A Two-Day Bedroom + Bathroom Makeover

This post is sponsored by Clayton Homes.

We love a good, fast makeover project. Throw in a small budget, and I’m practically in heaven. A couple of weeks ago, we had the fun opportunity to decorate a master bedroom and bathroom at a Clayton home located in beautiful Tetonia, about an hour and fifteen minutes from us. (Literally, the Teton mountains were RIGHT outside the master bedroom. If you haven’t heard of Clayton Homes, they are a national home builder that builds both on-site and off-site and we were excited to partner with them on this project. (Off-site homes are built production line style and transported by truck to the property lot, where construction is finished).

They offer a variety of home designs with incredible amenities at an attainable price. You can choose from a dream menu of open floor plans, large kitchens, sliding barn doors, wide plank floors, shiplap walls, rustic wood ceiling beams, stand-alone soaking tubs, and walk-in closets. Clayton is able to keep homes so affordable (starting around $79,000 – or less without land and land improvements, depending on the market) by buying materials (including name-brand appliances) in bulk and distributing through a national network of builders. It’s a great option for anyone wanting to get into a new beautiful home that’s affordable. There are home options for every style, and everyone on our team had fun taking a quiz on which Clayton home would be perfect for us. (We embedded the quiz below!)

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So back to the master bedroom and bathroom in a Clayton Built^® home in Tetonia. This custom home is (for sale!) and 1,904 square feet, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. We loved the double vanity sinks and walk-in closet — and were inspired by the blank slate.

Here's where we started:

And when we finished!:

Despite what it may look like, we rarely just walk into a room and start painting it. I mood-board every room before even ordering anything (here’s a great post on how to make a mood board)! Because this home was way out in the country and in the most quaint mountain-town you’ve ever seen, I really wanted it to feel cozy and familiar and very fresh and traditional. Ever since our post on the best blue-gray paint colors, I’ve wanted to try one out in a bedroom. And so, for the first time maybe ever, I chose a paint color without being in the room. I opted for Boothbay Gray, a warm, light gray-blue. It ended up being the perfect backdrop to the more traditional elements in the room because it feels classic — but modern, too.

We put this short video together that chronicles how the whole room came together over 2.5 days:

As I mentioned, we kept the budget small, and we really had about two days to work on the room, so we had to keep our visions of grandeur in check. Instead, we focused on a few things that would really take the space from neutral to wow on a budget and the good news is these five things are things ANYONE can do to elevate their room:

1. We added box trim and a chair rail on the feature wall.

We decided where we wanted the chair rail to be by holding the headboard up to the wall where it was going to sit. We didn’t want to create any tangents with the moldings, and determined 32” to the center of the chair rail would get us exactly where we wanted.

We decided on three boxes, with the two on the outside being half the size of the one in the center, leaving 8” between all the mouldings. No room in the home had baseboards, so we decided to keep that continuity, and this solution really brings the eyes up! Plus, it only costs about $100 with trim from a home improvement store. Painting it all the same color really elevated the whole room.

2. Hang curtains high and wide, and make sure they would actually cover the windows!
   
   

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile you hopefully know by now (I hope!) that you should hang your curtains high and wide in your space. I’m talking a couple inches from the ceiling and at least a foot wider than your windows on either side. It really makes your room look so much taller and more grand. However! One mistake I keep seeing is people using drapes that aren’t wide enough to actually close and cover their windows. Extra wide drapes add so much luxe with all those ripples, and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get the look. I love these ones that are about $100/panel, but $200 will go SO far. This makes a significant difference in spaces that feel luxe and finished and those that you can’t quite pinpoint what’s not working.

3. Swapped out the ceiling fan for a chandelier over the bed.

Many people live in a climate where a ceiling fan is a necessity in the bedroom (in that case, let me direct you to this post of stylish ceiling fans), but if you don’t, then this is your chance to make a statement with a chandelier over your bed. How romantic, right?

Even if you have 8’ ceilings, like this room had, a bed is kind of like a dining table—no one is going to be walking under it so you have a little more room to hang a light. It makes the whole room feel special.

4. Layer an area rug over the carpet

I get so many questions if you should layer an area rug over wall to wall carpet. I think the question usually goes something like, “How do you feel about area rugs over carpet?” I feel enthusiastic about it. I feel like it can define and change a whole room for the better. It can take an ordinary room and make it feel really special. You should ABSOLUTELY layer an area rug.

There are some caveats. It works best with a low-pile wall to wall carpet. If yours is thicker, then layering a thicker rug on top will work better and give you less puckering. However if you do have a more plush wall to wall, or even if you don’t, this rug pad specifically for rugs over carpet will keep your area rug in place and prevent bunching!

5. Swap out the basic full mirror for two separate mirrors in a bathroom.

The last upgrade we made to make this space feel extra special was swapping the large mirror in the bathroom for two separate mirrors. One large mirror of a cool shape would also do the trick! When I was sharing that we did this in Stories in real time, so many of you seemed like it was something HIGH on your list but you weren’t sure how to remove the mirror without breaking it. This one was just clipped in so we were able to unclip it. (I’m sorry that’s not more helpful!)

We had such a great time dreaming up a place for someone that might live here in the future. (Like I said earlier, the home is for sale!) And we love that Clayton is creating affordable housing for anyone to snatch up. We have never lived in a new build, but this whole makeover definitely taught me that it doesn’t matter how old or new your home is — you can make your mark on it. Sources below!

Area Rug: Red/Navy 9x12 $378

Queen Bed: $549

Navy Belgian Flax Linen Beed Sheet Set: $121

Quilt: $119

Navy Velvet Throw Pillow: $39.99

Lumbar pillow (similar): $69

Caned Nightstands: $107/each

Decorative Coiled Rope Basket: $12.99

Dome Lamps: $60/each

Black Pedestal Bowl (similar): $59.95

Candle $34

Homemade Art Inspiration (Frames--Ikea)

Chandelier : $129

Wall Color: Boothbay Gray

Curtains: Cool Beige, $113/panel

Curtain Rod: $30

Blue Storage Bench (similar): $169

Women's Felt Floppy Hat: $22.99

Desk/Vanity: $349

Stool: $149

Curved Desk Lamp: $59

Brass Planter $39

Faux Olive Tree: $399

Blank Ink Framed Print: $27.99

Potted Artificial Boston Fern: $24.99

Decorative Box (similar): $29.95

Women's Felt Boater Hat: $19.99

Women's Felt Fedora (similar): $19.99

Bathroom:

Textured Stripe Bath Towels: $12

Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant: $39.99

Stamped Metal Mirror Brass: $49.99

Artifical Arrowhead Arrangement: $4.99

Recycled Glass Soap Pump: $9.99

Recycled Glass Tumbler: $7.99

Tile Backsplash: $29.99/sheet

Oiled Bronze Towel Hook: $21.48

Cute article from Clayton: How to Decorate Your House as a Couple