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How To Makeover A Room From Start To Finish

ByBrooke Grasley

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Where do you start when you want to makeover a room? I always suggest starting in a room that you spend a lot of time in.

When it comes to my house I like to focus on it one room at a time. No matter how many projects I still want to do, I love walking into a finished room and enjoying how it looks and makes me feel. 

Here I will show you the 10 steps I take when completely updating a room, from the vision of what I want it to look like to the end result.

STEP 1 – Design Your Room

What design style do you want?

Chances are if you are looking to redo a room you already have an idea of what type of look you are going for. Are you going for a farmhouse style?

Do you want the perfect aesthetic bedroom? Having a vision of the overall aesthetic of the room can help you to make decisions as to what to do and buy for your room makeover.

  • What color scheme are you drawn to?
  • Do you know what vibe are you going for?
  • What is your design style?

TIP: Create a vision board or mood board of your dream room on Pinterest

STEP 2 – Evaluate Your Space

Once you have a vision for the room take a look around. Is there anything you already have in the room that can stay?

For example, furniture can be painted and stained if you want to change the look but keep the piece. Do you love how comfy your couch is but hate the way it looks? Consider reupholstering it. Do you have something in the room you hate? Get rid of it! Also, take this opportunity to declutter and organize the room.

Step 3 – How Will The Room Function?

Before you makeover any room – ask yourself how the room will function. It’s important to know how you will use the room before starting. In other words, ask yourself these questions…

  • Who is using this space?
  • How are you currently using the space?
  • What is working for you and what isnā€™t?
  • What will you be doing in this room?
  • How could this space function better?

Once you figure this out, its time to plan your space. You can take pen to paper or check out an online room planner to help you out.

STEP 4 – Set Your Room Makeover Budget

CREATE YOUR WISH LIST

First, start with everything you want in the room. This is where you can dream big! First of all, what does your perfect room look like? What would you want if money wasnā€™t an option? It’s important to know exactly what you want so you can budget accordingly.

Make a list of things you need. Once you have it completed then you can figure out what you can and can’t do, what is a priority, and what can wait.

Tip: Divide your wish list into must haves and wants

DETERMINE YOUR BUDGET

Instead of trying to figure out what it will cost to implement your room makeover, decide what you are willing to spend. You can choose later what you spend it on, but decide what your limit is so you can work off of a budget.

In other words, be honest about what you can afford. There are many ways to decorate on a budget and make your house look more expensive. 

TIP: Spend the most money where you spend the most time

PRIORITIZE YOUR PURCHASES

It is crucial to prioritize your purchases because unless you have an unlimited budget chances are you are going to have to decide what to spend the big money on and what to find budget solutions for. What are the most important things you want in the room?

TIP: SPLURGE ON SOMETHING YOU LOVE

  TIP: SPEND THE BIG MONEY ON WOW ITEMS 

COMPARISON SHOP

Find the items you want and add up the costs. Then, research the different items on your wish list to compare prices and make sure you are getting the most for your money. Look online and be willing to expand your search to similar pieces in different price ranges. For example, keep an eye out for sales and deals.

Tip: Taking your time to comparison shop will help you get the most out of your budget!  

Comparison Shop Online to find home decor in your budget

NARROW THINGS DOWN

At some point, you will have to narrow things down. Once you start comparison shopping and have an idea of what things will cost you it’s time to decide what to spend your budget on.

Can you find a similar style piece for cheaper? Maybe you opt to make your own wall art instead of spending $100 on a picture you found. Instead of replacing your table can you refinish it? Adjust the list to what you can afford. 

Make an effort to cut out the things that donā€™t make sense to spend your money on. Check out some tips & tricks to decorating on a budget to help stretch your dollars.

STICKING TO YOUR BUDGET

The hardest part sometimes is sticking to your budget. Make sure you track your purchases and if you end up spending more on something find out how you are going to cut back somewhere else. Last but not least, make sure to track expenses by writing them down in a notepad or creating a spreadsheet to do the job. 

TIP: Give yourself a little wiggle room when determining your budget – things happen!

STEP 5 – Prepare The Room

Now that you have your vision, have planned out the space, and set your budget, it’s time to get started! First, prepare the room. I always start with clearing out the room. By removing everything, it forces me to think about what Iā€™m bringing back into the room and if it fits the look I am going for.

Once you clear everything out it’s time to deep clean.

Now it’s time to tackle any DIY projects & repairs that are needed for the room. Take time to repair anything that might need it. Maybe it’s a hole in the wall or furniture screws that need to be retightened. 

  • Clear the room out
  • Deep Clean EVERYTHING
  • Repair any damage in the room

STEP 6 -Update The Surfaces

At this point depending on what you have decided to do, you would work on the ceiling, walls, and floors. The possibilities are endless here but there is no doubt any updates will make a huge impact on your space. Decide on what you want and if you plan on doing it yourself or hiring a professional. 

CEILINGS 

The color of your ceiling plays a huge role in the overall feeling of the room. Whenever you do a room makeover consider at least giving the ceiling a fresh coat of paint.

Remember – white is not your only option! Go dramatic with a black ceiling to create a cozy intimate space or add some wood planks to it to add texture, color, and style.  

Can’t decide on a color? Try out some peel & stick paint samples first.

WALLS 

When designing your room makeover, consider having an accent wall. This will draw people into the room and dramatically change the feel of it. There are so many options you can use when changing up the walls. 

FLOORS

Once your walls are done, turn your attention to your floors. Flooring can impact the atmosphere of a room and good-looking flooring can transform the look and feel of your home. Decide if you want carpet, luxury vinyl plank flooring, or tile.

If your room makeover doesnā€™t involve replacing your flooring, then make sure you deep clean vinyl flooring or carpet to make them look as beautiful as possible.

DOORS

Does your room have a door? Make sure not to neglect them! You can update the doors, switch to barn doors, or simply repaint the ones you have. Also, consider replacing the hardware on the doors, this can make a huge difference and is generally a budget-friendly option. 

STEP 7 – Furniture

Once your walls and floors are done it’s time to fill the room with furniture. When it comes to furniture you can keep your existing furniture, purchase new, or restore old furniture. Sometimes I find myself doing a combination of all three! There are advantages to all three šŸ™‚ 

Keep Existing Furniture

  • Budget-Friendly no added cost
  • Deep Clean
  • Fluff Couch Cushions
  • Try Rearranging pieces

Purchase New Furniture

Sometimes a room makeover calls for purchasing new furniture. Check out some cloud couch dupes if you want something beautiful that doesn’t cost a fortune.

If you go with a modular sofa you will have more flexibility with arrangements.

Make sure you measure out the space so that everything fits nicely with room to walk around.

Tip: Use painters tape to mark out the area on the floor before purchasing new furniture to make sure it fits

Restore Old Furniture

If your existing furniture is still in good shape, but the style just doesn’t fit the room you can easily restore it! Most of the time all you need is to paint the furniture or replace the hardware.

  • Minimal Cost
  • Create the exact look you want colorwise
  • More Eco-Friendly
  • Find old unique pieces that create a statement in the room

Related: 20 Sofa Alternatives For Small Spaces

STEP 8 – Window Treatments

Make sure you donā€™t neglect your window treatments when performing a room makeover.

Whether itā€™s curtains, blinds, or roman shades, the right window treatment can be a vital piece of dĆ©cor to achieve the overall look and feel of a room.

You will be amazed at how much more upscale and complete your room looks with the right window treatments.

STEP 9 – Accessorize Your Room

Ah, now comes my favorite part! I love to accessorize rooms (so often that I usually change it up a few times a year lol) Home accessories are where you can start to show your personality and reflect your own personal style.

The beauty of your room makeover is all in the details. Here are some different areas you want to think about: 

RUGS

When it comes to how a room looks and feels rugs can be a game-changer. They can add the perfect amount of visual interest to the room and help break up the solid colors of flooring and furniture.

By incorporating a rug you will instantly warm up the space while adding a decorative touch. By placing an area rug into a room you will pull together the entire color scheme of the room and highlight everything surrounding it. 

WALL DECOR

Wall art is one of those things that can help pull a room together and make it feel finished and complete. It pulls together the room’s color palette, decor, furniture, and flooring. The room will go from cute to fabulous with the right wall decor. It’s the little touches that make your room look it came out of the pages of a magazine. 

Remember, you don’t need to limit yourself to just artwork. There are so many ways options for wall decor out there.

TIP: Often I will find my wall decor first. It’s easier to pull from the colors of a picture to incorporate into the room than to find the perfect picture in the size I want,  with the colors Iā€™m looking for!  

Budget tip: Try your hand at some DIY Wall Art like yarn hangings, signs, DIY window frame decor, etc.

HOME DECOR ACCENTS

Interior designers know the importance of accessories in a room and the huge impact they can have. Sprinkle the room with home decor accents so you can create visual interest. Of course, your accessories can easily be moved around or changed out to fit changing seasons, styles, or moods.Ā 

Remember to mix up the sizes, colors, and textures to create a cohesive look. How you arrange your accessories will change the way your room looks. 

There are plenty of cheap home decor stores you can shop at that won’t break the bank. You don’t need to buy all new accents either; consider spray painting old home decor to instantly change how it looks.

Types of Accents:

Tip: Donā€™t go overboard and clutter your space!

STEP 10 – RELAX & ENJOY! 

There you have it! Once you’ve gone through all 10 steps you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful room you have created.

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