Carolyn’s Bedroom Makeover: The Big Reveal
Well, folks, the long-anticipated day has come. Remember this sadness? Well, it’s sadness no more! After a Saturday spent covered in white paint and a Sunday spent arranging and rearranging objects, our new and improved bedroom has finally come into being.
In a budgetless world, or even one with a less limited budget, there are certainly things I would add or alter, but I’m pleased with how dramatic the transformation was, and I feel like we’re at least on the right track, instead of lost in a sea of pinky-beige.
While I did take a few liberties with styling (the fiddle-leaf fig will probably move back to my office because I’m not sure it gets enough light in the bedroom), this room is designed for real life. We don’t use tons of pillows, so we don’t keep them on the bed, even if it would look better with some extra oomph. I sleep with a fan every night, so it’s got a place of pride on the side table. Ed has a Chicago Bears change jar, and that thing is staying put, even though it is by no means the prettiest canister known to humankind. There’s a plate (albeit a pretty one!) on my upholstered bedside table because I can’t go to bed at night without a glass of water. I think it’s important to show rooms, not how we think they look the most magazine-worthy, but how they actually function as livable spaces.
We tried several furniture rearrangements, but ultimately, we found that the current arrangement worked best with some of the architectural limitations (the room’s narrowness, some odd bump-outs on the back wall, etc.). The dog crate wouldn’t fit on the side of the bed, nor would it fit on the back wall or in the closet, so it stayed put. But I did manage to make it prettier and more den-like, even if it’s still, at the end of the day, in the middle of the room. With the newfound solution to the unsightly dog crate, I get to see my handira every day, and while some may not think a dog crate is worthy of such a beautiful object, the dogs don’t bother it since they have no interest in climbing on the crate. (If Snoopy were my dog, then I might have an issue. Thankfully, my dogs tend to stay at ground- or couch-level.)
As I mentioned in my last post, we had a bit of a curtain mishap, so the room isn’t 100% complete. It still looks somewhat stark without the color and softness that curtains would add (I’m open to any suggestions, and I can sew, so fabric options are welcome too!), but I’m still loving how fresh and bright it looks. The light bounces everywhere, and I haven’t been able to get the dogs out of there. They love basking in the sunshine, which seems to fill every corner of the room now.
Sources, including stuff we already had:
- Paint: Glidden, Pure White
- White coverlet and pillowcases: Amazon
- Accent pillows: Sandy Kilim Pillow on Etsy; inserts from IKEA
- Red side table: IKEA
- Blue X-base stool: Target
- Kantha quilt: Antiquecollections on Etsy
- Overhead Lighting: Home Depot
- Bedside Lamp: Amazon
- Papercut artwork: Paperthought on Etsy
- Gorilla artwork: David Fullarton on Society6
- John Martin artwork, “Le Pandemonium”: Art.com
- Handira: gift to myself when I finished my Ph.D., purchased from Beyond Marrakech
- Hex side table: West Elm
- Faux snakeskin tray: Amazon
- Hand-shaped ring holder: Amazon
- Linen bracelet stand: Amazon
- Necklace tray: dollar store picture frame with red fabric inside
And just for kicks, here’s one last side-by-side comparison.
To revisit other posts from this series, see: