You may remember that I recently created a blog post called 1 Glam Living Room 3 Different Budgets which you guys seemed to really like. So since I had such a positive response to that one, I’m back again today doing something similar but this time with a bedroom design.

I’ve always been a bit of a bargain hunter myself but as time has gone on, I’ve found myself slowly upgrading certain pieces while at the same time, trying to find similar looks to those luxury products I crave at a price I can actually afford. I’m a sucker for a splurge, don’t get me wrong, but my bank balance isn’t always all that supportive of my tastes and so I think it’s really important that before you are handing over that hard-earned cash, that you have a look around to see if you can find a similar item but at a cheaper price point.

That’s not to say that luxury items aren’t worth considering if you can get a similar look for less. In fact, with cheaper, mass-produced items, you’ll always have to make a few compromises. Luxury items come at a higher price often for good reason – they might be hand-crafted using traditional methods passed down generations or they might be built from really high-quality fabrics or materials, they may have been produced using ecologically better practices or they might just contain some design details* that really make the whole piece. These are things you won’t often get for lower priced items.

*For some further reading on this subject, I’d highly recommend the book The Finer Things by Christaine Lemieux. He details why certain items hold a higher price tag and how to look out for those details that make an investment piece. I found it incredibly informative. (Plus, it’s a really pretty book for a coffee table but that’s just a bonus!)

This post may contain some affiliate links. You will never pay more when clicking on these links but I may earn a small commission as a thank you from the brand for the referral. All pricing accurate as of 24 June 2018.

The Budget Glam Bedroom – Total Price £1454

Wall Mural / Light Fixture / Mirror / Bed / Rug / Chest of Drawers / Gold Contact Paper / Faux Ficus Tree / Side Table / Flowers / Hanging Chair

So first of all, let’s talk about that bed, shall we? It’s from one of my favourite places for really well-priced furniture – Made.com (they featured heavily in my living room post and that stunning light fixture is from there too). I have been searching for a pink velvet bed that doesn’t cost the earth for ages now and when the Margo was released earlier this year, I was so excited. It’s less than half the price of a few others I had my eye on and it’s still different enough with it’s stitching detail to create a wonderful focal point in a room. Oh and that side table? That’s not a crappy piece of plastic – it’s from Kartell so you’re getting a designer piece for less than a hundred quid. Not bad, eh?

I also wanted to mention the wall mural. I had to check and recheck that price but Wayfair has that 3 meter x 2.4 meter beauty for £37!!! I mean WHAT. That price is insane. A whole wall mural for less than the price of a single roll of luxury wallpaper. Honestly, it’s a crazy good price and it’s had great reviews on the site too. I also really loved that cute hanging chair (I’ve always wanted a hanging chair in a room) and was so excited to find this one for £155. Then, after creating this post, I found it even cheaper – just £125 at Beaumonde. Boom.

The Premium Glam Bedroom – Total Price £4654

Wall Mural / Light Fixture / Mirror / Bed / Rug / Chest of Drawers / Faux Ficus Tree / Side Table / Flowers / Hanging Chair

So we come to the Premium room which contains items that are perhaps a little higher quality than the budget board but not quite as crazy expensive as some of the pieces in the luxury board. I’m rather in love with the glass table for £129 from LaRedoute. I just think it looks so high-end with that brass top and so “designer-y” (totally a word) for such an incredible price.

The chest of drawers is a favourite and one I’ve had my eye on for a while. It’s from West Elm and it’s definitely more of an investment piece but the texture on the drawers and the little details like the brass pulls are incredibly classy and would elevate an entire room. I also think that rug is stunning – it looks really authentic without the ridiculous price tag you usually get with pieces this size (160 x 230cm!) but it’s also handmade from high-quality wool and is beautifully soft which means its great quality will last for years. They do carry it in a bigger size (200cm x 290cm) at £589 but it’s still a good price for such a large piece.

And finally, the hanging chair is just gorgeous, isn’t it? Yes, it’s a bit higher in price but it really looks like it’s built to last with added cushions for comfort. I could see myself curling up in there with a good book for hours. The peonies in the glass jar are probably my favourite of the 3 different ones I’ve found and I find it’s always worth spending just a little more for good quality fauxs. I can see this sat on the chest of drawers with the mirror behind for the perfect romantic touch.

The Luxury Glam Bedroom – Total Price £11,579

Wall Mural / Light Fixture / Mirror / Bed / Rug / Chest of Drawers / Faux Ficus Tree / Side Table / Flowers / Hanging Chair

And finally, we get to the luxury board. The one where “money is no object” and I actively looked at luxury retailers with their corresponding luxury price tags. I admit, I was a little aghast when I realised the total of this bedroom came to just shy of £11,500! Holy crap on a cracker. But that’s not to say you’ll want to dismiss everything on the board. It’s worthwhile looking at some of the details…

The wall mural is a favourite of mine. It’s Ellie Cashman’s Incandescent Rose Wallpaper and I had included it as well on my blog post about trending florals. I’m a little obsessed with this one if I’m honest. The finer details are breath-taking. The blush pink bed you’ve also seen before from Sweetpea and Willow and I had to include it again here. It is simply beautiful with elegant brass details and luxury velvet fabric – it’s an investment piece for sure but it’d be the centrepiece of your space so well worth it if it’s within your budget.

The glass bedside table is another designer piece from Kartell but I adore the simplicity of it and love the idea of your vase of flowers seemingly floating above while the mural is allowed to peek through it. With regard to the flowers… Okay, I couldn’t see myself spending £290 on faux flowers. I would prefer to spend that money on a fresh flower subscription – but, saying that, they are incredibly realistic. Oh, and I’m am rather smitten with that beautiful chest of drawers – the feet and the hardware are what give it that wow-factor.

The ficus may not look much different from the others but this one is made with a real ficus trunk and it’s clearly much fuller than the others so you’ve got that ‘indistinguishable from the real thing’ factor which you’ll pay more for. As it’s something that will never die and you’ll have for years, it may be worth spending that bit extra on something that looks so much like the real deal.

A Final Thought…

I said it in my previous post like this but it’s absolutely worth repeating: I think the best thing about comparing prices or doing this sort of research when you are designing a space is that you can easily mix and match. So you might have fallen hard for the Ellie Cashman wallpaper but to save some money, perhaps you might want to buy the IKEA chest of drawers; you may have your heart set on the Chesterfield-style bed but you might want to look out for some inexpensive bedside tables to go with it; you may love the lowest-priced hanging chair but want to splurge on the most expensive rug. This way, you cater your space to the budget you have to work with.

Also, consider what you’re actually spending your money on. For instance, when you look at those mirrors, there’s almost NOTHING between them in terms of the design so why spend an extra £150 if you don’t have to? There’s a MASSIVE difference in price between each of the different designs (between the budget and the luxury looks, that’s a difference of more than £10k!!) and yet, the final effect for each aren’t worlds apart. I think I could just as easily enjoy living in that Budget room as I could in the Premium or Luxury rooms.

So tell me, which is your favourite room and how would you mix and match to create your perfect space? Let me know in the comments!