The bedroom. It's your sanctuary, your relaxing place. Your bedroom is the most important room in your home, and therefore, often the most satisfying to Cure. Changes you make here will translate immediately into a totally new feeling when you lie down for the night. Whether it's crisp new sheets, a newly organized clothing closet or a fresh coat of paint, the improvements will affect your rest and — ideally — have you waking up with more energy each morning.
This Week's Assignment:
In the Deep Treatment, you're diving headfirst into the bedroom, working to declutter and luxurify your space. Try to post photos on our Flickr group and comment over there or here — whichever works best for you — to take advantage of having your Cure buddies alongside for this ride. (Remember, we've only got two more weeks together!)
One-Room Remedy? Start cleaning up! This is as important as set up and it usually takes longer than you think, so start in on it now. Additionally, take a close look at your artwork this week. Fixing this can really make a room sing.
Veronica & Keith's Handmade Chic 
The World's Ugliest Condo: The Big Bathroom Reveal 
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Hunslet Dinner Plate
A Beginner's Guide to Superb Stir-Fry: Quick, Healthy Meals from a Wok
Homesteaders' Cocktail Recipe: Lovage Simple Syrup
Comments (19)
For me this week:
1) paint the dressers white in the bedroom.
2) Finish up the painting of the furniture in the dining room.
3) I think I've managed to talk the husband into laying a new floor in the bathroom. Just some peel and stick vinyl tile, but at least the glue won't ooze from the bottom every time the bath tub gets fi,lled with hot water and make a mess of that floor.
I'm looking forward to the chaos being over: but I will miss everyone.
Wig3000, I've been meaning to ask: whatever happened to the Restoration Hardware pendant?
Alana, funny you should ask! It arrived via UPS this morning. I'm cleaning the kitchen windows before installation which will hopefully be today.
As I fell a bit behind due to all of the file maintenance and wifi issues, I still have some bathroom cleaning to do. Does anyone know of an attractive in-shower bath mat? Our whirlpool bath/shower gets a bit slippery when wet. As I also like to take baths, those stickers aren't an option. I'm also on the look out for the best burning tea candles.
On the fun side, our neighbor was cleaning out his garage yesterday and I couldn't resist his offer of a free 1920/30s farm table! I have no idea where we might use this, but I love it, so we'll figure it out.
We also have an unfortunate bedroom configuration. If I have time, I'm going to see if I can remedy that situation.
That's terrific. Can't wait to see it in place.
Turns out that the complication when putting in a new floor in the bathroom has nothing to do with the floor--but with the toilet. Apparently, you have to re-seal it, and "that's a big deal."
So, we may be getting a new toilet downstairs. (We really need a new one upstairs, too).
We did purchase a new faucet for the kitchen sink. Wish us well with that installation, too! Never done this before and we've no idea what to expect. The plumbing is the original from 1949!
Good luck with your work, Alana!
I had to run out to buy an electricity box for our new pendant today. Thankfully, E&E Electric at Mission and 14th has pretty much everything you might need for this sort of thing. The installation took longer than expected, and the pendant that Rejuvenation made was slightly longer than what I specified, but I think it is still working. What do you all think? You can see it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98704941@N00/1702106792
And here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98704941@N00/1702106788
And here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98704941@N00/1702106782/in/set-72157601955717111
Ugh, I began working on cleaning my bedroom tonight. I have a vintage velvet robe hanging on the wall, which I love:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maggies/38387692/
I went to lint roll it tonight and discovered the back has mildew spots! I'm sad and a little horrified. I have a moisture problem in my bathroom so I don't know if it has snuck into my bedroom or if it was from running a humidifier last winter to combat the bloody noses I get from my electric baseboard heater. :'( I can't win with the humidity in my apartment! I'm going to take it to the cleaners tomorrow morning. Is hanging clothes like that just a bad idea? I'd hate to relegate this beauty to the closet as it is not something I really WEAR, I just think it is a lovely piece worthy of display.
Beautiful picture! I'm guessing that the humidifier is the culprit. I'd keep the the robe and the humidifier separated.
Since everyone was so helpful a few weeks ago when I asked about lighting options for a corner of my living room, I thought I'd post what we ended up doing:
Perch "Early Bird" Pendant Lamp
We actually already had the lamp (it was in the closet, waiting for just the right placement), so we decided to try it out in that spot (rather than buying a new lamp). I happen to think it's placed too high right now, but the husband disagrees. If anyone gets a chance to check it out and give feedback, I would be most grateful.
And wig - I like the Brightwood! I think the size works well with the window behind it (in terms of keeping things to scale). Your kitchen looks so clean and cool. And reminds me that I need to declutter my counters tonight ...
I wish dancingspring would paint the wall the same color as the drapes--that 1/2 foot of white bugs me.
Thanks Wig! I managed to brush all the mildew off and it doesn't appear that there are any stains. Phew. I'll still get it cleaned I think to get rid of any errant spores (EW). And maybe remove the robe from the room if I need to humidify.
I feel like I'm missing out on all the action on the Cure thread right now! I promise I will be back tomorrow with new pictures of all the excitement!
Well, thanks to all of you, I just spent the last hour trying to remove what veneer is still left on those dresser drawers before I paint them shiny white.
Even with the vinegar, it's tough going in spots, but it is going and that's encouraging.
The husband is going to try to install the new faucet tomorrow after a run to the hardware store to pick up a few things like shut off valves, compression valves and flexible tubing.
(At times like these, you can be grateful you rent and it's somebody else's problem!)
But, overall, I'm feeling good. After nursing my daughter through a tummy virus on Friday and Saturday, hosting a family birthday party for my son who turned 10 on Sunday and then coming down with the stupid virus myself yesterday, I finally feel like I'm back in the saddle and ready to cure.
Heh, unfortunately my landlord is anti-paint. For what it's worth, the camera distortion hides that there's a matching white strip on the other side of the bookcases. So, you know, at least there's balance.
My goodness, my hands won't stop tingling.
An unseasonably warm day out there (19C or 66F) had me sanding items all morning. The dresser drawers are ready for primer (hooray!) and I'm almost done the drawer untis for the desk (which means I can get the computer back up into the dining room). Just waiting for the drill to re-charge so I can use a special sanding gizmo on the edges.
I am so glad the end is in sight. Well, almost.
Wig--I'm dissappionted RH didn't get the length right. I would have expected better from them.
Woo, the new art is up! The little one definitely needs a different frame though, now that I look at it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajftuba/1732906986/in/set-72157594319201538/
What does everyone think? Frames are always so hard. I'm glad this is my 3rd Cure so I can finally spend some time working on the fun stuff!
Alana, good luck with that faucet! And mizrobot, I don't think you have to put away that lovely robe. Can you use the humidifier on the opposite side of the room from where the robe is? Or at least on the other side of the bed? I would think it would be ok as long as they're not too close together while the humidifier is running. But then, I live in the least humid place ever so I can't say all that for sure.
Alana, please do tell us about your special sanding gizmo! I have a number of refinishing projects and wonder whether to DIY after some tool upgrades.
Re: the pendant length, I'm a bit of a stickler about details. Rejuvenation was 1/4" off. I might be able to readjust the shade to accommodate that. Should I return it for an adjustment, folks, or does this look fine?:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98704941@N00/1702106788
The husband pointed out that if the pendant is too high, we'll be staring at a bare bulb more often.
Anne, I like how the art and your lantern pick up on the same color. I can see many framing options working for you. I find that darker frames set a more serious tone while colorful ones or white ones come across as more cheerful.
Mizrobot, perhaps your robe can be a seasonal display in the warmer months?
So can anyone give me an opinion here? I want to bite the bullet and order the dining room fixture before I leave town. But would this:
http://www.csnlighting.com/Kichler-8405NI-KI3926.html
be enough for this room?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajftuba/1322825305/in/set-72157594319201538/
I just want something unassuming that I won't hit my head on when the table isn't there and this thing looks like it would be fine (also slightly cheaper than the PB version I found, and with free shipping!). It's the same size as the overhead light in the kitchen (which I could eventually replace so they'd match!) and the pendant thing is more like 20" wide and hangs down about two feet from the ceiling. Is this too small or am I just too used to the giant pendant? I think it will be enough light, the current one has five or six 60 watt candle bulbs and the new one takes two 100 watt bulbs. Please advise, everyone has been having such good success with their lighting on here!
It's very sleek. I'd love to see it in the kitchen. Somehow, it isn't quite "dressy" enough for a dining room--but that's just me. By the way, if you put two 100 watt halogens in the fixture, you'll get more lumens (light units) that incandescent 100 watt bulbs.
(I've been leaving comments on the flickr photos...)
Hooray!
The faucet is installed--and shut off valves too! It did involve taking out the sink but that wasn't as big a hassle as we'd feared. The husband is making a run to the big box hardware store right now to get four new sink screws. The ones we had are just too rusted to put back into place. I can't wait to get at that sink and shine it up.
He's also picking up Chinese food for supper!
I've also got one coat of primer and one coat of paint on the dresser and one coat of paint on the shelves for the drawer units for the desk. I should really have primed them first, but I'd already switched the roller. (All painting projects from here on out will use the same semi-gloss BM cloud white).
There's just one pine shelf to purchase, three to cut and paint and then I'll be able to reassemble the dining room. Whew.
I think I can see the end....
He just got home.
No screws.
"They don't attach sinks like that anymore," he was told.
Grrr.
Nothing is ever simple.