Here’s My Journey of Decorating My Own Bedroom

Last week, I walked into my bedroom with a basket of clean laundry and stopped right in the doorway.

The room looked exactly the same as always – a pile of folded clothes that never made it into the closet, a bedside table holding far too many little items, and a corner that should have been a workspace but had turned into a place where things went to hide.

I stood there for a moment and realized that every part of the room served a purpose, yet none of it felt like me. It was strange, because I put so much love into decorating the living room, the nursery, and even the small hallway shelf, but somehow my own bedroom kept slipping to the bottom of the list.

That quiet moment made me understand that I needed a space that felt comforting and connected to the things I cared about. So I decided that last week would be the week I finally changed it.

Creating a Real Bed Setup With a Recycled Headboard

The first thing I focused on was the bed, because it had been pushed against the wall for months, and it always looked unfinished.

I always wanted a headboard but didn’t want to buy something expensive or newly manufactured. Since my goal was to decorate in a way that felt friendly to the environment, I started searching for secondhand options.

Evan found an old wooden door in a local giveaway group, and we drove to pick it up during one of my baby’s naps. The door had chipped paint, a few dents, and a small mark that looked like someone once leaned a bike against it. Instead of seeing flaws, I saw character.

When we brought it home, I cleaned it thoroughly, and while my baby played beside me with a measuring tape, I sanded the rough areas until the wood felt smooth enough to touch comfortably.

Next, spraying a clear protective coat on it made the grain stand out in a subtle way. Once we secured it behind the bed, the whole room felt different. It wasn’t fancy, but it had history.

Building My Work and Craft Corner

After the bed area looked settled, I turned to the messy corner that I’d been avoiding for months. I wanted a place where I could sit down to write, check my messages, plan my blog posts, and make small crafts without needing to clean everything up immediately.

I moved a simple wooden desk next to the wall and wiped it clean. Then I brought in a corkboard I saved from another project.

I pinned notes, a few Polaroid pictures, and even some tiny paper scraps that my baby had scribbled on last month. I also grabbed a few glass jars from my leftover collection and filled them with ribbons, twine, dried flowers, and pens.

Putting these things together made the corner feel calm and organized. I kept the desk light, added a small warm lamp, and placed a woven basket underneath for quick storage.

Setting Up a Houseplant Shelf Near the Window

Next, I wanted to bring in something alive and green. I had a secondhand wooden shelf that was sitting unused in the living room, so I carried it into the bedroom and placed it near the window that gets a gentle amount of morning sunlight.

One by one, I added the plants including a pothos with long vines, a fern that needed a new spot, a small peace lily, and two propagated cuttings that finally had enough roots to be in their own pots. Some pots were repurposed from older crafts, while others were simple secondhand finds.

As I arranged them, the corner changed completely. The green softened the whole room. That small shelf became a part of the space I didn’t even know I needed.

Hanging Orchids by the Two Bedroom Windows

The bedroom has two windows facing each other, and last week I decided to use those spaces for hanging orchids.

I had a few orchids in my collection that needed more light, so I cleaned a set of recycled hanging baskets, lined them with breathable material, and placed each orchid carefully inside.

When I hung them, they immediately brightened the windows. The leaves caught the morning light, and my baby kept walking to each window to check on them.

Creating a Wall Display of Family Photos

Another part of the bedroom that I wanted to change was the empty wall beside the closet. I gathered a few frames that I had stored in a box — some old, some mismatched, and some slightly scratched. I cleaned them, painted the borders in soft, natural tones, and printed photos that made me smile.

There were pictures of my baby sitting on Evan’s shoulders, a photo of the three of us by the sea, and a few small snapshots of ordinary moments at home like afternoons spent reading, mornings in the kitchen, and even one picture my friend took during a picnic.

When I arranged the frames on the wall, the room instantly felt more personal. Every time I walked past the wall, it reminded me that life is built from the small, quiet moments we sometimes forget to appreciate.

Adding Decorations From the Sea

There’s a basket of sea items I’ve collected over the years such as driftwood, smooth stones, and shells from beach trips that stayed with me. Last week, I decided to finally use them instead of letting them sit hidden away.

I placed a few pieces of driftwood on top of the headboard, arranged a handful of shells near my plant shelf, and used one round stone as a simple paperweight on my craft desk.

These tiny decorations made the room feel grounded and natural, as if the space carried part of the peaceful feeling I always get when I’m near the ocean.

How the Room Feels Now

By the end of the week, the bedroom didn’t look like a place I rushed through anymore. It felt like a space shaped by my own hands, my own choices, and the things I care about.

Nothing matched perfectly, and nothing looked like it came from a magazine. Instead, everything carried a sense of effort, intention, and gentle creativity. I am so proud of it.