Designing this bedroom in our Minneapolis short-term rental taught me an expensive lesson: never trust online product photos.
It was one of the first bedrooms I ever designed, and I made more than a few rookie mistakes. The first came when the rug arrived. The colors looked nothing like they had online, but returning it would have cost almost as much as the rug itself, so I convinced myself I could make it work.
Then the bed frame showed up.
Just like the rug, it was a completely different color than the listing photos. At that point, our budget was tight, so replacing either piece wasn’t an option. I pulled the room together as best I could and told myself it was “good enough.”
But every time I cleaned the house—which was often as a short-term rental host—I noticed the same thing. The wood tones fought each other, the colors never quite worked, and the room always felt unfinished. It wasn’t a terrible bedroom, but it also wasn’t a room I was proud of.
Eventually, after one particularly long cleaning day, I’d had enough. Instead of continuing to live with a design that bothered me every single time I walked in, I decided it was finally time to fix it.
Of course, budget and durability are always major considerations in a rental property. Starting over wasn’t an option, so I looked at what we already owned and asked myself, What can I reuse?
The answer was our own bedroom rug.
It had a similar style to the rugs in the other bedrooms, helping the house feel more cohesive, and because it’s wool, I knew it would hold up well to the wear and tear of a busy short-term rental. With the new rug paired with the existing bed, I went back to AI to explore different directions for the room.
One of my favorite parts of using AI is experimenting with the smaller details before spending any money. I tested different nightstands, lighting, artwork, and styling ideas until I found a look that felt warm and collected. The existing nightstands were inexpensive and already falling apart, so replacing them with these (which are now on sale for even less) was an easy decision—and the only immediate expense.
I also played with different desk options, but those could wait. I actually enjoy keeping a running list of “want, but don’t need” pieces. It gives me something to hunt for at estate sales, Facebook Marketplace, or antique stores, and I love when the perfect piece eventually finds its way into a project. I’ve found that waiting almost always leads to a better room than rushing to fill every empty space.
Although the nightstands were the only new purchase, I also shopped my own storage for the rest of the accessories. Reusing pieces is one of my favorite ways to refresh a room—it keeps costs down while giving forgotten items a new purpose.
Of course, that also means every piece isn’t a perfect fit. The artwork above the bed, painted by my sister, is much better scaled for the space than the previous piece, but if I were designing this room from scratch, I would probably choose a slightly different frame and overall size. The throw blanket adds warmth and color, but I still envision replacing it with an oversized, textured throw draped across the foot of the bed someday.
The room still isn’t exactly how I imagine it, and that’s okay. Small, thoughtful changes made a much bigger difference than I expected, and I’ll keep refining it as I find the right pieces.