A Cookie-Cutter Bedroom Gets a Charmingly Custom Makeover (Featuring Two IKEA Hacks!)
It really depends on the decor and the architectural features of the home, but in a cookie-cutter apartment or house, a bedroom with white walls and big-box furniture can skew a little boring.
That was the case for Vidya Amreddy’s bedroom. It had “standard builder-grade white paint” and basic furniture, she says. After six years of living in her home, she wanted to give the room “a custom and personal touch.”
The furniture was still fairly new, and she didn’t want to sell it for a lesser value because it was in good condition. But she leveled up her bedroom set with some snazzy IKEA hacks, and she spruced up the all-white walls, too.
The IKEA HEMNES bed and dresser got pole wrap makeovers.
Vidya covered her existing HEMNES bed and eight-drawer dresser in pole wrap and then stained it. She was going for a fluted wood bedroom set that looked like something from Castlery, her inspo store.
The entire furniture flipping process was a learning experience. “Cutting [the pole wrap] to the correct size was much trickier than I expected,” Vidya says. “Getting clean, even cuts without splintering took time and patience.”
Vidya’s husband, Sasi, helped her sand the pieces, and then she stained them — also trickier than it sounds. “The grain and color varied a lot between sections, so achieving a consistent finish required trial and error,” Vidya recalls. “It took multiple rounds of sanding and staining,” she says — especially because she had a wood filler mishap along the way.
The one part of the HEMNES hacking that was easier than expected was adding new hardware to the dresser, Vidya says, and she added fluted nightstands from Amazon to complete her set.
A new wallpaper adds personality to the bedroom.
Most of the walls in the bedroom are Sherwin-Williams’ Origami White, but Vidya revamped the wall behind the headboard by adding a patterned wallpaper which she says, in hindsight, is definitely a two-person project. “Having an extra pair of hands makes a huge difference — especially when it comes to aligning the pattern,” she says.
New decor completes the setup.
Speaking of pattern, Vidya added a little extra pattern with her curtains. “I pulled the color palette from the wallpaper to choose the bedding and decor, creating a calm and cohesive atmosphere,” she adds. Her rug is from At Home, her mirror is from HomeGoods, her new light fixture is from Amazon, and her accent chair is from The Home Depot.
In total, Vidya and Sasi’s bedroom transformation cost $2,335. “The space feels so cozy and fresh now,” Vidya says. “Home DIY projects are always a learning process … it’s always worth it in the end.”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.