Last Updated on March 2, 2013 by Kristi Linauer
Well, if you like lots and lots of pictures, then today is your lucky day! 🙂 I am absolutely tickled pink at how John & Alice’s bedroom turned out, and I’m so excited to show it to you. So excited, in fact, that I’m pretty sure I had my mom document every square inch of the room. So, you ready? Here goes…
First, let’s remember where this room started:
All of the furniture in the room matched. The walls were a very light blue.
The corner windows were dressed with custom window treatments, but they were just a tad outdated. 🙂
More of the matching set of furniture. There was also a matching chest of drawers that I didn’t get a picture of.
After all of the furniture was moved out so I could get ready to start the board and batten wall treatment, I snapped this photo…
The wall with the chairs is the wall where the headboard was. The doors lead to the master bathroom. This picture shows more clearly the blue walls and pinkish carpet.
And now, the room looks a little bit different:
Quite a difference, huh? Okay, I have about 100 more pictures, so go grab a cup of coffee and get comfy. 🙂
The headboard is made of fence pickets, and cost under $40 to make. The side tables are made of MDF, and cost about $20 for both (not including the skirts). I found the lamps at Marshall’s, but the color was all wrong, so I painted them and then covered the lampshades. The linen bedskirt is custom, but the rest of the bedding came from Marshall’s. I added the linen ruffle to the shams to pull the look together.
The chair was a Goodwill find for $30 and originally had bright yellow-gold fabric. A canvas dropcloth from Home Depot gave it a new look. The ottoman was already in the house, and I gave it a slipcover to coordinate with the chair. I added ribbon and jute accents to both.
The draperies are also made from Home Depot canvas drop cloths. I lined them with blackout lining and added ribbon trim to dress them up. The shades are my favorites from Home Depot.
The pillow in the chair was made from a scrap of fabric from the bedside table skirts, and the ruffle edge is made from the leftover selvage from the fabric. For the chair, I made little jute “buttons”.
A closer view of the ribbon trim added to the draperies. I used 1 1/2″ green satin ribbon, and 3/8″ brown satin.
Adding a ruffle to a ready-made sham is an easy way to get a customized look for less money. The pillow on the right is a very easy pillow to make, and requires very basic sewing skills.
The planter cup is from JoAnn Fabrics, and it was on clearance for around $3.75 because it had a chip in the rim. It also had a crazy color and pattern on it–nothing a coat of spray paint couldn’t fix. The books that I used in the room were all different colors, so I just covered them in brown packing paper.
I bought the dresser on Craigslist, and then gave it a complete makeover–I removed the apron and added feet, and then painted and antiqued it.
The doors in the room got a coat (or two) of black paint, which took them from dull to dramatic.
The lamp belonged to the homeowners, but was brass. A coat of spray paint (Rustoleum Painter’s Touch in Oregano) and a new shade from Lowe’s gave this lamp new life. The mirror was a “special buy” mirror from Home Depot, and I covered the cheap factory finish with a dry brush technique using some black and green paint to give the frame an antiqued look.
Glass jars were covered in jute to create some budget-friendly accents.
A wreath made from pages of a book adds texture to this area, and underneath sits my favorite find from “shopping” the house for accessories–the homeowner’s high school diploma. I love the touch of nostalgia it adds, plus the colors of the frame and paper are absolutely perfect for the room.
Disclaimer: Please don’t ever put candles on a wood plate and surround them with very flammable dried Spanish moss and leave them burning unattended!!
Did you notice the little jute rosettes I put on the front of the ottoman to coordinate with the jute buttons on the chair? I forgot to have my mom take a closer picture of it. Oh well.< Well, that's the whole tour. I hope you enjoyed it!! If I counted correctly, I have 15 d.i.y. projects in this room, and I'm working on getting all of the instructions written up for you--things like how to do board and batten walls, how to make an ottoman slipcover with a pleated skirt, how to recover a cane chair with tufted back, how to make a book page wreath, how to make lined draperies with ribbon detail, and much more. I also have one more project that I'd like to do for this room eventually--a patchwork bench using all of the leftover fabrics, to go at the foot of the bed. But that will have to wait, because now it's time to move on to the master bathroom.

Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I hope you’ll join me on my DIY and decorating journey! If you want to follow my projects and progress, you can subscribe below and have each new post delivered to your email inbox. That way you’ll never miss a thing!
55 Comments
CK
September 2, 2010 at 1:47 pmFantastic!! I love the wreath, maybe not that close to burning candles… Seriously though, love all the colors, great job!
Anonymous
September 2, 2010 at 2:00 pmwow these are great, u have quite the imagination hon, well, u have to, to do this great work, im impressed….Nancy Smith
Janell @ Isabella and Max
September 2, 2010 at 2:01 pmWow, the wainscoting makes the biggest difference and it so beautifully done! And I think I recognize those table lamps, I redid the same pair for my master bedroom! Great job! Janell
Cassandra
September 2, 2010 at 4:02 pmBEAUTIFUL!!! They must be absolutely thrilled with the results! Everything is just perfect 🙂
Susan DeYoung
September 2, 2010 at 4:25 pmThis looks absolutely amazing…..you are truly talented and I know you worked really hard on this room. So very warm and cozy and all on an incredible budget! You totally rock!
Kim - A Creative Spirit
September 2, 2010 at 4:26 pmIt turned out AWESOME.. not that I doubted that it would…. Thanks for sharing….
Anonymous
September 2, 2010 at 4:43 pmGreat job! Just curious… what was the total cost for this make-over?
Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating
September 2, 2010 at 4:45 pmI'm still figuring the cost of the bedroom. 🙂 The biggest expense was the walls–board & batten and wallpaper. I wouldn't doubt it if half the budget went to that alone.
But I'll figure the details and let y'all know.
Catherine
September 2, 2010 at 7:20 pmI really love everything about this room, you did a great job. My favorite thing is the covered chair and pillow accents. It will be perfect for reading on a cold day!
DR The Flameless Candle Guy
September 2, 2010 at 9:05 pmThe room looks wonderful. Great job. I would add that if you want to put candles on a wood plate and surround with moss, flameless candles would do the trick.
Cammee
September 2, 2010 at 10:35 pmThe room is beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Nicola
September 2, 2010 at 11:52 pmGreat to see the finished product after all your sneaky peeks! Thanks for sharing!
Sandy
September 3, 2010 at 1:40 amLove it! It looks so serene and warm!
Scientific Housewife
September 3, 2010 at 2:28 pmIt looks amazing!
Bowe On Interior Design Decor
September 3, 2010 at 4:13 pmVery nicely done! The word I can use here for you is — Resourceful… Especially on the the chair – a goodwill find, wow…
And the fact that you used left over fabric and materials from the project, again very resourceful.
Keep up the good work!!!
Laurie
September 3, 2010 at 9:16 pmLooks really good girl! Thanks for sharing. I love the dresser.
Anonymous
September 4, 2010 at 6:02 pmI like the room, but i would get rid of the wall paper . GREAT job, keep up the good work
Wendy
September 5, 2010 at 11:24 amIt's beautiful Kristi! You absolutely should be proud!
Anonymous
September 6, 2010 at 10:21 pmI've been following your blog for a few months now. Love it. This room came out gorgeous. Can't wait to see what you do next.
Janeal @ decorative deals
September 7, 2010 at 4:25 pmThis is the first time I've visited your blog and I just have to say GORGEOUS! I want that bedroom! I'll be checking back to get more inspiration…thanks!
Katherine @ Grass Stains
September 7, 2010 at 4:26 pmHoly moly! It looks like a high-end B&B! I love, love, LOVE the board-and-batten treatment. Beautiful!
Traci
September 7, 2010 at 4:36 pmI am new to blogging, so this is my first time here but not my last….I LOVE what you did with this room, it is truly stunning. I am now a follower!
Katie @ On the Banks of Squaw Creek
September 7, 2010 at 7:07 pmWhat a gorgeous room! I love it all!
Chris
September 7, 2010 at 10:16 pmThis is such an amazing transformation. It's a completely different room! I love all the ruffle accents. So great!
Jessica @ Take Two Designs
September 8, 2010 at 6:39 pmHi! I am visiting from Thrifty Decor Chick, and I must say, "WOW!!" I LOVE this makeover!! I am not normally a fan of wallpaper, but I love this! And the board and batten being taller makes the ceiling look taller! Very very VERY nice job!!
Ellie
September 8, 2010 at 7:37 pmWhat a beautiful room! I love the inexpensive but thought-out details that make the room look so polished.
Heather
September 9, 2010 at 3:12 pmHere from Thrifty Decor Chick and I'm totally amazed by the transformation. Isn't it great what a little molding and fabric can do for a room! Great job!
RACKS and Mooby
September 10, 2010 at 1:27 amWow – that is FABulous! Nice job!!
Anonymous
September 15, 2010 at 3:07 pmabsolutely amazing! love it
[email protected] Stories of A2Z
January 14, 2011 at 3:47 amI LOVE this! Gorgeous!
Anonymous
March 25, 2011 at 3:04 pmI LOVE what you've done in this room! Found your site on accident, googling for how to make over a dresser. Can you list exactly how you added the trim on the bottom?
Thanks so much for the look into your world!
[email protected] Stories of A2Z
April 10, 2011 at 9:03 pmI LOVE this! Gorgeous!
Sandy
April 10, 2011 at 9:03 pmLove it! It looks so serene and warm!
Bowe On Interior Design Decor
April 10, 2011 at 9:03 pmVery nicely done! The word I can use here for you is — Resourceful… Especially on the the chair – a goodwill find, wow…
And the fact that you used left over fabric and materials from the project, again very resourceful.
Keep up the good work!!!
sp
May 31, 2011 at 7:42 pmI love the way the room turned out..amazing!
Salmar7patty
June 4, 2011 at 11:38 pmI want that bedspread!! I will follow you from now on.
Lee Hynes
July 6, 2011 at 9:13 pmIt looks so much bigger!
Glitteratti_glitteratti
August 27, 2011 at 1:26 amKristi,
What is the brand/name of that wallpaper please? Thanks!
Shelley Gwartney
November 30, 2011 at 7:20 pmHoly Moly, this is AMAZING!! Your site is truly my favorite…you are so good at what you do!!
christine kellogg
December 24, 2011 at 7:48 amI love this make-over! I’m in love with this room and all the details! Great job!
Terri
March 1, 2012 at 8:57 pmBeautiful job!
Vicki
April 17, 2012 at 10:41 pmBEAUTIFUL transformation! Loved every bit of it, and although i’m still working to get rid of my 90’s wallpaper, I love the wallpaper in this room. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa -Gourmified
July 27, 2012 at 11:09 amOh no! I really want to see the during and after pictures but they won’t load. Any ideas on how to load them? Sadness.
Michelle
August 5, 2012 at 7:51 pmOh no! I read every single page from the start of this makeover through to the end and was so excited to see the finished pictures and they aren’t there anymore! I’m dying to see what this room looked like all finished.
Bedroom Decorating
October 29, 2012 at 12:24 pmAmazing! You did a very wonderful and beautiful job. I love the new look.
Beth
January 27, 2013 at 11:26 pmFor some reason I can’t see any of the after pictures anymore. Are they removed or is there just a glitch somewhere with my computer and/or the site?? Thanks- I can read the text but really want to get a glimpse at what the after pictures look like!
Kristi Linauer
January 27, 2013 at 11:28 pmHi Beth~
It’s not your computer. 🙂 It’s the post. I’m not sure what happened to the pictures…LOL. They just disappeared! I’ve had this on my “to do” list for quite some time. I’ll see if I can find the pictures and add them right now. Thanks for the reminder!
Kristi Linauer
January 28, 2013 at 12:07 amIt’s fixed now! 🙂
Judy
May 13, 2013 at 11:46 pmCurious about the cost breakdown? I just saw your bathroom makeover and aam so inspired to fix up my own space now!Thank you
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May 30, 2013 at 10:49 am[…] […]
Why I NEVER Buy Ready-Made, Store-Bought Draperies or Curtains
November 20, 2013 at 10:46 am[…] John and Alice’s bedroom, where I used canvas drop cloths, but I actually lined them and pleated them, just like drapery workroom-quality window treatments. I also added a ribbon trim detail along the leading edge of each panel. But you’ll notice how high I hung them — just an inch or so below the crown moulding. Hanging draperies this way adds visual height to the ceiling. […]
Interior Doors – Using A Color Other Than White
December 9, 2013 at 10:32 am[…] interior doors have long been a favorite of mine ever since I painted John & Alice’s doors black a little over three years […]
Renee
January 26, 2014 at 5:00 pmWow! Great job. That flooring really warmed up the room. I love what you did with the walls too. That dresser is gorgeous…okay I love everything!! I always find dressers on Craigslist that I’d like to try making over, but everyone I know is always too busy to come help me get the thing from the seller and up to my apartment. =(
Catherine Crandall
September 15, 2014 at 10:50 amLovely bedroom with superb views! You are undeniably gifted when it comes to interior designing. What you did to John and Alice’s master bedroom is a really big development. I can only imagine how happy they must be right now. And all the furniture and décors you’ve used are urbane and beautiful. Keep it up!
Valeria
October 19, 2020 at 7:01 pmWow! Gorgeous! You are so very talented. You should start doing online consults if you don’t already (with all that ‘not spare’ time you have . 🙂 ) Found your blog recently and so enjoy seeing your updates. They are so real compared to astonishing before and after photos that do not show the in between mess, decisions and pain. Thank you for encouraging others so much!