How to Create a Primitive Country Bedroom Makeover Plan in 6 Easy Steps

Let me guess - you know that it's time for a change in your bedroom but you don't know where to start? When it comes to planning a makeover, Primitive Star Quilt Shop has been helping people just like you transform their bedrooms for years. We've broken the process down into 6 easy steps to help you create a bedroom you will love to walk into. 

It was actually my desire for a bedroom makeover that led to the start of Primitive Star Quilt Shop. 

My husband and I were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, and a new look for the bedroom became the project to mark that event. Living in an older home and loving antiques meant that when looking at new bedding, a quilt was an obvious choice. I went on a search for a patchwork quilt, and discovered VHC Brands and all their beautiful bedding collections! We choose the Kettle Grove quilt for our room and got matching pillows and curtains!

Kettle Grove Collection

Kettle Grove Patchwork Quilt Collection

I fell in love with the quilt we had purchased. It was just what I had been searching for and added so much warmth and coziness to our room. This bedding is still one of my favorite patchwork patterns!  After seeing the Kettle Grove bedding collection in person, I knew that I wanted to offer these quilts to other primitive style lovers. I immediately began building my online store. Primitive Star Quilt Shop was launched in August of 2010!

I love being able to offer quilted bedding collections "like grandma used to make" to my customers and help them create a warm inviting home. If you are new to the quilt shop, you're welcome to read the whole story about how 25 years of marriage led to the birth of the quilt shop.

As you can tell, I know how wonderful a bedroom makeover can be - and how hard it can be to find what you like. So, let's get started with the first step of your bedroom makeover!

To help you walk through the process of deciding what your bedroom needs, we created worksheets and will guide you through the steps of filling them out. These worksheets will provide clarity and give direction to your bedroom makeover plan.

6 Steps Worksheets

STEP ONE - Atmosphere

As you consider the atmosphere of your bedroom, let's talk functionality. How do you typically use the room? Is it the family gathering place for late night talks? Does it end up being more of a home theatre with a large screen TV? Does it double as an office? Is your room open to all your family members, very welcoming and lived in? Does it look like a page out of a magazine with perfectly fluffed pillows at any given moment of the day? 

Step One Worksheet Know what works for you and your desires and write down the main uses for your bedroom.

 

 

 

 

Now let’s talk style! Do you know what your style is? How do you describe the way you decorate? For some of you this is going to be super easy! You can name it right now! Farmhouse, country, primitive, rustic, cozy, romantic. But I am going to assume that some of you have never given the word “style” a thought. And that is OK! Maybe you are just a relaxed mix of early-American-goodwill-hand-me down-sentimental-thrift. That’s perfect too! 

Step One Worksheet Do your best to name your favorite style and keep filling out your Step One worksheet.

 

 

So now, take a good look at your room and, in your mind at least, remove all the clutter, and furniture. What is does the foundation of your room look like? How tall are the ceilings? What are the walls? Are they painted, paneled or wallpapered? How about your baseboards? Are they wood or painted? Does your room have carpet or wood floor?

Here's how Kayla B. was encouraged after working through these 6 makeover steps. "Considering foundation, furniture, and accents are important. I was amazed at even though I wouldn't have said I desperately need to update my bedroom, I found that I had an underlying dislike for it and really needed to freshen it up!! It also opened my eyes to how I look at other rooms and potential changes"

Start Thinking About Color

Color options

With that foundation in mind, I want you to start to define your color scheme. We will talk about this several times as we go along with a big focus on paint colors in Step Four. For me personally, color is probably my biggest factor in planning a room and its theme. So really take some time and consider what colors you always migrate to in your home décor? What’s your color personality? Do you favor brights, lights or darker colors? For additional help with your thoughts on color, read 10 Ways to Decorate Your Bedroom with Primitive Country Color.

Step One Worksheet OK finish filling out your worksheet with foundation details and get a few of your favorite colors on paper. If you can narrow it down to one color pallet, that’s great. But it's also ok to give yourself some options and write down a couple of your favorite choices. We'll help you fine tune your color scheme as we go along.

If you are still not convinced the time is right for a bedroom makeover, you can always read 3 Great Reasons For a Bedroom Redo. 

STEP TWO - Bedding and Rugs

In Step One we helped you define your style, consider the foundation of your room and start to think about colors.

In this step, we’re going to talk textiles. So, first take an inventory of what textiles you already have.

These are things like quilts and bedding, sheets, pillows, rugs and curtains. We will go into even more window and curtain detail in Step Three. So, I’m sure that some of you have already decided that you want to completely replace what you have and start over. But that is not always the case for everyone.

Step Two Worksheet On your worksheet, do a little inventory check and decide what you are planning to keep and which items need to be replaced.

After 10 years in the home decorating business, I can say that everyone looks at this process differently, I have customers who are ready for a makeover after 2 years and others who think it might be time after 22 years. I also have customers who purchase multiple quilts that coordinate so they can switch them out with the seasons.

As you review your current textiles and determine what you will replace and what you will keep, some questions you might ask yourself are:

Are there pieces that you can re-use or repurpose?

Quilts

Does your current quilt or comforter go with the theme you want to create? Maybe the quilt on your bed was handmade by a family member and would be better preserved by hanging it on a quilt rack in the corner of your room. Possibly your old bedspread could be repurposed and become your camping or picnic blanket. We  have a large variety of over 90 styles of quilt collections. If that many choices makes it too difficult for you to decide, we can help. To narrow the choices a little bit, this article features just a handful of quilts in 3 Popular Quilt Designs to Inspire Your Primitive Country Home Decorating.

Primitive Quilt with Star Pattern Designs


Primitive Country Patchwork Quilt Designs

 Primitive Country Log Cabin Design Patterns

Rugs

Another thing you want to do is take a look at any rugs you have in the room. Are they showing signs of wear or do they still have a few good years left in them? As you look at the rugs, review your color choices and the style you defined yesterday. Can you see your rugs fitting in? Maybe they can be reused in another room of the home.

Primitive Country Rug Style Options

When it comes to rugs, what kind of texture is your preference? Do you want something fuzzy, braided jute, or cotton? Do you like solid rugs or ones with a pattern? Consider the busyness of the pattern and think about how much traffic it will get. Many people like to put a runner along the side of the bed. If you want to put an area rug under the bed, a good rule of thumb is to get the rug big enough so that least one piece of furniture will fit on it and possibly two. You can use a rug even if you have carpet just to bring in a splash of color.

Pillows

Headboard Pillows for Primitive Bedrooms

Next, take stock of the pillows on your bed. Are you someone who likes a lot of pillows or do you think less is more? I have found that the majority of our customers like a large grouping of coordinating pillows and shams at the head of their beds. Are you familiar with euro shams? Euro shams are the ones that take those large 27” square pillows. Those are especially practical if you like to read in bed before you go to sleep.

Step Two Worksheet As you have been making this list of what to replace and what you want to reuse that means you should also make a list of what items you know you want to purchase. At this point, many of us will need to set a budget. Some of you might be at a place where a budget doesn’t really matter too much. For others, this is great time to set some goals or maybe talk it over with your husband. 

Hannah E. was challenged to update her guest room. "I had been wanting to give my guest bedroom a makeover but didn't know how to go about that without breaking the bank. I didn't think I had much to work with and didn't know where to begin. Going through these 6 steps helped me to discover what I really needed and wanted in that room, and helped put a vision together on what changes I needed to make to get the look I wanted. This ended up being such a fun project and didn't even feel like work! I was able to completely change the look and function of that room!" 

At Primitive Star Quilt Shop, you will find we have a variety of price points to fit most budgets. You can visit our bedding collections page to see what all we have to offer and the coordinating pieces in each collection.

When adding coordinating pieces, some people prefer a more eclectic approach to decorating, mixing old with new, mixing large bold prints with small stripes, checks or florals. They don’t like things to be all matchy-matchy. Others feel much more comfortable and pleased when the whole bedding ensemble coordinates and the room as a whole makes a statement. Each of you have to decide what will work for you.

Step Two Worksheet Keep filling out your worksheet. Create your list of to keep, need to replace and need to buy. If you get stuck, talk with other family members since they know your likes and dislikes and can offer suggestions.

OK! If you have your first two worksheets all filled out give yourself a pat on the back. You have accomplished a lot already and you are well on your way to creating a cozy primitive country bedroom!

STEP THREE - Windows and Curtains

In Step Three we are going to talk about windows and curtains. Our customers often ask us questions about curtain fullness, the size of their windows and the curtains styles we offer. Since the size and shape of windows can vary so much with each house depending on the architectural style and the era in which it was built, it’s important to measure your windows to find what will work best for your bedroom.

Windows and Curtains

So, grab your tape measure and make some notes on your worksheet. I added a couple of different window shapes too, to help you get a visual. Circle which shape your windows are most like or draw your own.

We have several different curtain styles. We show you some of our options in this next picture.

Curtains

Primitive Country Style Curtains

Our panel curtains come in two sizes. Many of our valances are available in three different widths. Our tiers come in 24” and 36” lengths and combine well on a window with swags. The prairie style curtain is very popular with primitive country decorators and those come in swags and two longer lengths. Some of our patterns also come in door panel.

You can see we have a lot of options! What you choose will be based on your window size and most importantly, your personal preference. In our older home, many of our windows are long and very narrow. I like a lot of fullness and I also like for my woodwork to show. Most times, I use a small tension rod to hang my curtains.

Windows and Curtains

Take a minute to think about your favorite style of primitive country curtains and write some ideas on your worksheet.

Next, consider how full you would like your curtains to be. This is probably the main question our customers ask - “How many curtains do I need for my size window?” Once you have your windows measured and know your preference for fullness, that will help you determine how many curtains you need for each window. To clarify, when I say "fullness", I am talking about how tightly the rod pocket curtain material is gathered, or bunched, on the rod. The average standard is at least 2 times the width of the window. So, if your window is 36” wide then curtains that are 72” or 80” wide would work great. If you like more gathers, you can always add an extra set of panels or a valance to add fullness the rod. You can see how those of us from the Quilt Shop have chosen to hang the curtains in our homes in the video featured in How to Choose Curtains For Your Home. We show several examples of gathered fullness on various size windows.

Windows and CurtainsSince you already have your window measurements, calculate 2 times the width as a suggested fullness number. Or, if you want extra gathered fullness for your curtains, calculate 2 ½ or 3 times the width. These numbers will be very helpful when you decide to order your new curtains.

You will also want to take a look at your curtain rods. Will they still work or do you need new ones? What finish is your favorite? What rod thickness do you want? Most of our curtains have a 3 ¼ rod pocket and look great with a larger rod. However, as I mentioned before, I have found that thin tension rods work well too.

Windows and Curtains Make a note of what Curtain rods you have and what you might need to replace.

Here at the quilt shop, we have a huge selection of over 90 different curtain fabrics. Most of those collections have at least 6 different types of curtains. With so many fun choices, we think there is something for everyone!

Shower Curtains

Primitive Shower Curtains

I want to take just a minute to talk about a master bath. You might want to at least put some ideas for the bathroom down on paper. Especially if your bedroom and bath are all connected you’ll want to consider those window sizes too and what other textiles you might need. Many of our bedding collections have matching shower curtains, so that could work out great for those of you with a master bath to take care of.

STEP FOUR - Color

Color is one of my favorite topics! Hopefully as you have thought through the different steps to creating your own primitive country bedroom you’ve had lots of opportunities to think color. We started with step one getting a rough idea of your go to color choices. And then, as we were working through steps two and three, you can’t think about the textiles in your room without picturing a color.

Choosing Colors

Primitive Country Color

This is the step to really nail down your color scheme. We’ve been prepping you for this moment all along. Hopefully you have had a chance to decide what items in your room you want to keep and reuse and what items you put on your need to be replaced list.

If new bedding is on your list, I trust you have browsed through the patchwork and striped bedding collections on our website. We have so many primitive country bedding collections and they come in everything from the popular primitive colors of black, burgundy and tan to more light and airy farmhouse favorites with light blue and grey. Our quilts are sold in twin, queen, king and luxury king and California king. I am probably a little biased here, but I believe we have something for everyone.

We are at the point where you need to decide what your bedding is going to be. The quilt naturally becomes one of the main focal points in the room.

Choosing Color for Your Primitive Bedroom So, on your worksheet fill in the color of your bedding - whether you are keeping what you have or planning to get new. If you want to buy bedding and you know that exact collection you want to use, then be as detailed as possible.  If you can’t narrow it down yet and you have two favorites – then my suggestion at this point is to print off two of the step four worksheets so you can have a plan for both options. This might seem like a lot of extra work but fleshing it out on paper might help you come to a conclusion.

Do the same for curtains and any rugs you might have. I also gave you space to write down some accent pillow colors and styles. And even though we haven’t talked about it much, you might have a large piece of artwork that is the focal point of your room and you want everything else to fill in the cracks around that statement piece. Be sure to include that on your worksheet as well and define the colors that stand out.

With all of that taken care of, it is time to talk paint! I really enjoy picking out paint colors to match my rooms. I always head to the local hardware store and get a bunch of color swatches to bring home before I get my paint. If you are purchasing new bedding, curtains or rugs, I definitely recommend waiting to buy the paint until you have some of the pieces that you can compare with the paint swatch options. That way you know you have a good match. Some customers like to order a sham or pillow first before they buy the whole set so they can see how things will look and get paint figured out ahead of time.

Choosing Color for Your Primitive Bedroom Get all your ideas on your worksheet and get ready to think about your bedroom furniture.

STEP FIVE – Furniture

We are getting close to accomplishing the goal of creating a bedroom makeover plan!

Whether your bedroom is large or small, another component is furniture.

The first piece of course, is the bed. A beautiful quilt is the focal point, but another important piece could be a headboard.

Our Reclaimed Wood Headboard

My husband and I didn’t have a headboard for the first 20 years of our marriage. Then for a few years we used a headboard from my grandparents. Now we have an awesome DIY headboard that my daughter and I made from reclaimed wood last summer. It's kind of a faux headboard, as it mounts on the wall. It has rich wood taken from a 100 year old armoire, and is a great platform for decorating. I just love the way our Willow Twig Lighted Garland looks draped over the wood. It is so cozy and romantic in the evenings too!

Headboard with lighted garland and Maisie Patch bedding

DIY Wood Stained Headboard

If you love to DIY, you could always make your own headboard. My daughter Hannah created her own DIY wood stained headboard. She walks you thought the steps from start to finish including the dimensions she used for a king and a queen. You can see on our original Pinterest pin for her DIY article that lots of other people have tried her instructions and love the way theirs turned out.

DIY headboard

Larger rooms may have a sitting area with love seat, rocker or coffee table. If your bedroom doubles as an office, you need to consider space for a desk or even a file cabinet. Smaller bedrooms mean you are looking for space saving solutions.

This is a time when you need to go back to asking yourself – Am I going to use what I have or does what I have need to be replaced or repurposed. I like to borrow from other rooms in my home. Maybe I change out this chair for that one, or switch a dresser for an armoire. Speaking of armoires, when my husband and I first bought the home we live in now, it had 3 bedrooms upstairs. We had two small children at the time and the room we choose to be ours had no closets at all. The other two bedrooms had a single tiny closet each. So, for the first 4 or 5 years in our home, we managed just fine without a closet in our bedroom. We had fun going to antique auctions finding large cupboards and armoires to add to our room.

Armoires As Closets Back in 1990!

Wood Armoire

While I look back at that original bedroom with great fondness, I am so very thankful that my husband is handy and has been able to update our bedrooms over the years by adding closets. I might also add that at that time the only bathroom in the house was downstairs. So, to those of you who are able to enjoy a master bath--count your blessings!

Furniture On your worksheet, take note of the furniture you have and whether you plan to keep it. Take a quick inventory of other rooms in your home and how you can borrow from another room and repurpose it for the bedroom. If space is tight, decide what your real needs are. Do you need to remove some of the furniture and find pieces that are more functional that can serve multiple purposes? I’m thinking of a bench or hope chest that can double as a place to sit and provide storage. Or, possibly the dresser you have takes up space in your room but doesn’t really have drawers big enough to store what you need it to. 

Maybe you love and use every piece of furniture you have but you just need to arrange it differently in the room. I have left you some room at the bottom of your worksheet for sketching out a possible rearrange. I have often times gotten some graph paper to make a scale drawing of the room, measured my furniture and added it to the picture. I know people who make paper cutouts of the bed, dressers and nightstands so they can move them around in the graph paper room so they can really see what will work and look the best.

If budget is an issue but you still want a change, you could try painting something to give it a completely different style. My friend Maura experimented with chalk paint on a desk in her bedroom. She had a lot of fun with it and was very pleased with the results. 

Chalk Paint Brings New Life to a Desk

Chalk paint desk

Be creative! There are lots of ways to get a new look in your bedroom without breaking the bank.

Furniture Get your ideas down on paper and keep filling out the worksheet.

 

STEP SIX – Finishing Touches

So far, you have given thought to the foundation of your room and decided what style you are going for. You’ve determined the textiles you already have and what you need to purchase. You have narrowed down your color scheme and chosen your go to paint colors. You've taken inventory of the furniture and considered if you need a room layout change. Some of you are planning some DIY projects with accent pieces. Way to GO! Are you getting excited to create your amazing primitive country bedroom?

Finishing Touches We have just a few finishing touches to talk about as we tie it all together. Get your worksheet handy and be ready to fill it in as you determine what you want to include in your room.

First, consider any personal or sentimental items that you want to include in your bedroom. Maybe you have one of those antique wash bowl and pitchers that belonged to a family member that you want to add to your dresser top. Maybe you are an artist and you want to include some of your own work. I know I inherited an antique wood clothes drying rack from my grandparents. It hangs on our wall and spreads out like a fan. I added that to my bedroom about a year ago as a way to organize my scarves. I just love it and it’s really practical, too!

Antique Drying Rack Used for Scarves

Antique drying rack used for scarves

Second, consider live plants or use silk greenery or florals in a basket, vase or galvanized piece. We recently added some plants to our bedroom. I did some research a few months back and there are several plants that promote sleep. We have spider plants and aloe vera plants in our room and I can tell a difference especially right after watering them. I was sharing this with a group of ladies a while ago and one suggested dividing the plants and keeping them at alternate watering schedules so there are more days in the week with newly watered plants. Great idea, right?

Add Plants to Your Bedroom

Plants for the bedroom

If you really enjoy plants, you could choose to make a plant valance! A few months ago, my husband and I had a remodeling project that included our laundry room. I had so much fun creating this window of plants next to a desk space we added to our laundry room. This room faces south so the plants get plenty of light. I just love it!

Plants as a valance

Next take a survey of your wall décor. Does it need an update? Do you prefer small groupings with several items, or one large statement piece? Consider a gallery wall instead of a headboard. 

When thinking about finishing touches, you will also want to think about lighting. Many of us have overhead lights in the bedroom. But you might also want to use some soft ambient lighting on your dresser or nightstand. We have a couple unique lamps for you to consider. Our mason jar lamp is awesome as it has a small night light option built right in.

Mason Ball Jar Lamp

Mason jar lamp with metal shade

We also have a black metal lamp with a black gingham check lamp shades that adds awesome primitive flare to the room.

Stonecreek Lamp with Black Gingham Shade

Black check lamp

Finishing Touches Fill out your last worksheet as you think about what finishing touches you want to include in your bedroom makeover plan.

I hope you have enjoyed our tips to create a plan for your bedroom! Or, maybe your home needs to a refresh in one of your guest rooms. If so, we can also help you Create a Cozy Guest Room with These Top Tips. Either way, we would love the opportunity to help with some of our awesome curtain patterns, rugs and bedding collections.

So Now You Have a Plan!

Not only do we love to help our customers choose just the right quilt collection, throw pillows, curtains and rugs, we also LOVE to see how they choose to put it all together and enjoy their primitive country rooms! I want to share several awesome customer pics to give you inspiration for making your space a wonderful place to relax and unwind.

Our Customers are Awesome!

Thanks to Diana, Susan, Monica, Kim, Debbie, Cyndi, Amanda and many others. We sure appreciate you choosing to allow us to be a part of creating your perfect primitive country bedroom. We love it when you share your pictures with us as it helps us get to know you even better!

Teton Star Bedroom Makeover

Teton Star Bedding

Patriotic Patch Bedroom Makeover

Patriotic Patch Bedroom Makeover

Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Bingham Star Bedroom Makeover

Bingham Star Bedroom Makeover

Braxton Bedroom Makeover

Braxton Bedroom Makeover

 Delaware Bedroom Makeover

Delaware Bedroom Makeover

Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Ninepatch Star Bedroom Makeover

Ninepatch Bedroom Makeover

Tea Star Bedroom Makeover

Tea Star Bedroom Makeover

Vintage Star Black Bedroom Makeover

Vintage Star Black Bedroom Makeover

Beckham Bedroom Makeover

Beckham Bedroom Makeover

Campbell Wine Coverlet Bedroom Makeover

Campbell Wine Coverlet Bedroom Makeover

Millsboro Bedroom Makeover

Millsboro Bedroom Makeover

Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Dakota Star Bedroom Makeover

Dakota Star Bedroom Makeover

Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Mill Stripe Bedroom Makeover

Mill Stripe Bedroom Makeover

 Cheston Bedroom Makeover

 Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Sawyer Mill Star Bedroom Makeover

Sawyer Mill Star Bedroom Makeover

 Stratton Bedroom Makeover

Stratton Bedroom Makeover 

 Cheston Bedroom Makeover

 Cheston Bedroom Makeover

Maisie Patch Bedroom Makeover

Maisie Patch Bedroom Makeover

So many beautiful bedrooms,

so many happy customers,

so many color choices,

so many peaceful nights sleep, (actually... this one is assumed)

and so many primitive country options!

Grab your worksheets, visit our quilt collections page and start sweetly dreaming of your next bedroom makeover!