Before and After: An Accent Wall in a Daring Color Transforms a “Boring” Bedroom in Just 2 Days
There’s no disputing that full-on renovations can take a long time — weeks, or sometimes months, can go by without seeing any real progress. And while some helpful strategies can help you cope with long-haul renovations, you may not want to take on that big of a project to begin with. No worries — you can change a lot in your home in just a couple days. Take this bedroom makeover from Stephanie Lynch (@styledbysandj) and her partner as proof.
Stephanie bought her home in 2020, and like a lot of new-build properties on the market, it was a blank slate. “It was a boring, unenthusiastic space,” she says. The ceiling dropped above the area for a bed for a cozier vibe (nice!), but the surrounding blank gray walls and white ceiling made the space feel cold (not so nice). A pair of white globe pendant lights with black cords matched the dark color of the carpeted floors, so Stephanie decided to lean into the moodiness of these details in a quickie redo of the whole space that took just two days.
Stephanie and her partner kept the pendant lights, ceiling fans, carpet, and gray walls in place, but gave the wall behind the bed a bit more oomph with tongue-and-groove planks installed vertically. It turns out, that simple addition was all it took to make this bedroom have the appeal of a hotel suite. The paneling has the added bonus of working as a headboard for the bed, so no further furniture is required.
Next came the styling choices. Stephanie and her partner chose a modern, abstract painting of colorful swirls to add some pop to the room, and then pulled out a few neutral shades from that canvas to coordinate with the linens, pillows, and rug. A duo of black nightstands fade into the wall, giving the illusion of more space; Stephanie topped them with accessories that match the pillows on the bed for a cohesive look. But what makes everything work together is the bold dark color behind the bed. “The black makes everything stand out,” Stephanie says.
If you’d like to follow in their footsteps over the course of a weekend, planning beforehand will be your best bet. Measure the accent wall (twice!) to determine how many planks you need, and have them pre-cut before you leave the store. Then, choose a favorite piece of art to plan out the color palette of the rest of your decor — and make sure every piece is in hand before you start any work, so you’ll be able to speed through the process. Then, you’ll be free to add the paneling on a Friday, paint on a Saturday, and finish styling on Sunday. By the end of the weekend, you’ll likely feel as accomplished as Stephanie. “The whole room has just completely changed,” she says. Not bad for just a couple days of work!
Inspired? Submit your own project here.