photo sources clockwise from left to right: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
As you may have noticed in my last home update post, the bedroom has left much to be desired. The bare minimum essentials are there, and they’ve been serving their duty, but it’s high time some real love and attention went into making that space more of a retreat. Wouldn’t you agree?
I actually see this often in client’s homes: they focus on more publicly visible spaces to renovate, reinvigorate, and design—which I totally understand! We spend a lot of time in those spaces! We entertain in those spaces! Other people are more likely to see and judge us on those spaces!
I’m kidding, I’m the only one judging you…after all, we can just close the door to our rooms when people come over and let them imagine it is polished and lovely, right?
The damage in doing this is we neglect the very space that is most critical for recharging us. The one room where we can shut the door and therefore shut the business and chaos of the world out in order to get some rest, to relax, and put down our walls.
I’m a big believer in the spaces around us having the power to recharge us or to add to our fatigue; to comfort us or to stress us out; to make us feel cozy and loved or to make us feel unimportant and neglected. And while I keep that in perspective—I understand that interior design and decorating is a luxury and a privilege and that we are all doing the best with our means—I know that I can cut costs elsewhere right now to focus on prioritizing the bedroom space for us.
The moodboard above is a broad look at what I’m hoping to make strides toward with mostly simple, cosmetic upgrades along with a few investment furniture pieces. Nothing too shocking: keeping things simple and neutral, but rather than going super light and airy, I’m aiming for a slightly softer, warmer, and more textural vibe. I want it to feel clean, calm, and relaxing. And while I’m sure the space will always continue to evolve with projects down the road, I’m ready for it to feel much more intentional and “finished.”
I look at this photo and feel embarrassed, to be honest. And I’m actually at the point where I am starting to wonder if I really love this bed frame as much as I thought I did. I’ve always claimed it as my favorite antique Craigslist find — its super sturdy and I love how perfectly chipped the paint is with a little bit of that brass worked in.
But I also feel like I’m craving more and more softer, cozier upholstered beds for my future. This is starting to feel a little bit too farmhouse for where my taste has gravitated…but alas, we are keeping this bed for now because: 1. budget and 2. the very real fear of regretting selling this.
Instead of replacing the bed, I’ll zhoozh it up with more layers and textures. We also have this Rejuvenation brass bordered mirror that I’ll be keeping. But everything else freaking goes.
I painted the room Benjamin Moore’s Owl Gray, which is a nice warm gray neutral. And I added some dual-direction blinds to give us some light control privacy. Everything else I have zero attachment to and am ready to re-home.
A pouf not only adds some nice interest to the room, but also acts as a doggie step for General Gazpacho when he gets up and down from our bed…and we know that is a necessity for General G. He will not be left on the ground, he simply WILL NOT.
While we made the pivotal decision to upgrade to linen bedding when we moved in (which frankly I love and will never sleep with cotton again, she says with her pinky up in the air), the bedding still feels unfinished and bare bones.
Our pillows are getting pretty raggedy and lumpy, and not only do I not like how that looks so much, they also aren’t providing for very restful sleep. Pillows ain’t cheap, but it’s time we grow up and buy a nice set.
These velvet lumbar pillows are carry-overs from our old living room in Philadelphia. And while I loved them in that setting, I don’t love the color or pair for the bedroom. They spark zero joy, and we all know what that means! Hoard them for later.
Sweet lord almighty yes, we need a nice set of nightstands like a baby needs to teeth on Sophie the Giraffe (auntie’s got jokes!). These drawers aren’t providing any much-needed storage for us. They are also under-scale and are making the room feel smaller as a result (yes, this is a thing). They don’t make me feel like a grown up, but I assure you I freaking am.
I actually have no idea why we bought these. They are from Anthro and I think I was like “yes! a matching pair are for sale, let’s do this!”. They are great but just not quite our taste, are too big and too bright for our needs. Boi bye.
The cellular dual-direction shades were an awesome buy, they are super functional and we will be keeping them, but we need some curtains. Honestly, I’m doing that constant inner battle right now of “white linen curtains or anything else?” Curtains are tough for me to be super creative on. But I guess if it ain’t broke don’t fix it?
I actually grabbed us a rug for the bedroom but the size just isn’t working at all and that Moroccan-inspired diamond pattern that I thought would make me feel like a cool girl just isn’t doing it for us.
I’m excited to say I’ve hit the ground running on this project, so I’m ready to share tons more! I had originally planned on having a mood board of pieces I plan to invest in, floor plans of how it will all work, and more all lumped into one post, but guys these posts take me forever to put together! Major props to all you bloggers out there…you make this look super easy, and it really, really isn’t.
So more posts to come in smaller digest-able nuggets. Stay tuned for more. Thanks for reading and following along!