A Pair of Underwear Inspired This Bedroom’s Color-Drenched Redo
Inspiration can strike from almost anywhere — and that includes your undergarments drawer. In the case of Vickiann Vachula’s primary bedroom redo, a pair of soft-colored underwear was a close shade to what she had envisioned and helped inspire the room’s eventual color palette.
Vickiann is the creator of My Crappy House, a blog that documents gradual renovations and DIY projects of her home. When she and her husband moved into their home in 2011, they “gutted the entire thing.” With beginner DIY skills and help from her cousin, they redid most of the house so at least half would be livable.
She Was Embarrassed of Her Neglected Bedroom and Wanted to Surprise Her Husband with a Transformation
The bedroom had “primer on the walls, no molding, no decor … [and it was] just an ugly place to sleep,” Vickiann describes. As a self-proclaimed “world-class procrastinator,” Vickiann was embarrassed about the neglected room, and it made her feel sad just looking at it.
But when her husband was on a week-long trip, it gave Vickiann the opportunity and motivation to finally redo their bedroom and surprise her husband.
“I actually had to trick myself into finally making this room look pretty,” Vickiann shares.
She Chose 3 Paint Colors to Color-Drench the Room and Set a Moody and Dreamy Tone for the Space
The “must-haves were literally everything,” Vickiann notes. She had a lot of work to do in a short period of time, with her list consisting of patching holes in the walls, installing molding, painting the walls and ceiling, installing a light fixture and curtain rods, and adding a headboard.
“I was initially planning to do the whole thing myself, but my best friend got very excited when I told her my secret plan, so she decided to fly in for a few days to help me,” Vickiann says. “At that point, I added wall panel molding to my list. What’s another 40 pieces of molding when you have help?”
Vickiann brought the underwear that was close to what she had in mind to the paint store with her, to find the perfect shade. “I certainly wasn’t going to ask for a color match, so I confined myself to the swatches available,” she comments.
Each paint color was chosen to intentionally create a moody bedroom that allowed Vickiann and her husband to escape from the world and relax at the end of each day — without being embarrassed by their bedroom if they left the door open.
Installing Her Own Crown Molding Quickly Went Downhill with the Odd Angles in the Room
But before Vickiann could start painting, she had to install the molding and prime.
“The door and window molding was easy,” Vickiann says. “It had been years since I’d done it, but 45-degree angles are easy.” She also completed the wall panel molding by herself, which “wasn’t terrible.”
By that point, Vickiann’s friend had arrived, and they started on the crown molding, which was “awful” to install. Even with her friend helping, the doorway had a few odd angles that threw them off. “The first one went perfectly, so I was feeling pretty good about myself, but it went downhill from there,” Vickiann explains.
There were major gaps that she had to fill and patch, and “the self-imposed deadline made everything very stressful,” Vickiann says. Especially with wood filler taking 24 hours to dry, she had to get creative.
“We couldn’t afford to hold off painting while I fixed the crown, so we did both at the same time,” Vickiann said in her blog post.
While Vickiann patched the gaps, her friend painted the ceiling Benjamin Moore’s “Vintage Wine.” Then together, they finished painting the room with Sherwin-Williams’ “Coquina” and added Sherwin-Williams’ “Sealskin” around the window and closet trim.
She Successfully Installed a New Chandelier by Herself and Surprised Her Husband in 7 Days
On day six, all the painting was complete, the furniture was put in place (including a new rug and headboard), and all that was left was replacing the light fixture. With Vickiann’s friend flying home that day, it was up to her to install a new metal chandelier, and it was another “debacle.”
With a few grievances and lots of hardware store stops, Vickiann was able to install the fixture by herself and meet the deadline of her husband’s arrival home. Normally, Vickiann struggles with completing projects and “chips away at the project piecemeal over the course of years,” she describes.
But instead, Vickiann was able to complete it on deadline for an amazing surprise reveal. In her blog post, she says that her husband had no idea what she was up to and was “completely shocked upon his return from his trip.”
Now, the bedroom makes Vickiann relaxed because of the moody paint colors she chose. “I love the dark ceiling,” Vickiann says. “I know the common thinking is that it makes a room look small, but I disagree. I think a dark ceiling looks endless.”
Even with all of the difficulties Vickiann and her friend faced, she wouldn’t do anything differently. “In a perfect world, I would have beautiful closet doors,” she notes. “But I have furniture in there that prevents doors of any kind, so I have to have the curtains.”
But even without that addition, Vickiann loves hanging out in her bedroom now, and even makes the bed every day — “which I never thought I would do, but the room deserves it,” she comments.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Shop This Before & After
- Paints
- Product
- Cirque CIQ28 Rug from Jaipur Living
- Gold Velvet Blackout Curtains from Amazon
- Gold Light Filtering Sheer Curtains from Amazon
- Semi-Flush Modern Gold Chandelier from Amazon
- Faux Leather Vintage-Inspired Storage Bench from Amazon
- Modway Abigail Queen Metal Headboard in Black from Amazon
- Modern Gold Table Lamp with White Glass Globe from Amazon