After moving into her home six years agos, Kasey Cunneen hasn’t been able to find the time to give her main bedroom a makeover. But with the slower pace of life 2020, the mother of five found a bedroom makeover to be the exact small-scale reno she wanted to tackle.
WATCH: Tara Dennis’ bedroom makeover
Better Homes and Gardens Online chat with Kasey about her gorgeous makeover.
What did the bedroom like before the renovation?
The room lacked any character and was extremely plain, apart from new paint and floors. Our bedroom makeover had always been at the bottom of a very long reno list, however, once Covid hit earlier this year I decided I needed a small, fun project to tackle. I was home with our children full time for around six weeks and used this project to get a little ‘me’ time amongst the craziness. Apart from an initial trip to Bunnings for supplies, the rest I was able to mostly order online.
What inspired your renovation?
I find DIY projects and renovating calming and I really enjoy dabbling in interior styling. I gain a lot of my inspiration from Pinterest, Google Images, and Instagram. We have found due to a pause in our children’s extra-curricular activities and a quieter paced life, we have had a lot of extra time to tackle renovations which has made 2020 (so far) a very productive year for us around our home.
Have you done any renovations before this?
My husband and I have slowly been working on renovating our home over the past six years. With busy work lives and five children, it has been a much slower process than hoped and we often have multiple projects on the go at the one time. We are currently bricking in garden beds and a fire pit area in our backyard, while also tackling the beginning stages of a bedroom makeover for our son.
What kind of look were you after?
I have always been drawn to the cosy, homely feeling of a modern farmhouse. Living on a cattle farm it seemed the right style for our home and recently I’ve started trying to incorporate a few vintage elements into my home. After a day trip to the Coorong earlier this year, I felt drawn to the greens and warm stone colours I had captured in photos. I’ve always been a fan of green and was inspired to include these colours into our makeover.
What were the biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge for me is often the fact we live rural and our closest Bunnings is 45 minutes away, which can result in a pause on projects. Thankfully we have a small hardware store in our town for most of our basic purchases. Online shopping is also a major plus when living rural.
Another challenge I faced was the small size of our room and the location of the doorway which meant we are unable to centre the bed. I struggled trying to get the balance for this room right, however I’ve actually grown to like the fact that the bed isn’t centred.
We also had a few head-scratching moments at the beginning while working out the maths and spacing for our board and batten wall. We often tackle most of our indoor projects at night once the kids are in bed which means our tired brains are usually ready to switch off which isn’t always ideal.
The renovation process
Board and batten wall
1. Measured wall to work out the required lengths and amount of moulding needed.
2. Calculated the board and batten wall spacing, then used a length of moulding we traced their locations onto the wall.
3. Attached the vertical lengths first and then the horizontal pieces. We used screws to attach moulding to the gyprock.
4. Putty all screw holes and joins and caulked the edges where the moulding meets the walls for a more seamless finish. Once dried, sanded back ready for paint.
5. We purchased primed MDF mouldings which saved us the task of priming.
6. Painted board and batten wall, using Dulux Flinders Green.
Floating timber shelf
1. Sanded timber and stained, using a mix of stains to achieve the desired colour.
2. Using small pieces of leftover timber, attached extra supports to either end of our wall for the timber to sit on.
3. Attached timber to the wall using screws. Drilled down into the top of the timber (on a diagonal) into the wall studs. Also screwed timber into the extra supports added either end of the wall.
Other DIY projects included
1. Spray-painted old bedsides and attached new handles.
2. Painted vases/plant pot using paint sample pots from Bunnings with a mix of baking soda to add texture. Rubbed with dirt to add a distressed/aged look.
3. Painted frame gold and black to give a more vintage look.
4. Painted lampshades.
How long did it take you?
It took about 4-5 nights working on the board and batten wall and a number of weeks searching and purchasing all the items ready to complete the makeover and style the room.
How much did you roughly spend on the renovation?
It cost $150 for the board and batten wall and timber shelf.
Total cost is approximately $970.
Budget breakdown
Primed MDF moulding from Bunnings: $57.10
Paint: $39 for 2 litres
Filler & Caulk: $24
Timber for shelf: $35
Stain & screws: already had
Black Rust-Oleum Satin Black Spray Paint (for bedside tables): $13.59
New bronze handles for bedside tables (set of 6): $14.95
Queen Linen quilt cover from Pillow Talk: $179
Euro Pillow Covers from Target (x2): $40
Natural Gigi washed linen cushion from Target (x2): $50
Konstanse Striped cushion from Ikea: $9.99
Black & white striped throw purchased from Chapel & Co
Faux Fern in concrete pot from Target: $15
Faux succulent from Target: $20 (which I painted)
Black frames from Kmart: $11.50
Black Candlestick set from Big W: $19
Faux Olive Tree from Kmart: $25
Verve DIY Wall lights from Bunnings: $28.90 each
Vintage print and vase are thrift shop finds. Vase has been painted and print reframed.
Gold frame was approximately $8 from Browse In and Save. Was originally white but painted with gold and black paint to give a vintage look.
Favourite part?
My favourite part of our bedroom renovation was all the little DIY projects and the thrift shop trips. While I often struggle to find items in store to suite the style I’m trying to create it often results in a creative DIY challenge which I really enjoy.
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