Anyone who is familiar with cape cod style homes knows that the upstairs bedrooms can present a little bit of a design challenge, especially when one is used as a master bedroom. Recently, we were working with a local client who had just purchased a traditional brick cape cod style home that was badly in need of updating. Because the whole house was in need of renovating their budget had some major stretching to do and we went for maximum impact with a minimum budget.

When it came time to work on the bedrooms, the client chose to use one of the upstairs rooms as a master bedroom to be closer to their young children. Here is the room before we got started....

As you can see, this room left a lot to be desired. The plaster walls were cracked, the light fixture was outdated, the electrical outlets were not up to code, the window sills were crumbling, and of course the two-tone mustard colored walls were in dire need of a change.

Despite the growing to do list, there were a lot of bonuses that we had to work with too. The cape cod's original hardwood floors were in good shape and were easily salvaged, the trim was in good shape and the client planned on keeping most of their existing furniture.

The first thing we did was to update the electrical to bring it up to code. Since the outlets and light switches all had to be replaced we wanted to give the home a fresher and more modern feel and paying attention to small details like using streamlined rocker light switches, simple, clean-lined switch plates and child-proof outlets helped to achieve this style detail while keeping the home family-friendly.

Next, we got to work on the floors and walls. Since the floors were in good shape they only required a little refinishing to really bring them back to life, which saved a ton of money and helped to keep this project on budget. The plaster on the walls and particularly around the windows got some much needed love and repair. Then finally it was time to give this little cape cod bedroom a fresh coat of paint!

I absolutely LOVE the power of paint. It is without a doubt the most affordable way to completely change how furniture, a room or even a whole house looks and feels. I love the way the color and even texture (at times) has the power to elicit emotions and create not only a sense of style but a sense of character and personality for a space. But enough about my love for paint!

For the cape cod master bedroom, the clients were looking for a light and airy feel for their retreat. To prevent the room from feeling like a cave with the low ceiling and slanted walls, I wanted a light color to keep the room bright without making it feel stark. The color also needed to complement their existing furniture which was predominantly a creamy off-white color with dark wood accents. For the walls (and ceiling) we chose Behr OR-W6 Coconut Ice and used Behr #75 Polar Bear for the trim and doors.

To keep to the budget, we kept the existing closet and bedroom doors but gave them a face lift by painting them in Behr #75 Polar Bear white and replacing the outdated brass door knobs with new oiled bronze ones. The old light fixture that looked as if it might break at any moment was replaced with a sleek new flush mount drum light fixture with a linen shade from Progress Lighting.

When it came time to furnish the cape cod bedroom, we were able to use the existing furniture and décor with minimal additions to stay on budget. The one thing we did have to splurge on was a new headboard. The client's previous headboard was too tall for the slanted cape cod walls, so we found a much shorter upholstered option that kept with their light and inviting bedroom style.

After the cape cod bedroom redesign, the space had been transformed. Gone was the cracking plaster and mustard walls, and instead a cozy and welcoming master bedroom retreat had emerged.