We’ve only been in our new house for a few months and I feel like I’ve spent most of that time moving things around, painting things and working out what works where. 😂
There are so many things I want to do eventually, but after the cost of moving house, I’m definitely not looking to spend a fortune doing everything at once. I’m quite enjoying taking my time with each room and seeing what I can do with what we already have before going out and buying anything new.
Our bedroom is a good example because sometimes it really doesn’t take much to make a room feel different. A bit of a shuffle around, a good de-clutter and maybe a bit of paint here and there can completely change how a space feels.
So if your bedroom is looking a bit tired and you fancy giving it a bit of a refresh this weekend, here’s a few things I’d try before spending a fortune on anything new.
1. Move things around
This is always where I’d start because it costs absolutely nothing and can make such a difference.
Move the bed if you can, try the furniture in different places and just see whether there’s a better way to use the space you have. I’ve done this so many times over the years and sometimes just moving one or two things around is enough to make a room feel completely different.
It’s also a good opportunity for a proper declutter because you inevitably find things that have been shoved behind furniture or piled up somewhere they shouldn’t be. And if you have a chair in your bedroom that’s basically just there to hold clothes then you know exactly what I mean. 😂
2. Give old furniture a makeover
Before I replace anything, I always try and work out whether I can do something with what I already have.
I’ve done this before with bedside cabinets and it’s amazing what a bit of paint can do. You could paint something completely, change the handles or even just give the existing handles a quick spray paint if they’re looking a bit worse for wear.
I’m a big fan of painting furniture because it means you can change things as your tastes change rather than buying new every time. And once I have the paintbrush out, there’s usually something else nearby that ends up getting painted too.
3. Make your furniture work harder
Bedroom storage is one of those things that you can never really have too much of, especially if you’re trying to keep everything looking reasonably tidy.
If you have furniture taking up space then ideally it needs to be useful as well as looking nice. A bedside table with a drawer or cupboard, for example, gives you somewhere to hide all the random bits and pieces that would otherwise end up sitting on top.
And before buying anything new, have a look around the rest of the house because you might already own something that would work. A little table, small set of drawers or even a basket can sometimes be moved from somewhere else and given a completely new purpose.
4. Replace the things that really do need replacing
Sometimes though, no amount of paint or moving things around is going to help and something genuinely does need replacing.
If your bedside table is falling apart or just isn’t working for you anymore then it makes sense to invest in a new bedside table rather than trying to make do with something that isn’t right. Sweeek have quite a few different styles, including some with drawers and cupboards which would definitely be my choice because of the extra storage.
I’d also try to choose something that could work somewhere else in the house in the future. A small bedside table could easily become a side table or extra storage somewhere else if you decided to change things around again, which means you’re hopefully going to get much more use out of it.
5. Finish off with the little things
Once you’ve moved everything around and sorted the bigger bits, it’s the little things that pull it all together.
Fresh bedding always makes a bedroom feel nicer, but you don’t necessarily need to buy anything new. Swap cushions around from another room, move a lamp, rearrange the pictures on the wall or bring in something that’s been sitting somewhere else in the house.
And give everything a really good clean while you’re at it. It’s not the most exciting part of a bedroom makeover but clean windows, dust-free surfaces and freshly washed bedding genuinely do make everything feel fresher.
You really don’t need to completely redecorate a bedroom every time you fancy a change. I’d always start with what I already have, move things around and give anything that’s looking a bit tired a new lease of life before I start shopping.
Then if there is something that genuinely needs replacing, I don’t feel quite so bad spending money on it because I know I’ve tried everything else first.
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