When my husband and I bought and moved into our house 12 years ago, our bedroom was never a priority. There were always more important issues like windows that needed replacing, dry rot in the bathroom, a carpet that smelled like old cheese…things of this nature.
I have written about the slow and steady progress of our house remodel, and I wrote about how, a couple of years ago, we finally added a *real* master bedroom and bathroom suite. During this time, while that part of the house was being built, I was adamant that the kids’ bedrooms and sleeping routines not be messed with. We managed this by moving our temporary sleeping quarters to the Living Room.
That’s right. If you had come over to my house, you would have been immediately greeted by a sleigh bed, upon entering. (You have no idea how many times I had to explain the situation to service people and others who came to our house.)
Anyhow, at the beginning of 2008, my husband and I finally moved into our bedroom suite, despite it not being all the way finished. {Even today, we still don’t have our final permits, marking the completion of our most recent addition.} Because the room was unfinished, I didn’t put a lot of effort into the decor. I made do with what I had.
Fast forward to April of this year…We had been using our master bedroom for 15 months, and it still remained blah. With my April focus on Conscious Romance, I decided to put some extra effort into our bedroom situation.
There were certain things I couldn’t physically fix myself –like the lack of crown molding and closet doors– but I managed to make some small changes that made a big impact.
The biggest thing I did was tack up some IKEA drapes to hide the interior of our closets. Even though our closets were fairly organized, the exposed contents dominated the ambiance. I already owned the drapes (from my days as a Stager) so there was no cost involved.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
The second thing I did was get appropriate lamps for our bedroom. We were using a couple of lamps that were also from my Staging inventory, and while they did the job, they were neither the right fit for the color scheme or did they offer that serene feeling I was trying to achieve.
I found these lamps at Target for $39 each. I think they make a huge difference, and I love them. In particular, I love their creamy-colored mercury glass finish.
The last detail was to add a couple of throw pillows. Now, these are not my first choice. I think I can do better, but they work for now. At the very least, they add a punch of color to the bedscaping.
I would like to add some wall art, but I don’t want to buy something, *just to buy something* — I’d rather wait until I find something that I love. I’d also like to change up my bedding.
Oh yeah. There’s also this…
I’ve mentioned that my husband works from home, right? And that his home office isn’t ready yet so he has temporarily set up shop in our bedroom? Yeah, it’s okay.
Afterall, I slept in my living room for over a year…a desk in my bedroom is nothin’!
Is your bedroom a sanctuary or a work in progress?
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Definately a work in progress. Am about to take some half way house photos as it happens. At least we have a comfortable bed now. In January this too was a disaster. progress is happening!
Wow, it looks so good! What a great transformation! For the past year or so I’d been sort of ignoring my bedroom too, thinking that I was going to move and that I’d work on making it perfect when I got to the new place. Well, earlier this year I realized I wouldn’t be moving until October and I decided to fix up my room a bit. I added a desk, got new dressers, hung some of my art, got new bedding and, man, does it feel a lot better now! It’s easy to sort of neglect the bedroom because it seems more of a resting place than anything else, but it really does make a difference to open your eyes every day to a room that you’re happy to be in. I love what you’ve with the room. You should be an interior designer!
it does look good. our bedroom is so-so. somedays it is a sanctuary and other days a dumping ground for everyones clothes.
@ mo~
I read your post about the improvements in your bedroom. I can’t wait to see photos. I’m sure the white walls will be much more serene than the pink ones.
@ PP~
ha ha Thanks, but I only know my own tastes for decor. It would be too hard to do for someone else. I’m glad you realized that you would not be moving for a while, so that you fix your room up a little. I was surprised how much of a difference it made.
@ Denise~
Thank goodness our room isn’t in a ‘central’ location, meaning that it’s not convenient for clothes-dumping. Besides my husband’s of course. He’s one of those people who ‘organize’ in PILES. ; )
Definitely a work in progress. . .Someday I will own a bedroom set (my husband thinks it is a waste). Right now our bedroom is a mix and match of furniture and accessories. I also have a desk in my bedroom that I hope to get rid of very soon, not much of a sanctuary. Oh well, someday hopefully I can share my redecorating.
It looks lovely Kirwin. Our bedroom needs to be re-done and freshened up. The wall colour came out wrong. I wanted a cappucino colour but when the paint dried it looked a funny shade of pink. So I painted it a different shade- which also came out a funny kind of pink. By this point I was too annoyed to paint it again so I just left it. So for the past five years we have had a bedroom painted the colour of plaster/a pinky-brown eggshell. It won’t be like it for much longer though…
@ Amy~
I don’t mind mix and match furniture, as long as it all “goes.” But I understand if you want a real *set*. I have a good friend who likes *sets*, and despises when pieces of furniture aren’t the same. good luck!
@ Shoestring~
Thanks! {Knocking on wood} I’ve had pretty good luck with my paint selections, so far.
Holy toledo Kirwin, those before and after shots look like they’re straight from a home reno show!
There’s been a couple of times when I’ve madeover a room in some way. It can make a huge difference to the feel of it.
We’re in a rental (albeit Mum and Dad own it which is handy) and it’s newly renovated so whilst much of the decor isn’t what we’d chose ourselves, it’s still a nice place. I especially love our bedroom. It’s huge, full of natural light and I love the bedroom furniture we bought.
That looks great! Its amazing what a few touches can do for a room. Our bedroom is pretty plain except for the furniture. We went 10 years with nothing but a mattress and bedframe and a dresser. Then, we came out some money ahead on a house sale and we bought an incredible bedroom set. So, for the past 3 years my room has been the bedroom set, nothing on the builder-beige walls. I seriously need to make the walls match the furniture!
@ Sami~
Ha ha…I think you were a little *too generous* with your compliments there! Thanks, though. As for your place, that’s awesome for all that natural light — there’s no substituting that feature!
@ Marci~
Thanks. Hooray for unexpected money in your house sale. You should definitely add some color and life to your walls.
My bedroom is a sanctuary, but an organised, clutter free sanctuary, not how I really want it! When we move I’m going for a more romantic look.
Yours looks great by the way!
It’s amazing what a difference those small changes made!
Depending on the day, my bedroom can either be a santuary, or a disorganized cluttered “work in progress.”
Great do over, goes to show what you can do when you set your mind to it. Really enjoying everyones creative posts full of inspiration to get up and make our space nicer.
@ pearl maple~
Thank you. When you set your mind to something, you can really make a difference. (And this includes anything in life!)
I’m so glad I saw your post tonight! We are working on re-doing our spare room (it was my craft room until last week) right now, but we really need to do our bedroom. It is awful! I think for our anniversary we’ll get started redecorating our bedroom.
Thanks for the encouragement that I needed. Simple changes can really make a big difference! Your room looks great!
@ Donna~
Welcome and thanks for visiting. Thanks for your kind comments about my room. I really believe that you can make a big impact on your room with small changes.
K ~ LOVE the bedroom makeover and the special touches you added. You prove that you don’t have to spend a ton of $ to make things look decorated and great.
I have to admit I snickered at before - unmade bed, After made and tidied up