The last 12 months has seen a lot of focus on the home front, with all of us working from home, living 24/7 in the one environment and in each other’s pockets. It’s normal to want spaces that can be a haven. Sharing with others has put a further spotlight on the need and desire for personal space to escape to and quiet space for working.
There is an increase in people feeling the necessity of reassessing the look and feel of their homes, however often the conversation doesn’t get past that first free Discovery Call, because they have not thought about how much their project will cost & if it fits into their budget.
Have you ever wondered how much it really costs to furnish a bedroom (and we’re just talking furniture, feature lighting and decor here – not even going to touch upon paint, flooring, wallpaper, curtains, installing pendant lighting, labour costs, etc….)? Coming from a commercial background where I work closely with builders on projects that vary from hospitality to spa to retail & offices, you get used to checking the $ value on every item on the shopping list, accounting for delivery & assembly costs, and it all adds up very quickly indeed.
I work to a budget, selecting furniture to suit the basic needs of a layout, as well as mood and style – it’s a juggling process; if one thing costs more, then a saving must be made elsewhere. An experienced designer will know where to make savings while not compromising your overall dream.
Many people will never be in a position where they are able to redecorate and furnish an entire room from scratch at once. Even if moving out of home for the first time, preloved furnishings and appliances are likely to be gifted & scrounged from family, then added to bit-by-bit when the financial means become available. When was the last time you sat down and examined the cost of replacing all the furniture in a room at one time? I bet like me, it’s one of the tasks I avoid, and a topic that usually comes up when I re-evaluate my home and contents insurance once in a blue moon.
So at a minimum, what do you need in a bedroom?
- A bed: with a bed frame or bedhead & base, and a mattress
- A dresser or tallboy
- Bedside table/s
- Shelving
- Occasional chair or ottoman
- And let’s add a desk & chair because we’ve all realised that sometimes you need to work, and it can do dual duty as a vanity
- Bedside lamps
- Mirror
- An area rug (to conceal the old carpet)
- Doona and pillows, bedlinen
- Wardrobe
Let’s explore a recent project for a young adult’s small bedroom (2.9m x 2.9m approx). The furniture & accessories for this project was all sourced from entry level suppliers, with a couple of mid-level small luxuries thrown in to elevate the overall look & feel. This is for Average entry-level quality (ie. no name brands, basic equipment, self-assembled furniture).
This project also includes painted walls, trims, doors & ceiling that the client intends to paint herself, professional cleaning of the existing carpet and new DIY installed roller & roman blinds that are not included in the breakdown below, which the client will project manage herself.
Also considered are the little details such TV & Xbox wall brackets to tidy the tech and gain back valuable desk space, and because this budget did not extend to adding new power points, consideration had to be made for hiding cabling to the TV and wall lights which happen to be on opposite sides of the room from the one existing power point. The new lighting solutions took time to source as the client’s wish-list included mood lighting that would elevate the style of the room – elegant DIY lighting solutions are difficult to find as most fixtures need to be installed by an electrician.
All of the selections below were sourced retail (many from affordable stores like Ikea), as my client opted for the Classic Full Service – 1 Room Package, custom designed to suit her individual needs and taste, with a few wish-list items thrown in. Specific dilemmas were addressed; the room was small and my client could not determine how to start planning and selecting the right type of furniture to suit how she wanted to use the room (sleep, work from home, make-up station, playing XBox, room to accomodate friends, etc).
| Queen size Daybed & mattress | $757 |
| Butler Tray table | $79 |
| Chest of 5 Drawers | $279 |
| White & Gold Office Desk | $299 |
| Upholstered Velvet Dining Arm Chair (for desk) | $345 |
| Geometric Milen Tribal Rug | $199 |
| Grey & White striped Cushion Cover x 2, Grey cushion cover x 2, plus inserts x 4 | $70.96 |
| Grey & Pink Accent Cushion | $69.99 |
| Dusty Pink Chunky Knit Throw | $199 |
| Dressing Table Mirror | $89 |
| Glass Wall Lamp | $149 |
| Batten Fix Light Shade | $49 |
| Decor for desk and chest of drawers sourced from Kmart & Ikea | $60 |
| Bed linen sourced from Target & Kmart (excluding new doona and pillow inserts) | $63 |
| Picture frames & ledge for gallery wall sourced from Ikea | $80.92 |
| TOTAL | $2788.87 |
These prices do not include delivery, assembly or installation & taking away packaging, all of which you’ll need to allow extra for; every supplier is different and charges will vary for these services.
For further information, go to My Blog post How much does it cost to furnish a Master Bedroom? which breaks down the costs of furnishing a Master Bedroom.
Just saw the plans and OMG they look absolutely amazing! You have captured the design I had in mind really really well!
Paige
(please pin the below graphic to your pinterest board for reference)
Lisa Elliott Interior Design 