Gray and Coral Bedroom Makeover Reveal
This post may contain affiliate links which won't change your price but will share some commission. Read more here.This room went from drab to fab with a gray and coral bedroom makeover! Complete with DIY projects and a tight budget this room has it all!
The day is finally here! Begun back in February, I’m finally finished and able to show all the details of our gray and coral bedroom makeover!
Desperately in need of reviving and updating, this room has my heart and soul poured into it.
We had lived with the same furniture arrangement for 23 years. Yep, that’s right. 23 years.
That’s a long time getting up on the same side of the bed, next to the man I love who helps me accomplish my dreams.
Every detail has been painstakingly reworked or repurposed with my own hands (or those of my DIY hubby).
The ideas were mine. The color scheme was mine. The hard part of convincing my husband to let me paint the furniture was mine.
Honestly, it was like giving birth!
To those of you with larger bedrooms you may not know the huge obstacles you can face between practical and beautiful.
I am so thrilled that this room now has both!
Except for one or two items, everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) is either a DIY project, a yardsale find or a hand me down.
And lest you think I’m tooting my own horn too much, I share all this because I am not a designer or decorator. I’m just a gal who has learned to create on a budget while spending seemingly endless hours on Pinterest, yardsaling and dreaming. If I can do this so can you!
To fully appreciate this room I have to talk you through the before. The walls were done with venetian plaster, a decorative coating system that looks rough but was smooth to the touch.
Almost everything in the bedroom was thrifted or given to us. (I was using the “new to me” comforter flipped over so it wouldn’t get too dirty.)
There was no cohesiveness, just a bunch of yard sale purchases and sentimental items I couldn’t part with it.
We began the makeover by painting the walls. You can read all the details in this post.
Most people find their fabric and then pick out a paint color. Not me! With a painting contractor husband, I just had to go against the norm and pick out the paint color first.
My initial idea was to use a darker shade of gray for an accent wall (similar to this one Tim did for our daughter Rachel and her husband), but I wasn’t happy with the combination of grays.
So at 10 pm the night Tim painted we decided to try and rearrange the furniture and see if it was possible to make this small room seem bigger.
Guess what? After 23 years with the furniture in the very.same.spot we discovered a better layout and the transformation was on!
Alas, that did mean Tim had to repaint the accent wall to match the others. Oops. Sorry about that one.
When we rearranged the furniture I was so afraid I would get up in the middle of the night and run into a wall! 23 years of the same ol’ same ol’ makes for some pretty engrained habits!
From there we were off to the races, with a few distractions along the way.
What do you think? Isn’t it amazing? Who knew this room could be so inviting and serene?
Gray and Coral Bedroom Makeover
Here are more of the details on our gray and coral bedroom makeover: We moved the bed from under the long standard window to underneath the high wide windows.
The only piece of furniture that we took out of the room was a hope chest that was at the end of the bed, and it freed up the space immediately.
Tim built me the headboard out of louvered closet doors and I worked my magic with distressing.
Our dark bedroom furniture was chalk painted and distressed. The difference is amazing!
One of the most important elements of the room was the fabric. The comforter was passed down to me by my daughter because she knew exactly what I wanted. She also knew her mama wasn’t going to spend $400 or some such ridiculous amount on bed linens!
Looking back towards the larger window, I just love the pops of coral. This room is lighter and brighter than any other in our home, but I still need some bold color mixed in.
Tim and I went round and round about the wardrobe. We covered the inserts first with a fabric that just didn’t work and ended up choosing the fabric that was intended for cording around the window treatments. I’m totally thrilled with this gorgeous fabric.
On the other side of the room you can see how amazing the dresser looks! This furniture was actually a hand me down from my brother many, many years ago. I had to talk Tim into painting it, and I think it adds just the right touch of shabby chic elegance.
If you look closely into this corner you can see the fence board box Tim built me to store all those pillows from the bed. Like most men, I imagine, he can’t stand that many pillows so he gave me a place to put them. Thoughtful man, isn’t he?
One of my favorite changes probably won’t surprise you.
Since my love language is definitely DIY, my hubby nailed it with new closet doors. This may sound unfeminine, but give me doors that open instead of slide and I am in heaven! No flowers or candy for me!
Guess whose idea it was? Yep. Mine. Love it. The end.
Do you understand now why I’m so proud of this makeover?
I learned how to chalk paint furniture with this room.
I made a no sew bedskirt and pillows, and my husband and I tackled no sew cornices.
The framed earring organizer was a DIY and I survived my first French graphic transfer project for a fence board repurposed box.
I used scrapbook paper in several projects and mixed burnished gold accents with gray and white.
I proved to myself that I could trust my own tastes and create a space that was both beautiful and functional.
Click here for my best tips on how to decorate a bedroom for practically nothing!
I love that transformation. My room furniture is brown and I would love to change to white, but furniture is quite new and expensive. Do you think I could or should change the color? I surely would transform everything like you did. Very inspiring job done!! Congratulations!!
Hi, Mayris. Painting furniture is purely a personal decision. Once you paint it you can’t go back, though. If you’re just wanting to lighten up the room maybe do it through the bedding or window treatments or even pillows. I love my furniture and it was solid even if it was 20 years old, and I don’t regret painting it one bit. Good luck with deciding!
Your bedroom makeover is lovely! Love your pops of coral and your headboard! This is my first visit to your blog; popped over from Metamorphosis Monday 🙂
Thank you for visiting, Heather! I hope you’ll come back!
Wow! Fantastic job! I love those colors together!
Hi, Shambray. I love the color combo together even more each day! Thanks!
WOW, Marty oh my goodness what a difference! Well done, for sure! It all looks amazing!
One question- what did you do with those white painted wall sconce lights? They’d be great in your new space for added lighting – at your dresser or even back next to your awesome shutter headboards. I love them, they’re really cool. You should consider using them again, the white would look great – as you know – against your awesome new wall color. Love it, good job, lady!!
Hey, Michele. We decided not to use the hanging lights. My husband and I rarely read in bed and we don’t even have a tv in there. The two lights on either side of the bed provide plenty of light. They’re in the attic, though, sure to be used somewhere again!
Love it Marty! I am loving your color combo 🙂 So refreshing! Thanks for sharing at #inspirationmonday
Debbie
Thanks, Debbie! I am totally crushing on coral especially these days!
Drooling over here!!! Can I move in?
Anytime, Christine! Although I might want to ask my husband first 🙂
I’m interested in the afghan on the bed. The one in coral.
Is it hand made, and if so where can I find the pattern? If purchased, from where was it purchased?
Hi, Denise. I got the throw at Home Goods for $20. It was my one new purchase and I absolutely love it!
I don’t have a Homegoods store nearby. Do you know the brand? I would like to try to get the throw online.
Hi, Martha. I looked on the throw and unfortunately I had cut the tags off. I’m sorry! Have a great day!
First time visitor. I’m really impressed with the transformation, wow! It’s very pretty, and I like how light and airy it looks now. What are the dimensions of your room? I’m curious because I recently moved to a “new” older single story ranch house with a corner set of those high wide windows. The walls I inherited from Mrs. Seller are a medium grey and dark brown wide-slat vinyl blinds on the windows with dark-stained woodwork. The hardwood floor was redone and is a much lighter tone. The room is 10′ x 12′ and I have less furniture in it than you do in yours, but it feels/looks cramped. I will be taking a closer look at your thought processes during your redo, maybe I can find something to help me make my room live larger.
Hi, Jan. Our room is 10×12 as well. I have always hated our high windows until we did the window treatments and hung them up to the ceiling. It makes the biggest difference. I think the white comforter and painting the furniture as well as the gray walls, helped our room feel larger. It’s still small, but it’s not cramped like it used to be. I hope you’re able to figure out your room! Small rooms are definitely hard.
Beautiful room. I have a dresser similar to yours that belonged to my great aunt. It’s 100% real wood. I am torn about repainting it, but it doesn’t match our decor. What do you advise? In addition, where did you purchase the shelves used in the bathroom model? I would like similar shelves for my kitchen and pantry.
Hi, Tanya! I know some people are sticklers about not painting wood, but our furniture was solid wood but so very dated. Chalk painting allowed us to still keep the furniture but mix and match a few different pieces together. If you have furniture that is scuffed up it is an ideal way to freshen it up. Plus, since our room is so small the white lightens the room as well. Do wha tyou love!
Sorry, the shelves were handmade with fence board by my husband. Not sure if you can find them anywhere online. Good luck!
Did I miss the paint color? I’m getting ready for some gray things. Love the colors and budget is always good.
Thanks for asking, Rosemary. I’ll add it to the post. The paint color is BEHR Premium Plus Ultra, Interior Eggshell Enamel, Pewter Mug 770E-3.
Marty – it looks so GOOD!! I bet you love it! Becky
Thanks so much, Becky! I do love it. Gray is definitely a new color for me to work with.
Oh my gosh…. what a beautiful bedroom! The transformation is just stunning! Your headboard is the coolest thing ever. Pinned!
Hey, Donna. Thank you for the kudos. I’ll tell my husband you loved the headboard. It was really easy and I’m working on a banner to hang on it, but couldn’t wait to share it!
Wow, Marty! You outdid yourself with this one! So inviting and calming, but still so happy! I love the color scheme and can’t believe you did it all with repurposed finds! Congratulations!!
Hi, Kelly! You’re so sweet! It was a true labor of love, but it took longer to do than I expected. It was worth it, though!
It’s so gorgeous! I am so impressed… I am in the midst of a similar project!
Hi, Malia! Good luck with your room. It only took 6 months to pull it all together. Got a little distracted there! Hope yours doesn’t take that long!
Love the transformation! Coral and gray are such a great combo 🙂
Thanks so much, Breanna! Glad you stopped by my blog.
Marty, that’s gorgeous! You really outdid yourself with this one!
Thank you so much, Pam! I’m so pleased that it all came together. You know how the creative process is. No guarantee it will all work out!
I love gray and coral together and that striped bedskirt is too cute for words! I know you are in love with your new room! Enjoy!
Hey, Leslie. I am totally in love with the room. Now to try and keep it straight and uncluttered!
WOW!!! It all looks so gorgeous. The cabinet details are my favorite. I can not believe you had your furniture the same for 23 years, I am sure you may bump a knee and stump a toe before you get used to it! LOVE IT. ~Sonya
Hey, Sonya. Our rooms are small so we just didn’t think there was any other arrangement that would work. Surprise! We were wrong! Thank you for the sweet compliments!
I love the headboard idea. if you don’t mind sharing, I would love to know how it was done.
thanks
Hi, Judy. I’m working on the tutorial for the headboard but it’s two louvered doors that were cut down and then bolted to the wall. They’re not attached to the bed. Hopefully I’ll have a specific tutorial up soon!
Hard to believe it’s the same room!!! Love how you simplified the furnishings and updated the doors. And the coral really makes the grey pop!
Heather, there was definitely too much stuff in here before, but that happens when you have lots of kids and animals!
Marty it looks fantastic!
Beautiful colour choice and I just have to say that I had to go back and look at the fantastic corner detail on your crown … how interesting and unusual, I love it!
From the armoire makeover to the fabric choices… everything looks fresh and crisp… beautiful!!
Hi, Cynthia. Thank you so much for your sweet, encouraging words. I can’t believe you noticed the crown molding. That was my hubby’s handiwork years ago. I’ll tell him you liked it!
What an amazing bedroom transformation. I love how the dresser turned out….great color combination. Pinining!!
The dresser turned out even better than I imagined, thankfully! Thank you!
Wow! The transformation looks great!! Beautiful color combo!!
Thank you, Angie!
Gorgeous room makeover! Love the grey. Very soothing. I love the dresser and nightstand!
Thank you, Lisa! It took a while to get used to the change, and the furniture turned out even more amazing than I imagined. Thanks so much!
You and your hubby have done an awesome job with your bedroom. Our family went through extremely thin times… I know we enjoy the things we worked hard on to make “ours” so much more than something purchased brand new. Never be afraid to be you – you’re obviously terrific!
Hi, Julie. We know what lean times look like as well, and I love figuring out ways to have a beautiful home without breaking the bank. Thank you so much for the compliment!
I love the color combination you choose. What a difference it makes having your bed moved under the other window 🙂 who knew!
Beautiful !
Hi, Kathy. Gray and coral is my new favorite color combo, too! Thanks for visiting!
What color grey is that? I like it.
Hi, Aimee. It’s BEHR Premium Plus Ultra, Interior Eggshell Enamel, Pewter Mug 770E-3.
It seems so much brighter and more open. Nice job! And that fluffy throw on the foot of the bed — I kind of want to snuggle it.
Thank you, Sarah! I love that throw, too! Moving the furniture around totally changed the room. Too bad it took us 23 years to try it!
Well done Marty, this looks like a totally new space. You should be very proud. I’ve always loved the dining room, but this is my next favorite.
Diana, I haven’t heard from you lately! I’m glad you’re still in the internet world and I appreciate your comment!
Love the Transformation on a budget!! That’s what I’m talking about. Love the pops of coral color.
Thank you, Roxann! I love the coral, too!
You and Tim did a beautiful job, Marty! You’d never know it’s the same space. Love, love, love the new look!
Thank you, sweet friend. You’re such an encourager for this “figure it out as I go” thrifty blogger! Glad you got to actually see the room before the makeover.