English Coastal Bedroom Makeover: Big Style in a Small Space

The back story: We purchased our 1940’s home in 2020. It’s a classic New England cedar shingle, cape cod style house that once was a small seasonal beach house. Little by little we’ve been renovating – starting with the one room cottage on the property and then with a major remodel of the kitchen. Most recently, we focused on our primary bedroom , incorporating an English coastal vibe that fits the style and location of this house.

Updated October, 2026

Our Small Primary Bedroom: Before and After

Adding Character to a Small Bedroom

Adding a Closet to a Small Bedroom

Our bedroom is a very small space (11 x 11) so the goal was to infuse as much function and character as possible. We started by sacrificing a little bit of space from our adjacent living room in order to give the bedroom a much needed double closet.

We changed out the small circle finger pulls that came with the closet door to large rectangular solid brass door pulls. It’s a small change but details like these can really elevate the overall look and feel!

Adding Coastal Character with Shiplap Walls

Adding shiplap to the two exterior walls and new trim moulding around the windows and doors gave the room a little architectural interest. Painting it out in Simply White also makes the room feel light and bright. You can read more about the shiplap installation here.

Keeping the Original Wood Floors

The old hardwood floors were in decent shape and I love their vintage character. for now I’m enjoying the simplicity of the bare wood. Maybe in the fall I’ll feel the need to cozy up the room with some bedside rugs. An area rug would be pointless in a room this size with the bed occupying most of the floor space!

Working With Windows and Bed Placement

The room has two windows and originally I planned on adding curtains to both of them. But after installing one set on the window behind the bed, I decided not to do drapes on the side window. I like how the drapes “frame” the bed, making it a focal point, and at the same time I like the simplicity of the shiplap on the side window wall. Sometimes less is more!

Bedroom Lighting That Sets the Mood

We replaced the boob light with a light/fan combo ceiling fixture. We like a little air flow at night and you can barely hear it! The wicker style adds to the coastal vibe. We are really pleased with how well this fixture looks and functions.

The picture lamps above the nightstands were a nice thrifted find for only $3 for the pair! I used rub ‘n buff in European Gold to make them look more like a matching set.

Layering an English Coastal Bed

Initially I thought we would add a headboard but here again it didn’t seem necessary once the curtains were installed. It would also have brought the bed out another 6 inches from the wall, eating up valuable floor space in our small room. For the bedding, I already had all-white bedding basics including the linen duvet cover. I added a Pottery Barn pleated linen bedskirt which I found on Ebay. I needed an 18″ drop and this one fit the bill.

For a little English vibe, I purchased a nutmeg brown gingham check duvet from H&M. I am loving the gingham trend right now but I’m guessing I will tire of it eventually so I went lower-end on this piece. Serena & Lily, Heather Taylor Home and Piglet in Bed are all sources for high-end quality woven gingham duvets. The biggest differences between my low-end duvet is that the gingham pattern is printed on the fabric rather than woven and it is a cotton/poly blend rather than linen. However the fabric is soft and gives me the trendy look I was after.

Collected Coastal Pillows

I made the body pillow insert because I like down/feather inserts in all my pillows and an insert this size is expensive! You can read how I made it here. The sage green linen cover is from Target’s Casaluna line and is a great value. I wanted to keep my pillow game simple as I make this bed everyday and don’t want to fuss with a bunch of pillows. The body pillow camouflages our four sleeping pillows nicely and adds a little color. The linen style stripe pillow is from my Etsy shop.

HomeSpunStyle.etsy.com

Making the Most of Small Bedroom Storage

One of the tradeoffs with a cozy old cottage is storage space. While we added a modest closet which helped a lot, I had to get creative with ways to gain even more storage. Two large under bed rollout bins were a must for storing our off-season shoes. These Rubbermaid containers were very inexpensive at my local Good Will.

This old J. Crew straw beach bag not only looks cute but secretly contains our off-season hats and gloves.

And above our large armoire, I was able to squeeze in another storage basket for sweaters.

Finishing Touches: Accessories and Coastal Details

All the wall art is vintage. The two paint by number bird prints were actually the inspiration for the entire room! I thrifted these a few years ago and had been saving them for just the right spot!.

I also found the vintage oil seascape in its original frame at a thrift store. I love how it has similar colors to the bird paintings. It was $10 and included the frame. I rub ‘n buffed all three frames in European Gold.

Refreshing the Room with Existing Furniture

Our nightstands and armoire are a dark cherry wood. As much as I’d like to replace them with something less formal and lighter in color, nothing has surfaced yet on FBMP at the right price and right location. For now, I am downplaying the formality of the nightstands by adding a few vintage decor items.

Also, our armoire is huge and holds a lot of clothes so I doubt that I will find anything comparable but we’ll see what comes along. The white washed wicker storage basket does help visually to throw some lighter tones over to that side of the room.

Blending English Country & Coastal Styles

Bringing English country style together with a coastal vibe might seem like an unlikely pairing. English country interiors tend to embrace layers, pattern, and collected pieces, while coastal style often leans toward a lighter, more minimal look. But I think we found a happy balance that feels right for our Cape-style home and the Jersey Shore town we call home.

Here’s a little look at how it all came together!

Sources & Budget

This makeover was a mix of high and low budget items with the biggest spends on the shiplap and ,closet doors. The PB curtains and West Elm storage basket were also pricey but I was able to used credit card points to purchase them.

• Shiplap, trim, paint -$700
• Pottery Barn Emery linen curtains 2 panels $320
• Ballard Design French return rod/rings $120
• Closet doors – Home Depot $330, unlacquered solid brass door pulls $25
• Bedding – H&M gingham duvet $65, Target body pillow cover $15, PB bedskirt from Ebay $59, Etsy stripe pillow $28
• Lighting – Home Depot ceiling fixture $130, Habitat Restore picture lights $3, Wayfair Birch Lane Momsen lamp $54
• Storage – West Elm lidded wicker storage basket $145
• Decor – Walmart bubble planter $8.50, small picture frame $20 – Etsy , large accordion rack $15 – Ebay
• wicker demijohn, bird prints, seascape, linen books, straw beach bag, storage containers on wheels were all thrifted at various times

Part of Our One Room Challenge English Coastal Bedroom Makeover

This bedroom makeover was part of the Spring 2024 One Room Challenge. If you’d like to see the project details and weekly progress,, you can revisit the earlier weeks here:

• Week 1: Design Plans
• Week 2: Shiplap Walls
• Week 3: DIY Down/feather Pillow Inserts

Debra