Twice a year, a group of bloggers participate in a challenge to refresh a room in their home for just $100 or less. The brainchild of Erin Meyers, The $100 Room Challenge is a fun way for people to showcase their resourcefulness and results, as well as grow their audience on social media. I've always been impressed by participants' ability to do so much on a shoestring.
Over the last two weeks, I feel like I’ve fallen into one of Bob Ross’s “happy little accidents.” I never formally entered or tracked my progress but I somehow did a little change-up for well under $100.
Granted, this is not a major overhaul. Much of the room is the same, but décor tweaks here and there have Charlie’s room looking slightly different.
The Bed Upgrade
We are shuffling some spaces (more on that in a future post) and decided it would be smart to move Charlie to the larger, full-sized bed that was rarely used.
That way, when family or guests come to visit, we have a little flexibility to use Charlie’s room. And Charlie can move to one of Hank’s bunks. Not sure why we didn’t think of that sooner, but I suspect it’s because when we set Charlie up in his room, a full bed would have seemed way too large for him… oh, and Hank didn’t have bunks at the time.
Either way, here we are. And I have to say, the little guy is pumped about his new bed. Well, new to him. It’s actually a very old bed—the one I grew up sleeping in and my parents purchased on their honeymoon in Canada in the late 1960s. It is timeless and beautiful, and it makes me very happy to see it being appreciated.
A Few Good Furnishings
With the new bed, came new linens! I went with the Blavinda duvet and pillowcases from Ikea, which are pretty sophisticated for a five year old (you’re welcome future house guests). He thinks they’re luxe and burrows right in at bedtime.
With the taller bed we also needed a new nightstand solution. I found a quirky nightstand on Amazon that closely matches his bookshelf and desk.
Other items got shuffled around to accommodate the larger bed, and I think the layout is even better than before.
His bookshelf moved to a new wall,
He got a lamp intended for Hank’s room that ended up being better suited for Charlie’s,
We bid farewell to the blue dresser and pom pom lamp in favor of a gorgeous old dresser we had in the guest room, which I painted black,
Some of his books and knickknacks got switched around, as the treasures on his picture ledge only continue to grow,
Artwork that was on either side of the window is now stacked neatly on the left, and
His curtains got a little DIY color change.
More on Those Curtains
You may recall Charlie’s curtains were a burnt orange. I had dyed them using Rit (50% tangerine and 50% wine) but they were fading along one side of each panel due to the sun. I attempted to pull out the color using Rit Color remover and then went for a new shade to revive them.
I am happy with the results! I was hoping for a denim blue, and got fairly close by mixing 50% royal blue and 50% pearl grey Rit fabric dye.
Between the Rit, the duvet, nightstand and some paint for the dresser, this update had a pretty big impact for less than $80. Change is fun and it’s even better when you can do it for cheap.
In the end, I feel like Charlie’s room grew up a bit—which makes me a little sad, to be honest. Fortunately, he loves it. It’s still colorful and fun enough to fit his personality, but if we need the space, guests will find a relaxing room for their stay. And don’t worry, the blue bed and dresser will find a new home soon enough.
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