I surprised my mom by transforming her room in four days, and I did it mainly by shopping second hand!
My mom hadn’t updated her room since she moved into her home. Since I refinish furniture and restyle spaces and I knew I could elevate her space, and do it with second hand items.
The Before:
We had talked about her desire to update her room many times over the summer. September rolled around and in the midst of travel plans and fall activities, I was able to find the perfect time to surprise her with a room transformation.
As the week of the transformation approached, I worried I gave my plan away as I repeatedly asked about what paint color she was thinking for the walls. I wanted her to let me know before she went out of town and the rest of the month got busy.
She let me know her preference, thankfully not thinking anything of it. After dropping her off at the airport, I got straight to work.
During:
I primed and painted the walls. I found and refinished new nightstands, as well as sourced pottery barn and west elm bedding, the rug, lamps, euro pillows, and decor items all second hand. The curtains and rods were not second hand and were purchased from Ikea.
On the day of her return, her flight came in close to 8pm and we were definitely cutting it close on time. Thankfully, her flight got delayed by an hour and I was able to get almost everything into place.
After a late pick up at the airport, I brought my unsuspecting mom home and watched her open her the door to her bedroom refresh. She was SO surprised! Her reaction was priceless. It was amazing to be able to do something I love for someone I love. Making a space you love is more than possible to do shopping second hand - and my mom's room is a special example of that!
The next day I was able to go in and add a few more finishing touches: placed the decor on the nightstands, steamed the curtains, and added a piece of art I let my mom pick out to hang above her bed.
The After:
What do you think about the updates? We have a few more things we will add in the near future, but this first phase of her bedroom transformation was so incredible to watch come together.
Can you believe most of these items that were pulled together are second hand? It's an incredible way to customize a space and to do so much more within your budget!
If you're wondering if refreshing your space in this way is possible for you, please let me know! I would be happy to help bring your vision to life!