Before and After: This Bedroom Wall Has the Best Possible Paint Job
This guest room had beautiful wooden floors, a cool old radiator, and some pretty delicious blue paint, but it was gradually becoming “kind of a neglected spot.” This renovation-free redo transformed the room from an accidental storage space to basically a boutique hotel, complete with a commissioned mural.
Before we get to the After, reader Beatrice Marta of SomethingWEdesign will tell us all about the Before:
This guest bedroom, which is part of the apartment we are living in Bucharest, is very dear to our heart. The flat is on the ground floor and has little daylight coming through. It was kind of a neglected spot and it slowly became more of a storage space than a cozy room. The furniture started to disintegrate and the old blue paint lost its glory. The good news was that the almost-40-year-old wooden floor was still in a perfect shape.
We decided on a makeover because we thought our guests should enjoy their visit in a warm and friendly room. Plus, my partner and I both love working with our hands so we thought this is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the process as a team.
Love collaborative projects! Let’s see how it turned out…
This is indeed a warm, friendly room! The white walls make good use of what daylight there is, the plants add life and cheer, the accessories are simple but charming, and that mural is so, so great. I would feel so honored to stay in a guest room with a custom mural! It’s like staying in a just-for-you gallery.
The project lasted about a month. Luckily, we didn’t need to change any of the electrical wiring, the walls did not need new plastering and the floor was also in a very good condition. This allowed us to save some time and money. We decided to keep the bed and just give it a new finish with a lovely gray paint. Also, we wanted to replace the old wardrobe with a different storage system by using simple shelving and a gray curtain to hide it all. The focus point of the room is the beautiful mural painted by our very talented friend Iulia Pracsiu from PIA Studio Design. We kept a little piece of the previous blue paint in the form of a stripe and asked Iulia to work her magic with whatever inspires her. We are delighted with the result.
The bed reads as green (to me) in this photo, but it’s actually a gray, which seems perfect with the mural and the (see below) ceiling light, and I admire the way the throw pillows pick up all the neutrals in the predominantly bright mural. That keeps things sophisticated and minimal in a way that makes total sense.
We love the way the room has transformed. It is so much lighter and definitely more inviting. Our guests gave us wonderful feedback once the renovation was done. We sometimes use it ourselves when we want to change our routine.
This is the aforementioned storage system, and I love it—it reminds me of the Ace Hotel (especially when you factor in the mural), which is always a good thing in my book. Having a spot to hang clothes when traveling is such a luxury, and the bench-like piece that the shoes are on looks like it might also be the perfect spot for guests to put their suitcase.
Beatrice shares what was learned during the redecorating process, and how this collaboration is basically relationship goals:
We had a few ideas about what we want to do at the beginning but we made sure we stayed opened to whatever comes along the way. Some things got implemented the way we thought and others transformed into lovely surprises.
The main thing is that we didn’t put any pressure on ourselves and not only were we delighted with the results but also enjoyed the process.
Thank you, Beatrice Marta and SomethingWEdesign!