Complete Room Makeover On a Tight Budget

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Looking for an Easy, Inexpensive Room Makeover to change the look of a room? Follow this 5 step process for an easy makeover for any room in your house - for under $200.

Step One: Set Your Budget

Don't even think about your room makeover until you know how much you can really spend. If you will be selling anything in the room, add that amount into your budget.

Here's some basic guidelines for setting your budget: $50 will allow you to re-finish your walls; with $100 you can re-finish your walls and windows, $150 will buy you new walls, windows, and accessories; and $200 will get you walls, windows, accessories, and small furniture additions.

Step Two: Pick Your Primary Piece

This item will be the basis for your room makeover. What piece in the room will set the color scheme and tone of the room? It can be a picture, a chair, draperies, or artwork.

Be sure it is something you love, or something that needs to stay in that room. Pick something with some color in it, or a distinctive style. You will repeat the colors and patterns throughout the room.

Step Three: Choose The Color Scheme For Your Room Makeover

Now, you need to pick 2 or 3 colors. You need a primary color which you will use on the walls. This color should make your furniture stand out. Then, you need 1 or 2 secondary colors. These can be used with accent pieces like curtains, rugs, throw pillows, and accessories like candles.

Here's an example: You want to do a room makeover on your den. Right now, there is a roll top desk, and a large blue chair. The chair must stay in the room, and the roll top desk is pretty plain. So, you pick the chair as your primary piece in this room design.

Now, the chair is blue, and the carpet is blue. So, whatever you do, don't pick blue as your primary color. In the chair there is a golden brown stripe, and a red stripe. Those are your new colors - the golden brown is your primary color, and the red is your accent color.

Step Four: Plan Your Room

Now the fun begins. The easiest and cheapest thing to change is wall color. Choose your paint based on your new primary color. Will you paint the entire room? Just one wall? Or just the bottom of the walls? If you can't paint, consider adding a wallpaper border instead. If you paint just the bottom of the wall, use the border at the top of the new paint. If you don't add any paint, add the border at the top of the wall.

Adding fabric in your accent color is a great and inexpensive way to completely change the look and feel of this room makeover. If your room has a closet door, consider adding drapes instead of the door. Also, add accent pillows if appropriate. If possible, change the curtains and valences to your new accent color.

Finally, pick new accessories. Adding new wall art, candles, planters, boxes, and other accessories in your accent colors will be the finishing touch on your new makeover.

If your budget allows, consider adding some larger accent pieces, like new rugs, plant stands, or end tables. Look for pieces that are in your accent colors, or that have details that support your primary piece.

Step Five: Assemble Your Room

First, move everything out of your room. Now, paint or paper your walls.

While the paint is drying, work on your fabric pieces. Assemble the curtains and decide which furniture gets the accent pillows.

Once the paint is dry, put everything back together. Start by placing your primary piece in the location you choose. Add the rest of the large furniture pieces. Next add rugs and curtains. Finally, add accessories.

Here are the final steps with our den example. You picked golden brown as your primary color, so that becomes your paint color. For accent pieces, you add red curtains, red accent pillows for the chair, and a red rug. Wall art has the golden brown color in a lighter shade. And, you guessed it, red candles and a red picture frame for the desk.

Now your room makeover is complete. Sit back and enjoy your new look.