Planning a Budget Room Makeover

May 15, 2019

Lately when I’ve posted affordable room makeovers whether it’s a room on a 150 budget or a front entryway refresh or a bedroom revamp. I get a flood of messages asking if I can come and help with someone’s space. Although I’d love to help everyone, there’s not enough time! A way for me to assist is to give you the tools to do this on your own!

Every project starts the same way, so I am going to share the step by step process then you can look at a room you want to makeover and get started today! Here are my tips for planning a budget room makeover.

Save inspiration photos

This is a great place to start. Begin by saving photos on your phone or a Pinterest board. You’ll naturally see the style you are drawn to and the feel of the room you’d like to create.

Look at the space

Making over a room is not simply about ordering new pieces of furniture or decor. Measure the room, examine what’s working, and what’s not, consider how you want to layout the space moving forward.

What do you want to keep and what needs to go

This is always key because we can’t keep everything, or so Mark keeps telling me! A lot of time there are pieces of furniture or decor that are no longer working for you or the space. They may be better suited for another room or you can sell them to help fund the project.

Budget, budget, budget

Yes I need to say it three times! It’s so easy with all these online shops to order items and then spend WAY more than you initially planned. I’ve created an excel spreadsheet to help you budget. It’s also a great place to add in web links when you find the item you wish to purchase.

Order your items online

Whether it’s decor or furniture every store has an online shop now. To be honest I find it easier to plan using online ordering. If you’re ordering multiple items you can save on shopping or it may be free. Using an online shop allows you to first visualize all the pieces together, which is a very important part.

Draw your room

Remember those measurements we took at the beginning. Use those to draw out the room and place the furniture and decor, to scale as best you can. Having a plan makes for a much easier set up. It also may help you to see if there are any issues with the set up you envisioned. Perhaps the couch needs to move over slightly to allow good slow in the room or you the space requires a bigger rug than you first thought.

Set it up

Once all your items arrive, get to work. I personally like to wait until I have all the pieces for the room. Then you can spend a good couple hours setting everything up rather than little bits at a time.

Check in on your final budget

Review to see how you made out! Were you under budget? Did some of the items cost more than you anticipated? Were you able to make more money than you thought from the sale of items you no longer needed? It’ll give you a good idea for the next room.

Don’t be afraid to makeover a room! I know it can seem daunting but you simply have to start. You know the style you want, the colours, the vibe, so go for it! Planning a budget room makeover is easier than you think.