In this first‑person DIY vlog, Katt G chronicles the transformation of a guest bedroom in Arlington, Texas, into a "Lotus Moon" boho‑glam space for under $1,000. The narrative begins with a personal backstory: a 2009 move from Michigan with only $800, the loss of an IKEA Malm bedroom set, and the later decision to gift that set to her daughter, prompting a fresh makeover. Katt outlines a step‑by‑step sourcing strategy, emphasizing thrift finds and online marketplaces (Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Amazon, Wayfair, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ross, etc.) and price comparisons that saved hundreds of dollars. She documents the purchase and assembly of a full‑size trundle bed ($395 total), a $30 dresser that she refinishes with Rust‑Oleum spray paint and upgraded hardware, a $35 Evoke Peacock Ivory rug, a $50 mirrored desk, Zinus mattresses, and various decorative pieces. The video details DIY upcycling techniques—spray‑painting, hardware replacement, contact‑paper application, and bolt‑cutting—along with design decisions such as a charcoal‑gray accent wall (Valspar Chimney Smoke), gold lotus contact paper, and a curated boho‑glam palette of blues, golds, and neutrals. Installation highlights include swapping an old fan for a Bed Bath & Beyond chandelier, mounting a 42‑inch TV with a no‑stud kit, and concealing cords with cable organizers and decorative gel‑glue jewels. The total spend reaches $780, leaving $220 for linens and final accessories. Katt closes with a motivational message about creativity over consumption, encouraging viewers to pursue budget‑friendly home makeovers.
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Hey y'all, so you want to give your guest room a glow up without breaking your budget? Same. I'm absolutely in love with my guest room makeover, but it didn't always look like this. Trust me, let me tell you how I got here to my budget guest room makeover and for under $1,000. Okay y'all, so this story starts back way in 2009. I relocated from Michigan to Arlington, Texas, which is a suburb just outside of Dallas. It was myself, my daughter, who was a teen at the time, and my dog, Pico. At the time, y'all, all I had was $800 to my name. We packed everything that we could into one of those shipping pods. This one was through a company, I believe it was called U-Pack or U-Ship. So we packed everything that we could into one of those. However, My bedroom set wouldn't fit. I had a very nice Ashley Furniture, beautiful, um, wood bedroom set, but it wouldn't fit, so I had to leave that behind. And when we arrived in Arlington, I had absolutely nowhere to sleep. Once we arrived in Arlington, an entire day later because it is 2,000 miles away, I found an IKEA Malm bedroom set on Craigslist of all places. Not sure if you remember Craigslist, but before Marketplace. Not— wouldn't say before eBay, but definitely before Marketplace, there was Craigslist. I also hired a complete stranger off of Craigslist to help us unload our shipping pods. This IKEA Malm bedroom set has been with me for over 15 years, y'all. That's 3 apartment rentals and 2 homes. And get this, it still looks just as good as it did all them years ago. Fast forward to today. My daughter relocated to Houston, and I decided to gift her the entire IKEA Malm bedroom set. It's absolutely time for a guest bedroom glow up. But you know me, we definitely not breaking the bank. I'm talking a full guest room makeover with thrifted finds, marketplace gems, and of course, I got to add in that DIY glam, all for under $1,000. I think it can be done. Do you? I absolutely know it can be done, and I'll show you exactly how I did it, starting with a clean slate. First and foremost, it's time to get rid of this old fan. I actually gifted it to my neighbor and replaced it with this modern glam chandelier from Bed Bath& Beyond, and I happen to have a small credit there, so that helped. Plus, they always offer the 15% off coupon. This parrot uncle chandelier is gorgeous. It's the perfect size for my medium-sized bedroom and only cost me By the way, everything discussed here is also published on my website in more detail, so definitely be sure to save this for later. Now that the lighting is done, I'm going to start shopping for my largest pieces because they'll take up the most space and have less flexibility, of course. Starting from the largest piece and then going down to the smallest items, I knew I wanted a trundle bed. I thought it would be perfect for my daughter and future guests, and because it can sleep between 3 and 4 people, With a full-size mattress on top, and the lower would roll out a twin-size mattress. I found the trundle beds sold locally here to be much more expensive than Amazon's and Wayfair's. So here I am on Amazon looking for a dark, easy to clean, and modern trundle bed in full size with a twin at the lower. I really like the style of this one because it's modern, because it's vintage and timeless. The nail heads make it look even more expensive. The price isn't so bad at $259, but with the shipping being around $170, I think I can do much better. In the end, I found the exact same bed for a total including delivery and taxes at $395, and I assembled it all by myself. My daughter offered to help, but I figured it out before she could even arrive. Now it's time for our next largest item. While waiting on my chandelier to arrive, I went on the hunt for a dresser with minimum 6 drawers. My requirements were simple: modern frame, solid build, easy to fit in my SUV, and just in need of a little love. Facebook Marketplace came through with this $30 gem. Smooth drawers, clean surface, basically a DIY dream. So I gave it a fresh start with spray primer, then rolled on a glossy black finish with Rust-Oleum's Ultra Cover paint. Instant elegance. These glam gold and marble knobs were leftovers from another project, and I even trimmed the screws down because they were too long with a gigantic bolt cutter to make them fit. A little elbow grease never hurt. Then I added leftover gold back plates, which were from my past Tahitian tree armoire project, just to the 2 top drawers for a little designer touch. Simple, stylish, budget-friendly, and now she looks like she came straight out of a Highland Village boutique. Don't we just love a good glow up? I'm in awe. And now it's time for our color theme. Yay! I found this area rug on Facebook Marketplace for $35. Y'all, this right here is why I thrift with absolute intention. This stunning area rug, also known as the Evoke Peacock Ivory Transitional Rug, is giving elevated boho meets timeless vintage statement piece energy. Now get this, I snagged her on Facebook Marketplace for just $35. Yep, $35, and she's currently being sold online for $399. She looks just like new to me, but based on my Google search, she's traveled here from far away places. This is your friendly reminder that your next luxe-looking, vibe-setting home find might not be in a showroom. It could be just chilling in someone's garage waiting for you to buy it to glow up your space. On to the next. Another treasure, y'all. Found this elegant mirrored desk for $50 on Marketplace, and as you can see, as of today, this exact desk is being sold currently for $184. This is a steal and the perfect glam piece for my space. So if you search for this exact desk, you'll see it's currently being sold between $153 and $570. Talk about a markup. No wonder so many furniture stores Are closing down indefinitely. I also found brand new Zinus mattresses on Marketplace, $40 for the twin, $80 for the full. They're comfy, durable, conveniently packaged, and come with a 10-year warranty. Retail who? I saved around $80 just by checking Marketplace first. Based on these current retail prices today. Now it's time to brighten up the bland in this space with some paint, y'all. So next up, accent wall time. I had some leftover paint in the color Chimney Smoke by Valspar, so I decided to do an accent wall right behind the bed. Bellspar calls it a deep charcoal gray with a blue undertone, and it totally coordinates with my rug's color palette. Plus, my gold wall art is definitely going to pop. I couldn't wait to paint my $10 Opal House bamboo side table using Rust-Oleum Gloss Navy Blue spray paint. It turned out so gorgeous with just 2 coats. I kept the original hardware and lined the drawer with this stunning gold lotus contact paper I found on Amazon for just $7. This contact paper was so easy to apply using a blade and scissors, and one roll This gold lotus contact paper is so fabulous against this royal blue, which got me to thinking of the perfect name for this room now. I'm feeling extra special scoring both this rattan chair and wicker corner shelf on Marketplace for $20 each. I gave them a fresh glow up with Rust-Oleum black gloss spray paint, and now they're serving cozy boho glam magic on a thrifted budget. I actually found the exact same corner shelf being currently sold for over $300 retail today. The shockery! I snagged these 2 mustard cube stools on Marketplace for just $15, and this royal blue velvet beauty with storage, only $30. And it's still on Amazon in more colors if you're feeling fancy. These stools are boho chic gold, and this designer pattern, a total vibe. Affordable, stylish, and ready to level up my guest room. Total spent so far is $780, which is pretty darn good to furnish an entire room from a blank slate. slate, and with only the bed and light fixture being purchased retail. Plus, I got 2 beds for the price of one going with this trundle daybed style. This leaves me with $220 left over for linens, wall decor, and final accessories to complete this zen bohemian glam space. I found this 3-piece gold lotus metal wall art on Amazon for $53, but it appeared more brown than gold to me, so of course I painted it with one coat of Rust-Oleum Rust-Oleum metallic gold spray paint. Believe me, it's going to make a difference. Once dry, I use 3M adjustables to position each panel on the wall perfectly before nailing. This is such a beautiful focal point above the bed. The next gold iron infinity wall decor is going above the mirrored desk. I found it at my local Ross store for $17. I'm also going to mount this large arched gold mirror between the bed and the desk facing the doorway to make the bedroom appear larger. I mounted a 42-inch TV I already owned to the wall right above the dresser using this no-stud Hangman TV mounting kit from Amazon, but it's also sold at Walmart. It was so easy to mount by myself, thus saving myself the $80 installation cost. Since I absolutely can't stand seeing power cords, I covered the TV cords with a cable organizer from Amazon and then blinged out the COVID with amber jewels using Gorilla Clear Gel Glue. This guest room glow up All me, y'all. No crew, no budget blowouts, just vision and a whole lot of thrifting magic. While the rugs sparked the color palette, but the real inspiration, that dreamy boho zen vibe my daughter loves. I blended her woosa with my glam and somehow it just clicked. I brought in cozy layers with plants, candles, crystals, and even a gold Buddha I've had since 2020. I shopped my own home and threw in a few budget-friendly finds from Amazon, Five Below, Family Dollar, and Temu gave it that final glow without breaking So that completes the list of items I thrifted for under $1,000 to furnish this entire room from a blank slate.
And since I named my home Fabulous Fortress, I decided to name this room too. I am calling it— or should I say, introducing— Lotus Moon. Let's take a short tour so you can see why.
That is all, y'all. Thank you so much for tuning in on my journey and my fresh start of my newly primarily thrifted and DIY guest bedroom makeover. Your engagement with anything I share on this platform helps the algorithm share my videos with other like-minded new friends, so I appreciate your liking and sharing my videos in advance. With prices rising and budgets stretched thin, it's easy to feel like creating a beautiful home is out of reach for many of us. But the truth is, home isn't built by what you can buy. It's built by what you create with what you already have and how much intention, creativity, and care you pour into it. The soul of your space, well, that comes from within. Thank you so much for watching and subscribe for more.
