For a long time we were comfortable helping others solve design problems while quietly ignoring one of our own: the other side of our master bedroom. It never made it into our before-and-after gallery, and we often avoided photographing it because it looked so awkward compared with the better-styled side of the room. Put simply, it was a small design mess that didn’t match the rest of the space.

When Sherry surprised me with a large, comfortable leather chair we thought it would pull that side of the bedroom together. Instead, the dog crate and a strangely proportioned dresser used as a side table made the arrangement feel off-balance and cluttered. The chair was great, but the surrounding items competed with it instead of complementing it.

We set out to create a bedroom makeover that would feel cohesive and intentional without spending much money. The first step was to shop our own house. We needed something taller and more vertical to visually balance the built-ins on the opposite wall. The solution was our floor-length mirror, which had been living in the third bedroom. This mirror was actually a thoughtful surprise I’d given Sherry as a wedding present, and placing it opposite the bed provided height and a reflective focal point that bounced light and attention toward the most attractive part of the room — the cozy built-in bed and the window above it.

To complete the composition we brought in a small Target side table we already owned. But once the mirror and chair were in place, the table’s top looked disproportionately small. Rather than buy a new furniture piece, we applied a simple DIY solution inspired by other small-scale projects we’ve done: enlarge the tabletop.

We picked up an inexpensive 24-inch tabletop from a home improvement store and attached it to the original 16-inch table base. The new tabletop only overhung the old top by about four inches, so the existing pedestal supported it just fine—stable and proportional. After securing the tabletop, we primed and painted it white to blend with the room’s lighter tones and to offset the dark leather and wood.

With the larger table in place and painted, we removed the dog crate from the bedroom (Burger, our dog, was happy enough to move it to another room). We added an oversized vase found at a discount store and styled it with free greenery from our backyard. Those two small styling moves gave the corner a finished look and introduced texture and height that connected visually to the rest of the room.

In total, the only purchases were the tabletop and the vase, costing about $33 combined. We also sold the old IKEA dresser on Craigslist for $30 because the bedroom’s built-in closets made it unnecessary. That effectively reduced the net cost of this small bedroom makeover to nearly nothing. The three sunset prints that previously hung over this area were relocated to the third bedroom, where they look great and help make up for the mirror we moved.

The final result feels intentional, balanced, and light — a reminder that thoughtful placement, a few small DIY adjustments, and strategic use of what you already own can dramatically change a space without a big budget. Have you tackled a small but meaningful makeover in your home? We’d love to hear about creative, budget-friendly solutions that transformed awkward corners into attractive, functional spaces.