Whether moving into student accommodation or renting, buying or sharing your first home, when you start out living independently, your design ambitions are often hampered by your wallet. Finding and funding a first home can drain your earnings, leaving little behind for the fun business of designing, decorating and shopping. In addition, your first home may only be temporary, as a first step on the property ladder, so making pricey alterations could be not only beyond your means, but impractical, too.
Luckily, there are many ways you can personalise, and even transform, the bedroom in your first pad without breaking the bank or leaving behind a beautiful legacy for someone else to benefit from when you move. Here are 10 clever ideas to start you off.
1. Soften the lighting
Good lighting is expensive to install and tricky to get right, so no wonder the average rented room or first home does not feature good, mood-enhancing lighting. If your bedroom is lit by a solitary bulb in the centre of the ceiling, supplement this with inexpensive lamps or fairy lights to boost overall light levels and create warm washes up the walls.
2. Choose freestanding
You may love the clean lines and space efficiency of built-in furniture, but it’s often expensive to design and fit and you can’t take it with you when you move. A safer option is to stick to freestanding storage, which will still look stylish but is also portable.
Invest in the best new pieces you can afford, but if your budget only stretches to flatpack designs and they don’t appeal, source a vintage alternative or upcycle an old item that may look tired but is still robust, as in this bedroom.
See how freestanding wardrobes can work brilliantly
3. Arrange your objects
Take time to thoughtfully arrange the pieces you own. Even humble objects can look beautiful when carefully organised into a display and these little vignettes will do much to boost the room’s overall feeling of style. Mix items together, from postcards and books to ceramics and figures, then add simple flowers in a jam jar for extra personality.
Check out these simple steps for arranging the perfect vignette
4. Repurpose second-hand pieces
Instead of buying new furniture, which can be costly, repurpose a vintage piece. An old tea chest or a stack of vintage suitcases can work as a bedside table, for example, while old wooden fruit crates make useful wall-mounted storage.
Think laterally as you scour junk shops and vintage sales looking for cheap and unusual buys that could be reimagined as a useful, characterful item of bedroom furniture.
Check out these simple steps for arranging the perfect vignette
5. Create impact with bedding
Completely redecorating the bedroom in your first home may not be an option, either because of cost or tenancy regulations. Instead, introduce a splash of colour, pattern and warmth with beautiful bedding. A bright bedspread or throw will instantly brighten plain bedding, or try mixing up styles and patterns for an eclectic look that will easily distract attention from a peeling paint job or dodgy wall colour.
6. Embrace the past
Second-hand furniture is your friend when kitting out your first home. Look out for old pieces and remember that a tired paint job is often hiding a solid and serviceable piece of furniture. If your find needs a facelift, upcycle it by sanding and painting it or by stripping it back to bare wood and waxing it.
7. Get creative with cast-offs
The cheapest way to furnish your bedroom is with pieces that cost nothing at all. Time to hunt down some scrap! Anything from scaffolding boards to old milk crates can be fixed and fashioned into furniture that works hard, looks exciting but costs nothing.
Discover more fun and eclectic bedrooms
8. Lay some rugs
Maybe the floor in your new place is a bit rough or draughty, or perhaps the landlord’s taste in carpets is stuck in the 1970s. No matter! Simply lay some rugs. You don’t need to spend hundreds on pure-wool rugs. Instead, look out for inexpensive woven cotton ones in colourful patterns. Layer them up for a multi-coloured look, or find a sizable rug that will cover plenty of floor and instantly warm up your space.
9. Hang patterned curtains
Dull, plain or shabby curtains will do nothing to lift the look of your bedroom, so take down any drapes that are under-delivering and replace them with something fresh. Patterned curtains create a splash at your window and can rev up a neutral scheme for minimal cost – look out for inexpensive ready-made ones, which come in a huge range of designs.
10. Make a statement headboard
If your humble divan is looking a bit dull in your first bedroom, give it some heft by adding a statement headboard. Use old timber or, as here, a door to help zone the sleeping space and boost your bed’s impact.
This article was first published on Houzz
