Rental Remodel: Dreaming of travel

Before it's time to pack up this place and hit the road home, I better share with you all our final Rental Remodel: the Master Bedroom. Honestly it was the first remodel completed, but because we didn't really do that much, it didn't really cross my mind to show it until now!

Comprised of things collected from our travels both here and in Mexico, the bedroom came together easily and we finished it off with one big showstopper (no, not that eyesore of a television!). We can't really take too much credit considering that we had a pretty great foundation to start with - vaulted ceilings, a dark wood closet, and great french doors that give way to lots of light!

The showstopper of course being our antique carved door - the 2nd love of my life!

After using gallons and gallons of paint in the guest room, we gave up on the idea of painting this monster of a bedroom and left the walls white. At least they were fairly clean. We may have taken the plunge with a soft yellowy taupe, but when we found the showstopper that takes up a huge amount of empty white wall space, the decision was easy.

Ok, so maybe calling it the love of my life is a bit of an overstatement, but all joking aside, I had secretly been pining away for an amazing carved wood door for a long time now, so when we came across this one tinted my absolute favorite color, it was a sure thing. To add to the charm, the door comes from Totonicapan, the very first traditional village that we visited when we first came to Guatemala.

Propped up against the headboard of our giant bed, it fits perfectly as a statement piece.


We brought the comforter and shams with us - a steal of a deal at HomeGoods before we left. I knew that I would want some comforts of home to help us settle in and it doubled as our bedding in Dewey for the long drive.

The hand embroidered pillow covers and shawl at the foot of the bed were purchased in a fabulous artisan market in San Cristobal de Las Casas in Chiapas.

The throw blanket and rug were also purchases from our travels. The rug was a splurge purchase in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico. After watching the process and learning about a long standing family rug business, we again couldn't resist. The throw came from our first trip to San Juan La Laguna. Don't the soft colors give it away?


A few little extras adorn the nightstand and desk, like the amazing hand crafted jewelry box we again splurged on in Cabo San Lucas, a little black ceramic dish from San Bartolo Coyotepec (where I stash my earrings) and a cute woven basket to hold my nightime needs, purchased from a co-op right here in Antigua.


The room really isn't anything fancy, but it's definitely filled with lots of fun memories.

Here's the breakdown:
(Remember that even though several of the purchases were splurges for us, we'll use them in our future home back in the states too!)

comforter set: $40 - brought from home
4 pillow covers: 130 pesos ($13)
shawl: 60 pesos ($6)
rug: 1000 pesos (yikes! $100)
throw blanket: Q450 ($54)
jewelry box: I honestly don't remember but maybe around $50
ceramic dish: 40 pesos ($4)
woven basket: Q30 ($3)
.................................................................
total: $270 (Our most expensive room by far, but filled with lots of keepsakes!)


Sadly friends, this final room brings us to the end of our budget friendly, rental remodel overhaul. In case you missed the other 4 rooms we featured, here are links to all of the posts: guest bedroom, living room, kitchen, & the great outdoors.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing the dramatic changes as much as we have enjoyed making them. And just maybe you even picked up an idea or two? Remember, there are tons of ways to spruce up your rental without making permanent changes or costing yourself a fortune! Happy DIYing!