If I weren’t a nurse, my dream job would be flipping or staging houses. But for now I’ll just have to stick to helping out my family and friends with their homes. My mother-in-law, or “Mimi” to her grandkids, has lived in her home for over 15 years. While the main part of her house is decorated beautifully, her master bedroom has never even had curtains in it. Mimi is a school teacher, and in her spare time she is usually keeping her grandkids, sewing clothes for her granddaughters, or working on her lesson plans, so she has never had much time to focus on doing anything for herself. I wanted her to be able to come home to a cozy and relaxing retreat in her bedroom, so I offered to redecorate for her.

My first step was to meet with her and talk about her favorite colors and anything special she had in mind for her bedroom. After showing her some pictures I had saved on Pinterest and seeing what she liked and didn’t like, I was able to figure out her design style and start planning. Her main “want” was new furniture since her bedroom set was over 30 years old, but my budget was tight, so we talked about painting her furniture and getting new hardware instead. Her existing furniture was really big and solid wood, so it would be shame to get rid of such quality furniture. Here is everything I was able to do, including before and after pictures.

My biggest obstacle was this computer desk. Since she is a school teacher and does a lot of work at home, it was not an option to get rid of her computer, so I had to be creative with hiding it. Even a new, bigger desk would be more expensive than my budget allowed, and that still wouldn’t solve the issue of hiding everything. After a couple of weeks of searching, I was able to find a used computer armoire for sale. This armoire is solid wood, has slide-out trays for both her keyboard and her printer, and is beautiful. It has so much more storage than the old desk, and the doors can be closed when she isn’t using it, making it just look like a beautiful piece of furniture instead of a desk.

My next project was the furniture. There was a large dresser with attached mirror on one wall, another set of drawers next to it holding her tv, and two nightstands.

The first step was to completely get rid of the smaller set of drawers, since its only use was as a tv stand, and mount her tv on the wall instead. (Thanks to my hubby for helping me mount the tv!) And to completely transform the remaining furniture, I painted it white, got new brushed silver knobs, and replaced the attached mirror with a more modern, round mirror attached to the wall.

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Although it is the same dresser, it looks completely different with new hardware and paint. (This involved a light sanding, two coats of primer and one coat of paint.) I went with a wood mirror instead of white to add some contrast.

The lighter color furniture also makes the room feel bigger and brighter.

My next challenge was a big, empty wall begging for some attention.

My original plan was to create a sitting area with a small chair and table, or a long bench with some pillows, but I couldn’t find anything I liked within my budget, so I went to plan B – I created a gallery wall with these white, matted 12×12 frames. I got these in a kit from Hobby Lobby for 50% off, and they came with a template for hanging so it took no time at all to get them even on the wall.

Next came the focal point of the room, the bed.

Notice the lack of curtains! Her color choices were navy blue and white, with a specific request for a white quilt. After shopping around, I found the perfect combination of bedding and curtains to create a cozy and beautiful space.

White quilt, khaki comforter, and navy blue Euro pillows – Target; navy blue curtains and curtain rods – Tuesday Morning; striped bolster pillow – Burke’s Outlet; navy blue and white floral shams and quilt – Kohl’s (on clearance!); wood and rattan bench – TJ Maxx

Layered bedding at the foot of the bed and layered pillows at the head of the bed make it seem more plush and inviting, and curtains make the room seem more cozy and put-together.

Last was the floor. The carpet was original to the house, and had several stains from over the years. I could not afford new flooring, but adding a rug with navy blue and cream in it not only covers the stains, but also anchors the room. (She is having the carpet replaced with wood flooring to match the rest of her house soon, and I can’t wait to see what everything looks like then!)

I painted the nightstands when I painted the dresser, and some matching navy blue accessories completed the space.

I was so excited to do this for our Mimi, and am so happy with how everything turned out! (Also, it was a nice change of pace not having to decorate around deer antlers!)

Thanks y’all!

-Nikki