Bearing in mind that the approximate national UK average for a three bedroom/two bedroom house dwelling is around 76–8m², you’ll understand when I say that sometimes it feels like you are living in a little box

(Not a complaint, just a fleeting feeling). In this post I’ll take you on a little tour of my most recent small bedroom makeover and show you how I used every inch of space to my advantage.





I want to call this a room reveal but that might be stretching the truth… just a little.

For the past 4 months I’ve been sharing sneak pics of this bedroom on my instagram and whilst a few things have changed, I know I’ve definitely lost the element of surprise here.

Not to worry though. You asked for more after pictures, so here ya go!

**Marked items were gifted to me from small businesses for the purpose of this post. Affiliate links used.

THE BEDROOM BEFORE….

I dont really have a great photo of our bedroom before we started painting. But try and picture your standard rented room – magnolia walls with the addition of a built in ugly melamine wardrobe we weren’t allowed to get rid of it.

Not hugely pretty, but liveable.



I was more than happy to wack on some paint – even if it did take me a whole day to achieve this half wall effect. I used Valspar Coal Tipple and Valspar white.

Frog tape and a laser marker really helped to get the lines perfectly straight!



Then came the bed (up until that point we had been sleeping on a mattress on the floor).

Unfortunately, said bed was a king and way too big for our small bedroom. We realised fairly quickly that because of its size (and my inability to check measurements when ordering online) the bed could only go in one position – agaisnt the wall facing the door.

In hindsight, a double bed would have worked much better. However, the normally chilled out husband was adamant that this was not going to happen…. ever. Funny that.. you can read our little convo here.

I worked around it though, as you do!

Now time for some pretty after pictures!

A SMALL BEDROOM MAKEOVER TOUR – COME ON IN!

Lamp / Drawer knobs

Oh don’t mind that door.

It might hit the end of the bed frame as you first walk in but thats totally fine.

I’m fairly certain the knobs from the under bed storage boxes I built take most of the brunt of that force anyway.

Ok now look straight ahead… there you go.

THE DRESSER…

Wire basket / Wicker basket

This midcentury dresser that started off as a bargain buy from a local Emmaus charity store has now become the focal point of this bedroom (you can read the full tutorial on how I got this dip dye effect here).

Black Abstract print / Glass vase / Faux eucalyptus

Or maybe it’s the gallery wall that is the focal point? I’m not quite sure. Nevertheless, coupled together, they make a striking statement

THE GALLERY WALL…

They say (of course, I dont know who), but they say a good gallery wall is never finished i.e it will always be a work in progress.

In this case, that might be true.This gallery wall has an asymmetrical design giving it it that slightly unfinished look .

Black and white quilt / Grey and white grid bedding

Female abstract portrait / Beige abstract painting

Hustle Print / Faux leather cushion

The gallery wall is made up of a collection of various items I sourced online. e.g. vintage baking tins, tree bark, baskets and abstract prints. Most of the picture frames were bought from IKEA (browse some of my IKEA decorating hacks here)

I carried a watermelon print – (US source) / Geometric mustard print

THE WARDROBE….

If you look slightly to the right as you enter the room (mind you, you dont need to do a full head turn for this as the room is compact.. did I already mention that?), you’ll see our customised wardrobe.

**Mustard floor cushion / woven rug

Originally it was an ugly old thing, with reddish melamine wood. I painted and wallpapered the inside of it. Once finished it looked so pretty! I decided I wasn’t going to cover it up.. by adding doors….

I was going to try the open closet concept!

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I only lasted a few weeks before I decided enough was enough. An untidy wardrobe was unbearable to look at day in day out. Doors.. any doors had to go on!

We chose to go for OSB wood to make the doors, just for their gorgeous texture alone.

(I may have a tutorial on this at a later date, but just know it wasn’t as easy as I had hoped it would be. In fact, maybe my husband might need to write that post, because aside from helping to cut the wood and drill in holes for the hinges, this project went completely over my head)

I used washi tape, and sanded it down to get the geometric shabby effect you see on the doors. The handles are from IKEA. Here is a picture of the wardrobe from the front angle.

**FYI this gorgeous handmade mustard floor pillow you see in the shots above was gifted to me from a lovely lady who owns a small textile store on etsy called Simply Skandi. You can click here to buy this exact same one.

THE MINI OFFICE SPACE..

Just next to my wardrobe, to the right of my bedroom door is a little corner that I converted into a mini office nook… just for me (my husband has very quickly claimed our spare room as his man cave).

Sooo a couple of twin bracket slots and diy wooden shelving later, this is what I got.

Swivel chair / Letter board

Have you heard of colour blocking with paint?

If you haven’t, its a great way to separate areas in a room. This is what I did in this space, but with wallpaper (sourced from here).

Cork board

Now keep an open mind.. I know this wallpaper is quite the contrast with the rustic vintagy look going on at the other side of the room, but its geometric design ties it all together

In my opinion… of course.

THE BLINDS…. THANKS TO ORDERBLINDS.COM

To the left of the bedroom is our bed (with about a few inchs of walking space around it) , a small side table and a window that spans the entire length of the room. I had originally planned to dress it with curtains, but could never find the right style or fit I liked.

A UK online store called orderblinds.com reached out and offered to send me customised blinds for my window. I chose the Antique real wood venetian blinds and I’m really pleased with how they look in my room.

More than anything, I was impressed by the quality of the wood and the ease with which I was able to measure, order and then put the blinds in place.

(The picture above shows a closer look of the blinds).

Notice the hanging light pendant here too.. just above the custom side table?

I made it using an vintage reel I bought off ebay. I love that it adds a little industrial element to the room

And thats a wrap!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this small bedroom makeover tour. It was a little difficult getting pictures of the whole room in one frame because of the lack of space so I apologise for that.

I have included links to most of the accessories in this small bedroom makeover, but if there is something I missed (or if you want a source more appropriate to your country), please feel free to drop me a comment below.

Medina

*Marked items were gifted to me for the purpose of this post. I only partner with brands I LOVE and think you will LOVE too! All ideas, photos and opinions are 100% my own. You can read my full disclosure here

YOU CAN BROWSE ALL MY SMALL BEDROOM MAKEOVER DIY PROJECTS HERE

INDUSTRIAL SIDE TABLE IKEA HACK

DIY RUSTIC LAMPSHADE

UNDERBED STORAGE BOXES

WARDROBE MAKEOVER

MID CENTURY DRESSER UPCYCLE