Quick recap for those new to the blog – in October 2019 we purchased a 1915 Victorian Home on Galveston Island that needed a ton of love. Our dream was to make this place not only a vacation home where our entire family could gather, but also a rental property for other families to make great memories at when it was not in use by our own.

Being over 100 years old, you can image that there was quite a bit of work to be done to get this historic home ready to list for a vacation rental. The home is able to sleep (12) in proper beds, and as a busy working Mom I know that on vacation something we all absolutely need is a good night sleep. Creating comfortable, beautiful bedrooms with high quality mattresses was top of my list when turning this home into The Firefly Inn.

Our first step was to paint the entire interior of the home (all 3,000 SF!) – so by the time we were ready to begin furnishing it, we were tight on budget AND at the beginning of the pandemic.

The global supply chain was collapsing. Stores were no longer open if not essential, so let’s just say I had to get CREATIVE to get this place furnished. I bought as much as I could through Facebook Marketplace, Target, and Big Lots because frankly those were my only options. The “Before” photos below show the home as it was previously furnished, but none of these pieces came with the home when we purchased it.

Below is a Before + After shot of each bedroom to show you how paint, furniture, and style can absolutely transform a space – even on a budget…even during a global pandemic!

The Jewel Room (1st Floor, King Size Bed)

I went with a gorgeous jewel tone for the walls (SW 7618 Deep Sea Dive) and paired it with crisp white trim and gold accents. The room is large with high ceilings so it could handle this deep, saturated color. My favorites pieces in The Jewel Room were both finds from Facebook Marketplace. The dresser had a broken leg and was a plain wood tone that we bought for $40. We fixed the leg, painted the dresser white, and painted the hardware gold. Same story for the mirrors behind the nightstands – I found the pair for $100 and spray painted them gold, they look and feel like a million bucks!

The Blue Room (1st Floor, King Size Bed)

This space was long and skinny. The previous owner had the bed blocking the double closet doors leading to the under-the-stair storage. By doing this they cut up the room and made it feel impossibly small – also, they made some serious storage space completely inaccessible! It was my goal to get a King Size Bed in here with two nightstands and make the room feel more spacious. I had to find the smallest iron bed frame possible to make this work and believe me, these nightstands just BARELY fit. Putting a rug underneath the bed helped define the circulation space and the lighter blue wall color (SW 6219 Rain) helped brighten the room overall. By relocating the bed placement I had room to include a desk and chair for someone to work from the beach (which was critical during quarantine).

The Balcony Room (2nd Floor, Queen Size Bed)

This 2nd Floor bedroom was another long, skinny room that had the furniture laid out in all the wrong ways. By tucking a Queen Size bed into the bay window with two small nightstands (rather than having the bed on the long wall across from the french doors) it made this feel SO MUCH more spacious. This room gets a ton of light so I chose a bold blue for the walls (SW 7609 Georgian Revival Blue). Putting two small leather ottomans at the end of the bed provided seating for putting on your shoes or getting dressed. We also upgraded the window coverings to 2″ blinds and put room darkening curtains on the french doors. This is my go-to room when we stay at the beach because it feels so magical with the beautiful blue walls and natural daylight. It’s also right off The Library Room where our twins sleep, so we’re close enough if someone needs us in the middle of the night – but still behind closed doors so we don’t disturb them while they’re sleeping.

The Library Room (2nd Floor, Twin Daybed + Twin Trundle)

This room functioned as a living space, which seemed like a waste to me because the house already had three other living/multipurpose rooms across both floors. As a parent of young children I really wanted to create a space that could function as a play room, a place to turn on a movie and lay someone down for a nap, and be adjacent to the parents room for easy sleeping arrangements. With this room being right off of The Balcony Room it was the PERFECT answer to my parenting-design wish list. The Library Room now features a trundle bed so it can be tucked away during the day for play space but pulls out at night to sleep two kids. We also added a bookcase full of books (for both parents and kids), a TV that’s high enough the little ones can’t touch it, and a comfy armchair for story time.

The Sun Room (2nd Floor, Queen Size Bed)

This room is surrounded by palm trees and has a view of the ocean but you would never have known that with the previous styling. This room was overloaded with furniture making it feel small, dark and heavy. We simplified the furniture layout and used the same gorgeous paint from the Jewel Room to provide depth and contrast against the palm tress and sunlight. This room is truly magical to wake up in.

The Beadboard Room (2nd Floor, Two Twin Daybeds)

This room came together as another kid/teen-friendly space. My teenage niece and nephew really came into mind when choosing daybeds over traditional twin beds as they’re always laying on a couch looking at their devices. Using beds that feel more like couches means this room could function as a hang out space or a bedroom, providing privacy and flexibility. We used the same soothing blue from The Blue Room for the walls and added side tables that could double as nightstands or serving trays (the top lifts off) for carrying their dirty dishes and snacks back to the kitchen. Teens ALWAYS be eating, y’all.

I hope you enjoyed learning the story of furnishing these bedrooms with style and on a budget! Even a pandemic was not going to stop our dream of The Firefly Inn coming to life.