That bedroom looks so calming! I really like the chair too :)

Awww...the puppy on the bed. :) I love the colors. Romantic, dark and calming all at the same time!

Lovely room! How did you get your curtains like that? I've been trying to do that in my apt.

I love the combo of the dark walls and wispy white curtains! And that rust chair is to die for in there. If you got a couple of throw pillows on the bed in the same color that would really top the cake. Nice room!!

What technique/stain did you use on your bench/table tops?

Oh boy..I guess I'm the odd 'woman' out. Not my favorite. It feels way too dark and I do like dark rooms. I think I would have liked to see more of the orange color through out. Maybe the lack of light...

Love it.

I think it's just a personal choice... some people prefer cave-like bedrooms and some like bedrooms that seem flooded with light. I'm a light person myself, so this doesn't do it for me. (Plus I swear we gave that same chair to Goodwill back in the 90s.) But I can see how this would be comforting for someone.

It's not my favourite, but I know the light in Boulder/Colorado is extremely bright and can be disruptive. (Not a lot of rainy days). I can see how it's calming. Lots of recycled touches here...very Boulder.

Hi all, Claire here - just found out that my room was picked for this and am so honored! Thanks for all the comments, questions and observations! It is quite dark, as some of you mentioned, but I was definitely going for a cave-like space to contrast with the lighter, busier living room. Definitely a matter of personal preference :), and mine change all the time - who knows, maybe I will end up with a light-colored bedroom one of these days!

The bench is slats made out of fence posts, picked up from the local ReSource Yard. For the top of the bookshelf, I used a combination of beating up the boards with a hammer, and a stain wash (Jacobean + water). It's just a piece of common pine from the big orange store. There's more info on the bench and bookshelf on my blog (link in my profile), if you feel like wandering around there. Hope that helps!

@Lyonstill, it is definitely dark, and I like your idea of bringing more orange into it. I still have some wall space, so maybe a larger piece of orange-toned artwork? Light is tricky with only a single window mostly blocked by a tree...one day I hope to be able to have more windows!

@Jsmilez - It's curtain rods mounted to the ceiling! Simple to do and it changed the whole look/feel of the room.

@Slangevar - Maybe it's your chair! It's quite battered and "worn in," but comfy and works nicely as a reading chair.

@lynell - thanks so much! Great idea about the throw pillows. I actually never thought of myself as an "orange" fan until I brought the chair into the bedroom and it clicked against the walls. Funny how that can happen sometimes.

I find this room very inviting. I can see myself lazing away a Sunday afternoon in there.

This room is so cute! Great job for a first apartment after college! Mine did not look like this...

Just registered to fave you! how exciting to see your room here!

This is inspiring! Here in western Oregon, heaven knows we need all the light we can get, but that doesn't preclude a nice cozy sleeping space! You've really got me thinking.

And I'm so glad you realize that dogs are den animals. Most people think they "want" to be outside in the sun and fresh air all day, but far from it. A couple of nice long walks ("hunts") and they're good; the rest of the day they like the protection of a den!