Hey friends! I’m so excited to share my bedroom makeover with you! I currently have traditional bedroom furniture, but I want a French Country look. I can’t afford to buy all new furniture, so I’ll paint several pieces to give them a completely new look! Come along and see how I blended the old with the new, shopped my house for accessories, and completed several DIY projects! I’m so pleased with the beautiful results of my French country-inspired bedroom makeover! Come on in and take a look!
How to begin a French Country-Inspired Makeover
As you all know, I am not an interior designer, but I like to pretend that I am!! I don’t know what steps interior designers use to decorate a room, but I have developed a strategy that works for me! I have seven easy steps to follow, but first, I need to answer a few questions about my style!
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Answer two questions
Before decorating a room, I ask myself the following two questions. “Do I have a décor style?” and “Do I have an inspiration piece or color?” Let’s get started!
Do I have a decor style?
I have fallen in love with the French country style! It’s a mix of rustic and refined decor that invokes an elegant, yet casual feel. I think I’m drawn to it because it’s beautiful but comfortable! French country homes have a mix of furniture painted white (or muted colors) and distressed. You’ll find vintage accessories and upholstered seating and chairs. Bedrooms typically have soft white bedding with layered pillows of varying sizes and textures. I’ll be incorporate all of these elements to achieve my French country-inspired bedroom makeover!
Do I have an inspiration piece or color to work with?
When we moved, we did not have an overhead light in the room. This chandelier was one of the first purchases we made! It’s the inspiration for my French country-inspired bedroom makeover! I love the white, distressed wood and the elegance of the crystals! Now I’ll research and look at pictures on Pinterest to help me figure out how to complete my seven-step process for decorating my bedroom!
Seven steps to a french country inspired makeover
Now that I know the style of the room, I can begin working on my seven-step strategy!
Let’s address each of the following steps: window treatments, lighting, wall color, floors, furniture, wall art, and last but certainly not least, accessories!
Window treatments
In the picture to the left, we used Command hooks to hold up the old curtains we brought from Kentucky. The curtains were too short, so I had to purchase new ones. Technically, the curtains I bought are not in the French country style, because they have grommets on the top. However, I wanted blackout curtains to keep the room very dark.
The embroidery on the curtains is a bit glam for French Country, but I like them, and that’s what matters! In this case, function wins over style. I love how the silver circles match the paint. They also mimic the shape of the chandelier, and the backs of the chairs!
Lighting
Here is Rich hanging my gorgeous french country light fixture. One of these days I will make a DIY post on how to hang a light fixture!!
The light fixture can make or break a room. This one adds so much character and beauty to the overall look and feel of the room!
The lamps I originally had on the nightstands were traditional, so I moved them to the guest room. I purchased these lamps from Hobby Lobby. I like the casual look of the burlap shade mixed with the chippy, formal, chunky wood stand.
Wall color
The walls in the bedroom (and every other wall in the house) are painted with Silverplate by Sherwin Williams. I’m sticking with the gray, since I spent so much time painting my furniture. Next year I plan to paint the walls and add a stencil feature on the wall behind the bed.
Floors
There is no money in the budget for floors at this time. We’ll have to keep the carpet for now but I can’t wait to remove it and add hardwood floors. I don’t like the color of the carpet. It’s gray, but sometimes it looks brown, and sometimes it looks a bit pink!
Furniture
Dresser
I bought this dresser before Rich and I were married, so it’s over 27 years old! It’s traditional, so I decided to paint, distress, and antique it.
Chest of drawers
I painted the chest of drawers to match the dresser!
Bed
Several years ago we needed a new mattress and purchased a king instead of a queen. Therefore, we could no longer use the bed that matched the dresser and chest of drawers. So we decided to buy a cheap upholstered headboard until we had the funds to purchase a new bedroom suit. I never really liked the olive drab color and it did not fit with the French country feel. So, I painted it too! Nothing is safe from the paintbrush in this house! I love how it turned out.
Nightstands
We wanted to purchase new nightstands in KY, but never got around to it. It was a blessing in disguise because this bedroom is wider than our last bedroom. I knew we needed large nightstands to fill the space on each side of the bed! Finding large nightstands is easier said than done! And they are expensive! Instead of buying nightstands, we purchased two dressers in the kid’s furniture section. Don’t be afraid to buy furniture and use it for something other than it was intended!!
Bench
The tufted bench is a new purchase! It fits the space perfect and helps add to the French country look of the room. I bought it from the At Home store.
Chairs
Nothing says French country better than Louis-style chairs! I originally bought the two chairs for the ends of my dining room table. They were on clearance at World Market, and I couldn’t pass up such a great deal. Unfortunately, the arms do not fit under the table. They’re a bit too tall. So, I moved them to the bedroom. And guess what, they look fabulous there!
Wall art
I purchased the old tin ceiling tiles many years ago. They were hanging in the great room at our old Kentucky home, but I decided to put them in the bedroom in this house!
I originally purchased the decorative wood pieces, over the doors, for my foyer. They did not look good there and had been sitting in my walk-in closet for months. I decided to try them in the bedroom instead.
Accessories
Bedding
I purchased the soft white flowing bedspread from Wayfair in the Kelly Clarkson Home line.
I made this french pillow from leftover fabric I already had. Another DIY coming soon!
Shopped my house
I don’t have money allocated in my budget for accessories, so I had to shop my house for decorative items. Keep scrolling to see what I came up with!
painted old items to update them
A lot of my accessories were dark colors, so I painted some of them to get a lighter and brighter look! Adding a little bit of paint can completely change an item!
Each of the pictures above has one item I painted a while back. To see how I transformed the items, click here!
I was tired of the gold frame on our wedding picture, so I gave it a bit of an update along with the smaller frame and the candlestick holders! Which way do you like best?
Makeover complete
Well, what do you think of my beautiful French country-inspired master bedroom makeover? In just seven easy steps, I have a whole new room! What do you think? Did I capture the French country feeling?? I hope this inspires you to research and find out what your décor style is! Do you have a room you’d like to makeover? Let me know in the comments below!
Blessings, Donna and Rich
more makeover inspiration
- How to makeover a bedroom into a rustic retreat
- Eat-in kitchen makeover
- No Demo Master Bathroom Makeover
- Amazing Table Set Makeover with a Stencil
- How to Turn a Basket into A Pendant Light
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**Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support. (disclosure policy)
Ruth Connor says
Everything always looks so cute. nice and professional done. I wish I was several years younger, Bill was still here to help me, so we could do things like this. My handyman is gone, don’t want to replace him but wish I had a good reliable handyman for work around my place. Keep up all the good tips.
Donna Allen says
Thank you for those kind words! I would not be able to do this without Rich’s help! I know you really miss Bill! I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog! I have lots of fun things planned for Fall and Winter!
Lisa says
You are so handy with your painting makeovers. I think your new room looks lovely.
Donna Allen says
You are too kind! Thanks so much! Donna
Ella says
New to the site, your bedroom redo is pretty, my opinion only, it needs a pop of color.
Donna Allen says
Hope you continue to enjoy our blog! We value everyone’s opinions. Have a wonderful day!