A Look at Our Bedroom Today (and What's Left to Do)
Guys. I can't tell you how excited I am to be almost "done" with our bedroom! While I've been working on a short list of smaller projects around the house, deciding to focus in on one room to get it feeling the way I want it to has really helped me feel like I'm accomplishing something! From removing and replacing the window, to painting the accent wall and updating some of our decor and accents, this room is starting to become our little escape. How about a quick reminder of where we started and the work we had previously accomplished? Because you know I love a good before and after!
Replacing Window Treatments and Ceiling Fan
The first thing we did in here was replaced the window treatments and ceiling fan. The ceilings are low which made the large fan extra low. The honeycomb blinds were dirty so I replaced them with white blinds. I struggled figuring out how to treat the windows around the half moon in the little window bench alcove but saved that problem for later. The color was neutral which allowed me to focus on furnishing the room a little more intentionally. Read the Original Post for More
Furniture Update and Hardware Refresh
I'd been working on adding some more furniture, decor and lighting to give this room a little bit of a style update. I was very into the farmhouse look in our old house which I still love, but this house has a lot more traditional bones. I've been accenting with gold more than I ever thought I would, and wanted to find ways to merge my evolving style with our existing furniture. So I added some new seating and fixtures, and used my favorite Rub 'n Buff to give some of the hardware a really quick and simple gold facelift. I'm intentionally mixing metals in here. Read the Original Post for More
Removing and Replacing the Windows
A couple of weeks ago I shared how we were supposed to replace the main window in the bedroom but found bigger water issues and wood rot because of the half moon. Happily, even though there's nothing happy about water issues, we decided to take the opportunity to fill in the arch window rather than replace it. Watching the window open up a big hole in the house and close it up like it was never there was so cool. They got to the point of needing to do some inside finish work around the trim and patching and painting the new drywall. Read the Original Post for More
Finishing the Window Job and Painting
Alright, now for the new stuff! Even though you got a little bit of a sneak peek with our rug in that last photo. It was an important addition and decision that I had been working on for a while that helped set the tone for the rest of the room.
Window Job Finish Work
The contractor who removed the window helped us by doing the drywall inside but there was a fair amount of finish work needed around the trim to put everything back together the way it was. Using caulk, I filled in all the gaps that were left before preparing to re-paint the trim. It had taken quite the beating. I resealed all the spaces that have worn over time on the window frame and the bench including against the wall and the front trim piece that was coming away from the top. Let it dry for a couple hours before painted right over it. Kind of fun like piping icing onto a cake. Squeeze in the space and then run your finger over it - that's literally it.
Painting the Trim, Bench and Walls
We did not save any old interior trim or wall paint from the old owners so to actually finish the job, we were going to need to get a new paint color. I had already decided on the headboard accent wall so wanted to paint the rest of the walls a lighter shade of white. Are you surprised? It helps to be so predictable, because that means I usually have a little leftover paint in the basement.
We painted the walls the same White Flour by Sherwin Williams that runs through the main part of the house. I used the trim enamel I had on hand to repaint around the window and give the bench a new coat too. Since we were painting the trim, I didn't have to tape which was nice for a change. With the bench in the way, I did't have good reach of the top of the peak, so was glad I had my trusty brush extender. Worked great with the edger to run along the ceiling. White Flour is a creamier white which is pretty different from the original white trim in the room that now gives off a bit more of a pink undertone against the walls. I'm going to ignore it for now.
Maybe for the first time ever, EVERYONE in the family painted something in here. Abbey is always my trusty sidekick to start any job, but Hank joined in to tackle a section and Zach used one of his spring break days to get a solid start on the two big walls.
But now for the really fun stuff: the accent wall! I shared my favorite tools for picking out paint colors in this blog post a couple weeks ago and many of you voted on the color. I decided to go bold and went with a dark and stormy grey with blue undertones: Antique Tin from Behr. I know it showed you Sherwin Williams visualizations, but I was at Home Depot and had a couple free hours that day so I decided to grab what looked close and knock it out. I LOVE IT. It's so different for me. It really pulls together the room and all my new accents. And I love how cozy it makes the room feel. I'm starting to think I should have painted the whole room dark! (Don't tell Zach.)
Accents and Final Touches
Rug
Speaking of accents, I mentioned earlier that I used our rug as the catalyst for the expanded color palette of some new decor. I have to admit, I was totally influenced by Chris Loves Julia. This is a rug from their Chris Loves Julia x Loloi line from Wayfair. I loved the pretty blues and greens and tans. This is an 8x10 under a king bed. I would have loved a 9x12 but it would have covered up some vents so I had to go a little smaller. Still love the depth it gives the room.
Window Treatments
I moved the curtain rod up as high as I could get it before the peak starts above the bench. I think this helps make our ceiling feel a lot taller. I replaced the bronze curtain rod with a new silver one in my effort to mix metals a bit more intentionally here.
With this, I was able to buy a longer curtain panel. These cuties have a little sweet texture on them which helps add character and some softness in the room. It puddles on the seat of the bench which I think works OK. I usually like a cleaner landing but this is an odd length that would require me to buy custom or hem these up a bit.
Still need to figure out what kind of blind I want to add to the windows to help block morning light a little better. The white blinds we had were just a little too narrow to put back up, plus they were made for inside mounting and the new window is flush with the trim now.
Finishing Touches
The ONE framed wedding photo we still still have hanging got a new frame with clean lines and a natural wood frame. With it, a new frame with a blue-grey border for an updated family pic ties into my new hue. If you missed the post on how I turned the mirror gold, check it out here.
Confession: I was jealous of the Alexa Echo Dot alarm clocks that I had gotten each of the kids a while back. I was totally afraid of the big brother component of these, but a tip from a friend about how to use them to help get heavy sleeping kids up in the morning before you even show up in their doorway turned into us loving all the different features it offers. So with the fresh decor, I kicked our old alarm clock to the curb and invited Alexa in.
I added a pair of soft grey pillows to our accent chairs for a little extra support and style.
Finally, some new artwork above the bed. I was contemplating a variety of different ideas for above the bed. I've always had frames up there with family pictures but decided it was time to try something new and started searching for inspiration and artwork that I liked and that would work well with the new accent wall. This is a piece from Collection Prints and it was actually a digital download. I started with that to figure out how I wanted to frame it, thinking I might print it on photo paper in a standard frame to be able to change out. But once I started looking and trying to figure out he size I wanted, I ended up printing this through Smallwoods - who I got the sign above our fireplace from and printed the dining room prints on. The print looks like canvas and was the right size above the bed. The natural frame tied into the new wedding frame too. Most of our vacations and fun times over the years are water=based either scuba diving in the sea or fishing on the lake, so bringing in a little bit of that in here makes me happy. Water is calming to me.
Artwork | Smallwoods Frame | Bedding | Lumbar Pillow Cover | Lamp | Curtain Rod | Curtain Panels | Area Rug
The "After"
I'm so super happy with where we're at in here. It's like a grown-up version of where we started with a little more style and personality.
Artwork | Smallwoods Frame | Bedding | Lumbar Pillow Cover | Lamp | Curtain Rod | Curtain Panels | Area Rug
And, because #housedonemandead, still on our list in here is:
- Finding and adding blinds to the window
- Possibly adding another frame or piece of art
- Someday matching the floor trim to the window trim
Stay tuned! But it's about time to catch some Zzzz's on this room.
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