Affordable Style: Light Blue Bedroom

My BFF is moving into a new apartment next week and wanted to jazz up the style in her bedroom. She came over last weekend and was like, "How do I make it feel airy with dark wood floors and walls I can't paint?" We talked about what she wanted (a pale turquoise and silver color scheme) and what she was bringing with her (all of the big stuff--bed, dresser, mirror, and night stand). The nice thing about moving when you're more of an established adult is that you already have the expensive pieces out of the way. I just had to find new ways for her to accessorize.

This ended up being the best inspiration photo for what was in her head:

It's very her. We've been friends for 20 years and that shade of turquoise-y blue has always been her favorite. Her style is girlier than mine, but that's actually a good thing for this exercise since most clients won't have exactly my taste anyway. It's always good to practice.

Anyhoo, here's the inspiration board I put together for her:

>> Let's start with the bedding. Since she wanted an airy feel, I picked a white duvet cover ($33) from Amazon. I know some people get freaked out about a lot of white fabric, but we've had a series of white duvet covers since we got married and we love them. If you ever drop a chocolate chip cookie or whatever (not that I've ever done that...), just pop it off and wash it. Easy peasy.

>> Her dresser and night stand were both dark, and since the floors will be dark, too, painting the night stand turquoise will brighten things up. A can of spray paint is about $5. Another way to add color when you can't paint is to pick a fun window covering. These chevron-ish panels from Target ($30) also add a little pattern.

>> And speaking of patterns, her mom has already volunteered to make her some throw pillows (score!) which means I got to look at pretty fabrics. This geometric swoop would be fun ($14) paired with a larger-scale floral ($7.50). Note: buying fabrics online can be tricky, so be sure to get a sample before you commit to the yardage.

>> To bring in the silver and take up wall space above the bed, she plans to make some abstract art. The image above involves that silver tape used for HVAC systems, but there were plenty of tutorials that required fun scrapbook paper if that's more your speed.

>> More silver could come from some sleek vases perched on the dresser. These are from Z Gallerie ($35-$39). Tragically, the location by us closed but there's still another one about 45 minutes away. Le sigh.

Considering the materials for the art project would be about $20 (ish) that's a total room facelift for around $150. Her old colors were the light blue paired with black, so this is a completely different feel on a very reasonable budget. Holler!

I'll have another design board to share with you next week, too. My other friend and her husband are gutting one of their bathrooms (aaah!) and asked me to find them ideas for all. of. it. I'm pumped! If you're looking to get a room refresher of your own, I'm still offering free consultations for the time being. Hit me up on email if you're interested: paige [dot] ronchetti@gmail.com.