Upgrading our bedroom on a budget (again)

When I created Dream of Home, I envisioned it as a place for people on a budget. I don’t spend hundreds of pounds on bedding (or even furniture) and I wanted to show how my love for a bargain can result in a lovely home.

Our bedroom was one of the first rooms I painted when we moved in (remember paint gate, anyone?) but that was over 5 years ago now, and I don’t know if I’m getting a little fed up with the dark blue. We’ve kept it, as we have big plans for the future (which I will talk about another time!), but I knew I wanted to do something with our bedroom to make me like it again.

And so began our budget bedroom upgrade (again).

 

First up, new wardrobe handles

By choice, I’d remove the wardrobes we have above our bed, if they weren’t so handy! We keep so much in there, so they’ve stayed.

But what I did do to try and improve the look of the room was get new handles. It’s a very subtle change, but I do think it’s made a difference.

 

For just £4.94 (yep, less than a fiver!) I bought 10 new handles from Shein. I haven’t bought anything from there before, and I had no idea what to expect, but I’m actually so impressed with them. Who knows how long they’ll last, but as a temporary measure, I’m more than happy with them.

   

Then, a brand new bed

I’m always fed up of clutter in our house. Piles of ‘things’ that just don’t have a home. It drives me mad, it drives my husband mad (luckily the kids don’t seem to notice or mind).

I’m always after more storage, so when I saw the lift-up Ottoman beds on Bed Kingdom’s site, I thought they would be absolutely perfect. It also got me thinking about how much difference the right sleep setup can make overall, from smart storage to comfort upgrades like a king size mattress topper that can instantly refresh a bed without changing everything else.

After consulting ChatGPT (of course), I decided to go with the dark grey bed (the Flair Waltz fabric Ottoman bed in grey) It goes with our bedside tables and blends in a little better against the dark blue than the cream would have done.

   

The headboard finished a little higher than AI envisioned, so we’ve done away with the frames and chosen some new metal artwork instead.

The bed was really easy to build (we had help from a little helper) and makes such a change to the room.

 

The bed is so perfect for what we needed. I’ve had a good sort out, and bought some crates that were the exact right height to fit under there. I’ve now put the majority of my summer outfits and shoes under there, as well as some miscellaneous items (gym bag, big pile of clothes that are on Vinted). It’s really helped to clear the mess in our bedroom, and honestly makes it a nice place to sleep.

   

And I have my eye on some brand new bedding (a great Christmas present idea), so look out for that come January! And I also have my eye on BedKingdom’s gorgeous ribbed chest of drawers, to replace my cheap, white IKEA unit.

 

Some new artwork

I feel like I always go on about how artwork can change your home for the better, and I really felt like we’d outgrown the previous prints (below):

 

So in a gorgeous touch of fate, we’ve found space for the blue/green one in Harrison’s room and the pink in Hallie’s, which left a gap to be filled.

I saw this beautiful metal wall art from Next and had to grab it.

 

It stands out so beautifully against the dark blue, and really is perfect for that empty gap above the bed.

I want to buy some gold frames to put above each of the bedside tables, with some personal photos in (maybe our wedding day, or perhaps a photo of the kids) to balance out the metal artwork in the middle.

 

After that, a fresh coat of paint

On my Instagram recently, I said that we’d painted this room about 3 years ago. Nope, it was 5 years ago! So it definitely needed some touch ups (plus once we added the new metal art about the bed, there were holes to be filled and painted over).

We gave the whole room just one coat of paint and it’s made such a difference. It feels much fresher than it did, and just a bit newer.

I decided to paint the door frame blue too, to match the rest of the room. When I first painted the room, I did all the skirting (and I’m so glad for it), but that white door frame needed the blue touch too.

 

Finally, a new duvet and bedding

I had a big sort out recently (thanks to our brand new storage bed) and realised we had three. Yep, THREE. Two summer and one winter.

The winter one wasn’t cutting it. It wasn’t keeping me that warm and I’d wake up with cold legs and a cold back. It was a cheap duvet we bought years ago, so when Simba asked me to review their hybrid 10.5 tog duvet, I couldn’t say no.

I love Simba as a brand, because of their strong focus on sustainability. They are a B Corp brand and they use recycled materials where they can (our duvet is made from recycled bottles!)

 

Honestly, I have never been cosier, especially when combined with their mattress topper which feels just as good well over a year later.

Now I’ve chucked our old duvet, and kept just one summer one for when those warmer days come back to us.

   

So there you have it, a few minor changes that can make a big difference. I am still after some new bedding though, so keep an eye out on my Instagram for some fresh images!