obsolete.
- Clean and tidy up the closet, under the bed, and other places where stuff has accumulated.
- Eventually give away furniture, clothes or electronic devices, as long as they are in good condition. Consider giving away or throwing away anything you haven't worn or used in the past year.
Step 4. Move or add furniture
Make more space in the room by moving the bed against the wall or placing a comfortable chair near the window to create a comfortable reading corner.
- Make sure everything currently in the bedroom is laid out correctly before adding anything else, especially if the room is small.
- Add a bed frame valance so you can store and hide items under the bed.
- Replace the nightstand with a model that has drawers or multiple shelves to store books.
Step 5. Make the most of the bedroom's resources to arrange items
Create extra space by mounting additional shelves in your closet or by purchasing decorative or plastic storage boxes.
- Mount hooks or shoe hangers on the back of the door.
- Use the vertical space of the wardrobe to install shelves on which to store off-season clothes and accessories.
- Choose what to put in each container and label it. Use labels to avoid putting items in the wrong container. It's a way to stay organized.
- Arrange the containers on a shelf or on the bottom shelf of a bookcase for easy access. If they are too visible, choose decorative burlap containers or wicker baskets.
Step 6. Organize the bedroom according to the principles of Feng Sui
The bed should be raised off the ground, and if you can, avoid placing it in an area exposed to direct sunlight during the day.
- Do not place mirrors in front of the bed.
- Stimulate your other senses by adding scented candles or vaporizing diluted essential oils. Lavender has been shown to slow heart rate and blood pressure.
Step 7. Create a more relaxing space
Replace bulbs that emit bluish light with white light LED bulbs. Blue light stimulates brain activity and can prevent you from falling asleep.
- Check if the various light tips in the house carry white light LED bulbs and replace them with those in your bedroom. Most indoor lamps use 40 or 60 watt bulbs, but check first to swap.
- Add warm, bright colors using various accessories (e.g. lamps, vases, pillows), but don't make them predominate in the bedroom.
Part 2 of 3: Decorate with Reused or Recycled Elements
Step 1. Find free items
Find a freecycle system near you or ask friends and family if they have old items they no longer want to keep.
- Look for solid wood furniture that could be refinished.
- Unless they are in good condition, avoid salvaging second-hand plywood, chipboard, or laminate furniture. While it is possible to clean and repaint surfaces, you risk releasing pollutants, such as formaldehyde, into the air by using finishing methods, including sandblasting, or by sawing.
Step 2. Go to the markets
Check the local newspapers or find information on the markets that are held in your area.
You will be more likely to find items at very low prices if you go at the end of the day, preferably after noon
Step 3. Ask for old swatches at a wallpaper store
Use recycled wallpaper to decorate old lamps, vases or furniture.
You can also use it to cover shelves or the underside of drawers
Step 4. Move furniture and art objects found in other rooms of the house to add a fun note
For example, you can transfer a bookcase from the living room to the bedroom.
- Find inspiration for decorating at home. Start with a painting, an ornamental pillow, a piece of clothing or a rug to develop a particular interior style or to choose the colors of the bedroom.
- Eventually, ask your roommates for permission before moving anything.
Part 3 of 3: Making the Bedroom Accessories Yourself
Step 1. Make the pillows yourself
The cushions are an important piece of furniture and give a touch of color. However, they can be expensive. Although you need to know how to sew or have a sewing machine to make them, these are not indispensable requirements.
- Make a seamless pillow using two pieces of felt of the same size. Place them on top of each other and with scissors cut strips 5 cm wide and 12 cm long along the edges. Leave a square in each corner. Tie the strips together around a pillow or cotton filling.
- Use two t-shirts that you care about, but no longer fit you, to make a pillow. From each shirt, cut out a square or a rectangle (depending on the shape and size you want). Place the two pieces on top of each other and sew three of the four sides together. Stuff with cotton wool or other t-shirts before closing the last side.
- You can also stuff it with fabric scraps or use an old cushion to cover.
Step 2. Make the curtains yourself
Drape the fabric over the stick, then add a valance or drapery.
- If you live in an area that is quite illuminated at night by street lights, signs, car headlights, and so on, it is wise to use a darker fabric to prevent outside lighting from entering the house. In the evening, excessive exposure to light can compromise the body's natural sleep-wake cycle, known as the circadian rhythm.
- Make the rings for the curtains. Secure the curtains to the rod, tying them with pieces of fabric, string or ribbon. You can also embellish them without spending much by tying them with strips of fabric of different colors.
- Use a fitted sheet to make a flounce, which you could sew onto the top or bottom of the curtains.
- Use inexpensive hooks, buckles or knobs to "hang" or tie the curtains to the side.
Step 3. Make the floral decorations yourself
Look for silk flowers at flea markets and second-hand shops or cut and dry real ones.
Create a bouquet of dried herbs and wildflowers gathered in a meadow. Cut the flowers and at least 20 cm of stem when they are fully in bloom. Remove the leaves along the stem. Tie them together with some string and hang them upside down in a dark, cool, dry place until they dry out, which is about 2-3 weeks
Step 4. Make a tree for the jewelry to put on the dresser
Arrange several dry branches in a vase. Fill the latter with some pebbles to make it more stable. Decorate the composition by hanging earrings, necklaces and bracelets on the branches.
Step 5. Hang some of your drawings, paintings or pictures from an old calendar on the walls
They do not necessarily have to be framed. Hang them on the wall using a pair of thumbtacks or mount them on a hard or foam board.
Step 6. Get started in DIY projects
Make a rug or runner to decorate the room.
- Add style to a simple lampshade by wrapping it in metallic tape, sheer fabric, or cover it with old maps or pages from one of your favorite books.
- Make a junk cabinet to hang from the ceiling. With a little twine, hang old keys or bird-shaped origami on a metal hanger. You will give a fun and whimsical touch to the room.
Advice
- Put on your favorite music and renew your spirit and that of your room. Music can totally change the atmosphere of a room without any need to refurbish it.
- Preparation is the most important step for any home decor or DIY project.
- Pick a theme or color scheme and stick to your decision. In this way, you will avoid making indiscriminate purchases, risking to go out of your budget.
- Use spray paint on furniture that clashes with the rest of the setting to match the room decor.
- Paint a wall with chalkboard paint or make a large art wall painting, portraying what you want most.
- Try not to damage the walls when hanging pictures or posters. If so, use bostik blue tack adhesive paste or reusable adhesives. At a hardware store you can also buy a cheap suspension kit for hanging pictures or mirrors.
- Turn a regular bed into a sofa by pushing it against the wall and placing a few pillows along the back rail.
- Keep your room feeling fresh and clean by washing your sheets and pillowcases at least once a week.
Warnings
- Ask someone else to use hammers and nails if you are inexperienced. A sore thumb and especially a pitted wall certainly do not give a particular touch to a room.
- Be careful when moving furniture. Get help if you think you need it. It is not pleasant to have a muscle tear in the back or to sprain an ankle.
- Avoid using power tools if you don't know how to use them properly or there is no one with some experience. Always wear a face mask when sanding a wall or smoothing furniture.
