C.J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Beach House Bedroom Makeover and Decor Ideas
We finally have made it to our main bedroom makeover! We purchased our Sanibel Island bungalow in late 2020 and after replacing all the dimmers (there were major issues with those…read on for details), replacing the windows to be impact resistant, setting up each room (including the guest room as they came quickly after we moved! ) and lots more, we finally made it to our own room.
Read on to learn how we gave our main bedroom a beachy makeover with a shiplap accent wall and learn lots of other budget friendly decor ideas.
The Main Bedroom Before, Before in 2020
As you can see from the photo I took of the room on the day we put in our offer, the main bedroom was okay. I mean it wasn’t horrible like our last fixer-upper, which was a complete gut remodel we completed ourselves. The purple accent wall mixed with the gray-ish other walls, the lighting and the fan were all DIY easy fixes for us and that’s why we made an offer. This house, a 10 minute bike ride from the beach, had amazing potential.
See the full house tour from when we first bought it by viewing my video below or on our YouTube channel “Carolyn Braden”:
Our ugly purple accent wall had to go
We first replaced the ceiling fan (you have to have those in SW Florida!) and all the light fixtures, added a sliding modern door to the space that lead to the cupola and exercise room and we added one to replace the broken closet pocket door. We updated the black and white bathroom, including chalk painting the vanity, and added lots of style with our vintage and new mix of furniture. However, it needed more.
Beach House Makeover After with Shiplap Accent Wall
Are there things I still want to add to this room? Absolutely! I want to add beams to the ceiling, possibly add a new bed quilt, get a more stylish crate for our dogs and more, but I have to pace myself for my budget’s sake!
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Beachy Bedroom Shiplap Accent Wall
After finishing up the “little things”, it was time for the total beach house bedroom makeover. We love adding accent walls. I missed my shiplap wall that we added in our last house renovation, so my husband and I decided to cover up the purple accent wall left by the previous owner with some rough sawn shiplap.
New to shiplap installation? It’s actually easier than you may think. Get our full shiplap accent wall tutorial by watching the video below or watching it on our YouTube channel “Carolyn Braden”.
Bedroom Paint Preparation
Next, we painted the room. It took us several hours to prep the room for paint due to it’s large size. We took everything off the walls, moved all the furniture into the center of the room, removed all the switch plates, and covered everything with plastic drop cloths. We painted the ceilings, so the tarp was very necessary.
Covering Gray Paint with White
We used a color of paint called Weathered White from the brand Behr. It had a hint of brown which complimented the coastal look of the shiplap.
Weathered White Bedroom Paint Color
I really don’t care for the orange peel textured walls (many houses in our area have them), but I’ll survive. They actually are great at hiding flaws, if I have to say something positive about them. I chose an eggshell finish for our paint so the texture wouldn’t be super glossy and on display in a big way.
Changing Out Switchplates and Plugs
We had to switch out many of the plugs, switches and plates for a couple of reasons. The first is because the previous owner had dimmers installed in all the rooms. The dimmers, somehow, caused our lights to flicker whenever we turned on the hot water.
Our hot water heater is an “on-demand” water heater and is electric. Once we removed the dimmers, there was no more flickering. The plugs were also all almond colored, so we changed them to white and updated the plate covers to white as well.
Best DIY Barn Door
The old attic door got replaced by one we designed and my husband built. Check out our DIY Barn Door tutorial by clicking this link.
Coastal Bedroom Ideas
We added a beachy roman shade to compliment the blackout curtains we have over our large sliding door (not pictured). It leads to a porch that is connected to the room. I have yet to tackle that space! Our wall mounted wall lights (over each nightstand from Urban Outfitters) are from IKEA. Our “dresser” is a Paul McCobb vintage find.
Budget Friendly Bedroom Ideas
I mixed and matched textures for a coastal vibe. I added European style pillows and a Target boho pillow with macrame like tassels to the bed. Our bedding is all from Amazon. I layered a jute rug with a vegan cow hide rug. The bench is an Amazon find that has storage.
The wood tray is from Hobby Lobby and the furry throw is from Amazon. Many of these decor items are ones I’ve collected over the years, so the overall room expense was not a “all at once” spend.
Target Bedroom Coastal Decor
Weirdly enough, there aren’t any squirrels on Sanibel Island and I miss them! We had them everywhere in Louisville, KY (our previous home) and I miss watching them eat nuts on our porch. This Target squirrel is a way we were able add them back into our daily life.
TJ Maxx Bedroom Decor Ideas
The green and white glass beads were T.J. Maxx finds. I stop in T.J. Maxx almost once a week to gain inspiration and find great inexpensive decor and household items. The coastal driftwood mirror was one I priced checked on several sites and I ended up buying it from Target.
Coastal Room Divider Screen
My coastal screen divider was another item I waited to buy until I found the right price. I found it at an all time low price on Walmart. My clothing rack is an Amazon find. I use it to hang clothes for steaming, air dry clothes and for styling outfits. My large rope art is something I’ve been working on for a while. I’ll finish it one of these days.
Coastal Lighting Ideas
This coastal pendant light was one we created. Check out our super easy DIY tutorial for it by clicking this link. The fur rug is a Ruggable, which is a great washable rug product that we have one of in almost every room of our house due to having 4 fur babies.
Beach House Chandelier
Our bedroom is most of the entire second floor of the home. We know it was divided up at some point, but because it is now open, we kept it that way. The bedroom leads to the closet “area” which I turned into another “getting ready room” like I did in my last house.
Boho Vanity Station
I had the vanity and mirror and many of the decor items from this space in our last home too. The gold and white seems to remain a great color combination that will stay stylish for a long while. I love having everything organized and right where I can easily reach it while getting ready. It definitely saves time!
Best Vanity Decor and Organization
I added a vintage clock my mom gave to me as well as a live plant propigator from Target.
Vintage Decor Finds
I’ve kept my beauty and jewelry organization the same as I had it from before we painted. See my full beauty organization and products by clicking this link.
Best Beauty Product Organization Ideas
The only thing that I changed was I moved the macrame curtain that we used to have as a room divider (before adding the sliding modern door) to a wall for decor.
Vintage String Chair
I added a boho rug from Target, my favorite vintage string chair (a peddler’s mall find), a faux plant and mirror from Target, and my favorite beach hat.
Vintage Macrame Chair
Overall, I love the airy feel of the space and am also happy it is done! For now at least. One thing that is always constant in my designs is change. But only if it’s for the better.
Did you use any of my decor ideas or have some of your own? Comment below!
C.J. (Carolyn) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Little Ways to Get Back To You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.