Your bedroom makeover Pinterest board counts 847 pins and more yet you still get the same monotonous walls in the morning, do you? I know the feeling all too well, being overwhelmed with lots of choices, and and fearing to make a bad decision that will cost me a lot of money.
I made the bedroom a much more exciting place to be last summer when I bit the bullet and channelled vintage vibes into it without needing the second mortgage. The result? A room that was so breathtaking that my mother-in-law could not find fault even in our decorating design. Believe me, that in itself is something.
The ideas on vintage bedroom makeover are not merely confined to putting a floral wallpaper on the walls and saying hey you got done. They are strategic changes that incorporate both the past and the present to bring out spaces that can convince you to cancel and stay at home just so you could observe your work.
The Art of the Vintage Bedroom Transformation
Starting with a Clear Vision
Vintage bedroom makeover can do wonder to you provided you know your style before you go out shopping. Do you prefer the romantic Victorian sophistication, the mid-century modern minimalist or the rustic farmhouse style?
I had a lesson after purchasing a beautiful ornamental mirror which did not go with the mid-century dresser that I had purchased earlier on very badly. Vintage mixing can be done, but there should be something that connects with each other there.
Some of the most important vintage types are: • Victorian romance where detailing is heavy and fabrics rich • Chialfanni moderno where lines are clean and wood warm • French country, light colors and rustic touches • industrial vintage with metal decor and patinas.
Budget Planning That Actually Works
Have you ever made over something you thought it was going to cost you $500 only to spend $2,000? On any budget, something as normal as a vintage bedroom transformation can occur when you plan accordingly.
Have one main piece become the accent of the room, which will be either an antique-type of headboard, a shabby chic piece like an armoire, or an over the top chandelier. Plan on putting that centerpiece in your room and building out all the other vintage pieces around it.
Wall Transformations That Change Everything
Wallpaper That Tells a Story
The wallpaper with vintage look can change the personality of your bedroom upturn. Avoid the bold, busy patterns that may be too much of an eyesore and opt for designs that may have a contributing vintage look.
I was afraid of wallpaper at first, I thought it would be such a lifetime decision to do. However, the ease of application of the removable wallpaper choices mean that there is no need to be concerned about the long-term contract commitment or other issues relating to rented property.
Top vintage wallpaper patterns: • Subtle florals in dulled color schemes • Classic damask patterns in high-end colors • Retro-modern geometric grid patterns in high end colors • Toile papers to give a French country look to a living room
Paint Colors That Set the Mood
Even the most simplistic of bedroom makeovers can be vintage; i.e., simply painting the walls. In the current industry, old fashioned paint manufacturers are available with old iconic color that suggest depth and complexity of the historic paint.
The trick is to select the colors with the undertones, which evoke warmth and complexity, as opposed to the tone of flat and inorganic. Benjamin Moore has had a historical color line that has prevented many paint fiascoes of mine.
Vintage Paint Color Winners:
| Color Family | Best Vintage Shade | Mood Created |
|---|---|---|
| Blues | Dusty French Blue | Calm & Sophisticated |
| Greens | Sage with Gray Undertones | Fresh & Timeless |
Wainscoting and Trim Details
A few touches of vintage architectural details such as wainscoting, chair rails or mock moulding goes a long way in transforming any bedroom into looking more real and classy.
You can do it yourself and you do not need to hire a contractor due to the simple decorative molding that you can find in most home improvement stores and can simply paint to fit to your color scheme. There is a vast difference between the effort and the impact
Furniture Makeovers That Steal the Show
Headboard Transformations
Your bed is already occupying the most visual space in the bedroom so do as much as a vintage headboard renovation is worth. One can make fantastic vintage styled headboards without purchasing old high priced antiques.
I took an ordinary wooden headboard and painted it with chalk paint, applied stencils along with some clever distressing. However, the outcome resembles a costly old piece find, but it costed less than $50 for a list of materials.
DIY headboard vintage techniques; • Chalk paint and light distressing to make it appear older • Beautiful covering of fabrics with vintage-looking fabrics • Some stenciling that makes it look like carved ornate works • Simple m Lizzy tracery on simple walls
Dresser and Nightstand Revival
Giving your vintage furniture a makeover can lead to the discovery of thrift store gems that make the definitive statement in your entire room scheme. The trick here is to know what makes furniture appear real versus fake vintage.
Seek out items that have good bones the sturdy construction and a fascinating silhouette mean a lot more than up-to-date finish. I can change tons of plain dressers to something beautiful vintage inspired using paint, new hardware, and in some cases creative changes.
Seating Areas That Invite Relaxation
Any vintage-based bedroom is enhanced by a dedicated seating that helps it design a comfortable nook within your au pair. This does not have to be in spacious rooms because even a small vintage style chair can do the trick.
Or, come on upcycle an old chair in vintage print fabric or search thrift stores, estate sales and consignment stores for good prices on inexpensive vintage seating. The idea is to have somewhere that you feel comfortable enough to stay a while and appreciate your wonderful home.
Lighting Makeovers That Create Magic
Chandelier Installation for Drama
A vintage chandelier in the bedroom is the thing to say wow. You do not have to have mansion-sized rooms to achieve this because the correct chandelier actually makes small bedrooms look more luxurious and deliberate.
The problem was convincing myself that a chandelier could not fit my little bedroom until I discovered an adorable little brass one in a consignment store. The change was instant and dramatic, it was like my bedroom had turned into a boutique hotel room.
Table Lamp Transformations
One of the first thing people do when it comes to vintage lighting makeovers is to update your table lamps. Painting lamps Bases and shades can be easy updated to give a vintage look to simple modern lamps.
The easy lamp makeover tips: • Respray those bases in old world-like colors for the fashionista inside you • Swapping out the modern lamps for fabric or old school style and selection • Embellish with one or two Program of the decorative things like crystals or fringe • Rewire those dribs you found thrift.
String Light Magic
At least listen before you roll your eyes, vintage-inspired string lights can make a difference in ambiance that overhead harsh lighting rips apart. It is all about selecting warm color Edison bulb style strings to match your vintage look.
FYI, battery-powered ones are just as effective when you can’t find anywhere to plug them in, and they are so much safer than having electrical cords hanging around the bed.
Textile Transformations That Add Warmth
Bedding Layering Strategies
The variety of vintage-inspired bedding is layering, which is designed to make the surface look artistically interesting and extremely comfortable. Avoid the ideal match sets and go instead with the accumulated at random appearance that authentic vintage bedrooms have.
Quality neutral sheets should be followed by quilts, coverlets or duvets with the feeling of vintage design. Precisely mix patterns, so a single dramatic pattern with some less dramatic ones help in forming sophistication and not chaos.
Window Treatment Updates
The plain curtains or curtains (blinds) are not helping the makeover of the bedroom to stand out as vintage. Old-fashioned window coverings underline your room impressively and introduces another dimension to the room in terms of texture and color.
Layer: Curtains as well as privacy with heavier fabric to add drama or add valances to current treatments to have vintage look without replacing the whole treatment.
Area Rug Additions
Vintage-inspired rugs will help bring balance to your space, but they will also offer some warmth and patterns that will allow you to create a form that mixes with your design. You do not have to spend much on antique rugs – there are a lot of modern firms producing wonderful vintage-looking rugs.
The most important thing is to select rugs with patterns and colors that are not new-looking, but seem to have evolved. Distressed or faded looks will denote genuine touch to your vintage-style surroundings.
Decorative Makeover Elements
Gallery Wall Creation
Wall art with a vintage theme and a focal point will help you make your overall makeover look good. Variety in the frame styles, forms of artwork and frame sizes give that gathered-over-time look.
I took months to gather vintage frames at thrift stores and garage sales and then lay them with botanical prints, vintage photography and family photographs. The outcome appears as a hand-picked and custom rather than retail-designed one.
Mirror Placement and Selection
Mirrors used in bedroom remodels can do a couple of things themselves that modern mirrors cannot: Those old, antique skies can make rooms seem roomier than they appear without taking up any space, and they can add decorative interest that modern mirrors fail to provide.
Seek out mirrors with fancy frames, unusual shapes and craggy glass which would give it character. Put them where they reflect light or scenery which is natural and beautiful as well to capture the most of both goals.
Vintage Accessories That Matter
The finishing touch of any retro bedroom design is the accessories that you choose to amplify your theme and not overload your room. Less is more in the case of vintage decorating.
Must-Have Old-School Bedroom Decorations: • Fresh flowers in vintage vases or containers • Pre-possessing spines of novel books on bedside tables • Pretty trinkets and witty things boxes • Dusty or vintage caricature perfume bottles
Storage Solutions That Don’t Break Character
Vintage-Inspired Organization
Vintage bedroom renovations require storage that will keep spaces neat as well as functional without ruining your sense of style. Contemporary storage containers will kill your well-developed vintage atmosphere.
Opt for wicker baskets, old trunks, or piece of old suitcases for providing the storage while bringing in the design. These elements should have the appearance of being intentional design statements as opposed to simple storage solutions.
Closet Updates for Vintage Charm
It is easy to overlook your closet in a vintage-style makeover. It is easy to continue the vintage theme in the rest of the room by simple updates such as changing the hardware in closet doors, appearing an old-style organizer, or installing the lights of the period.
Go the extra mile and paint the inside of your closets as well with a matching colonial-era shade and the whole process of opening your closet doors feels like part of the same design.
Color Coordination Strategies
Creating Cohesive Vintage Palettes
Vintage bedroom color schemes can be applied in the best way by choosing a primary color and developing variations according to it. This adds dimension and interest and gives balance in your space.
I learned this the hard way as I realized in my initial attempt that despite me thinking that I was curating a rainbow of vintage colors, the effect was rather chaotic instead of curated. Having three key colors and some tones of those colors is much more elegant.
Accent Color Placement
Accent colors are what makes or breaks your retro room makeover. Be more selective with your most bold vintage hues, you may use them in pillows, artwork or little accessories, just not big pieces of furniture.
This method allows you to play around with color and change the colors depending upon the seasons without massive reorganization making your vintage bedroom seem renewed and intriguing yet old fashioned and classic.
Small Space Vintage Makeovers
Maximizing Impact in Tiny Bedrooms
The idea is that smaller bedrooms are not capable of vintage inspired makeover thinking. Think again. Little rooms are even a better opportunity to use vintage as it makes them more interesting and unique.
Accentuate the ceiling area by using high-rise retro-style furniture, place mirrors in strategic position so that the pieces can create an illusion of spaciousness, and invest in multi-tasking vintage furniture that can serve as a storage solution and appear stylish at the same time.
Studio Apartment Solutions
Bedroom makeovers in studio apartments can be tricky as places where one has to sleep must be zoned off as distinct from places where they live. Large rooms can be divided into small bedrooms with the use of vintage room dividers or the use of strategically placed pieces of furniture or even with the hanging of vintage materials.
The secret is to keep your vintage style in place and address some functional space issues at the same time Old things work more often than new ones since they were tailored to individual usage of smaller homes and multiple purposes.
Maintenance and Longevity
Keeping Your Vintage Look Fresh
The bedroom makeovers which are inspired by the vintage increases with age when the makeovers are maintained well. Vintage items get aged and it should be the same way with your room.
Take care of clean vintage fabrics, dust objects on a regular basis and accept the natural wear of the vintage that brings authenticity to the vintage spaces as opposed to staged ones.
Seasonal Updates That Work
The other benefit of vintage bedroom design is that it can be easily adjusted to the seasonal changes. Replace heavier winter fabrics with lighter summer versions, or simply replace flowers and accessories, or apply some seasonal accents which would enhance the palette created in your vintage style.
To my mind, the most wonderful vintage bedrooms have a lived-in feeling, they are not maintained in the sanlueci style (i.e. as museum pieces) 🙂
Bringing Your Vintage Makeover Together
Then you are all set to do a vintage style bedroom makeover that will make everybody who sees it request the contact details of the person who decorates! Begin with the thing that matters most to you that is, a beautiful retro headboard, a beautiful light fitting, that beautiful shade you really wanted to have.
The centerpiece of that makeover is where you should build around, by adding complementary vintage components to it slowly. It will always be more successful to feel that a vintage bedroom was curated to look that versus decorated.
Your bedroom is supposed to be your private haven, a room that should look like you and is comfortable and calm. The retro factor gives the kitchen and bedroom character and coziness that make the spaces really memorable, such bedrooms that one would jump to come home to.
The vintage style is very beautiful due to its colorlessness. As opposed to other short-lived trends in design, properly done vintage renovations just get prettier and more valuable as they age. This is not a redecoration of a room but a soulful and story-filled space that you are going to live happily with years later.
You might as well go ahead and embrace those vintage makeover ideas that appeal to your heart. Your reinvention is on the way and, believe me, the wow effect is going to be worth all the time you are investing in your vintage inspired location.