How to Decorate a Master Bedroom on a Realistic Budget

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Morning! Thank you all so much for your sweet words on our master bedroom reveal. I think you guys love it just as much as we do! As promised, I wanted to break down the budget for everything, since practically every item in the room is new. Before I get into that let me say…it feels a little strange putting how much we paid for everything out on the internet. I understand budgets are a very personal thing, and some people may think this is exorbitant or out of reach. I really understand that. But a few other bloggers I follow have done budget break downs for rooms and I find it really helpful to see what it really does cost to decorate a room if you’re a normal person shopping at national retailers. I looked up some designer room quotes and they listed master bedrooms between $12,000 and $48,000 (and that doesn’t include the designer fee)…so I’d say we’re doing way better than that haha! Now of course if you are a thrifter or DIY-er or furniture painter you could probably do this room for even less with Craigslist scores etc., but we chose not to go that route this time. Hopefully this gives you an idea of what it costs to furnish a room with new pieces from the ground up. Since we upgraded to a king bed, we really did have to buy everything. The only “major” piece we didn’t purchase new was the rug (used from our old room) and then just a few accessories.

Below is the budget breakdown, or scroll to the bottom of the post for my five tips on furnishing a room on a budget.

The bed + mattress + box spring were of course the largest expense, coming in at around $1,550 for all.

All the bedding (you don’t realize how much you need until you change bed sizes!) came in at about $480. (I’m including literally everything from the mattress pad up in that total)

Duvet | Coverlet | Euro Pillows

 

The dresser was $800 on sale (that includes tax and delivery). I felt like it was a good price for a solid piece of furniture. And it’s definitely solid! You should have seen Matt and our friend getting it up our very steep stairs!

 

The nightstands were $220 a piece. Now seeing the quality of them, that seems a bit high to me, but I think it’s about the going rate. They aren’t low quality but could be a bit better for the price point.

The photo project came in at $165, which includes the wall frames and photo printing.

We did have a custom roman shade made for this window, as well as adding drapes and hardware. Total for window treatments was $245.

Here I’ll list out the accessories. Most were very inexpensive, but it does all add up. Total: $300

Quatrefoil mirror – $40

Bedside lamps – $80

Convex mirror – $30

Abstract art piece – $120

Large gold vase – $40

Lamp on dresser – $20

New dresser drawer pulls – $70

Items we already owned – Rug, mirrored star, mirrored wall frame, other vases and small accessories

 

G R A N D  T O T A L

So the total for this whole room was just under $4,000. Again, to some that may seem crazy high. Please know I don’t take spending thousands of dollars lightly. But I think it just goes to show your home is an investment, and saving up and shopping at discount stores can really help. I truly believe you can create a beautiful home on a budget. That’s my goal in our own home, and I hope this blog can be a resource and inspiration for you as you do the same.

1. Save on your mattress I could go either way on this one. You could spend a lot on a mattress, and I do think it’s a worthy splurge. But when we were looking at furnishing a whole room, we knew we couldn’t drop a couple thousand on a luxury mattress. We compromised with a highly rated online mattress and are thrilled! We absolutely love it!

2. Shop Discount Stores Honestly, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, etc. are your best friend. I bought almost identical lamps to the ones in my inspiration photo for just $35 a piece. You just can’t beat it!

3. Wait for Furniture Sales I picked out our bed months ago, then stalked it endlessly on multiple sites until I was ready to purchase and knew it was a good deal. Online furniture prices go up and down, so keep an eye on items you’re thinking about. Similarly, our dresser was 30% off at a local furniture store.

4. Save on Bedding You can definitely spend some serious cash on high-end bedding, but honestly with all the discount stores out there offering such great options now, there’s really no need to. I love a luxurious bed as much as the next person, but I really feel like we still achieved that with Target bedding.

5. Find the Look You Want for Less I got two really great dupes for this room. My favorite inexpensive brass curtains are a West Elm lookalike (I blogged about that here) and the dresser drawer pulls were $5 from Hobby Lobby and are the exact same ones that Anthropologie sells for $14. It’s worth it to know the look you want then shop around for a better price.

Bonus Tip: Save Up + Sell What You No Longer Need I sold lots of home decor and furniture before our move. That, combined with saving up for the bedroom we knew we wanted, combined with a side hustle (this little blog!) gave us the funds to furnish the room we always wanted!