Bedroom Update Part I - Before
This is not a sponsored post, I sourced and paid for all items out of pocket - but if you like what you see and use one of my links, I may receive some financial compensation. Also this is going to be a multi-part series.
Here's a few things you should know about me when I am starting a new project:
I will grossly underestimate the total cost.
I will grossly underestimate how long it takes to complete.
I will grossly overestimate my own abilities to complete.
And I will always have unrealistic expectations.
I started out wanting to refresh our bedroom. It's the only room in the house I have never felt was completed. That's not to say I don't want to improve other rooms, but this has always been the one that never felt like it belonged.
I love the color. I have #noregerts on that. I've always preferred dark walls in my bedroom because even though I do have a slight fear of the dark, I've always had spouses that prefer a dark room.
Wait. Did I say I preferred dark walls? I may need to re-evaluate that statement. My spouses definitely preferred it but maybe I just accepted it because I was too much of a people pleaser?
Anyway, I've gravitated toward darker blue hues in 2 of my homes and had a deep, dark purple that I LOVED in my last one. But I'm back to the blues again this time.
I chose the color to match the bed and I was bang on with that. It's so close you would think I color matched it. And I like our bed - I don't love it but I definitely like it and Rob really liked it so that's a good compromise.
Our nightstands were from my last home when I was going for a Hollywood Regency/Glam/Art Deco vibe. All of this works.
But then we have my dresser that is still how I painted it for my apartment which does coordinate with our current bedding (which is less than 2 months old and was my first attempt at updating the bedroom) and while I loved it in my apartment it feels almost cartoonish (childish?) to me here. I think the color story just feels wrong with the dark moody walls.
And Rob's chest of drawers? Well it is a very well made, sturdy almost rustic piece with very dark, traditional hardware...and it looks even more out of place than mine does.
It just wasn't cohesive. I'm perfectly fine with things not matching but it still needs to be cohesive - our nightstands are not identical but they work because they are both mirrored (remember I was going for Hollywood Regency/Glam/Art Deco before).
Also please keep in mind that I work from home...and my office is in the bedroom. So I spend at least 8 waking hours a day in here.
And I hate it.
I don't mind a dark room to sleep in (still trying to figure out if that is actually my preference or imposed upon me by former spouses) but I definitely want something brighter for an office space.
Add to that my post-holiday blues and I was itching to redo this room.
But before I show you the after pics (also because I'm not quite done). I thought I would go over the before pics with you. I'm going to include some links because I still like the things even if they aren't currently working for me...maybe it's just what you've been looking for.
If you are interested, the wall color is Blue Midnight by Sherwin Williams though I get it mixed with Behr paint. I prefer an eggshell finish on my walls because I like how the light bounces off it and it is easier to clean. The ceiling is a half tone lighter of the same color (just ask for half tone). And yes, I always paint my ceilings. I think it makes the room feel more complete. If you are concerned about dark colors making the room feel too small - first, it doesn't - going a half tone down helps create an illusion of height where as a plain white ceiling to me just cuts off the room. Ceilings feel too high? Go a half tone darker to help bring it down. Trim and door are all just a plain white.
The crown moulding was here when we moved in though oddly it was about 6 inches from the ceiling - so we had Caleb bring it up when we moved in. Luckily he was able to remove with little damage to the moulding or the walls so the only cost was labor.
The king-size bed was originally purchased on Wayfair for $237 but I can't find it anymore. And searching for a comparable bed on Amazon sent me down a rabbit hole (omg I found this bed and it's going on my wish list for sure!). I found this one that while not identical to our bed, it does have a really interesting design detail very similar to ours - which is one of the things that drew us to the one we purchased - and it is affordably priced at just under $220.
The mirrored nightstands are available in many styles and price points. On the left is this one for $268. I can't find my exact one for the right side though this one looks like it - but I can guarantee I didn't pay over $1000 for it! But if you like the look there are literally thousands of affordable options on Amazon - and probably elsewhere. I know I've seen similarly styled nightstands and cabinets at At Home.
I'm pretty sure At Home is where I purchased those lamps too.
I don't know about you, but I have the hardest time finding bedding I like. I've been searching for something for our room since we bought this house. I originally had a pretty colorful peacock comforter - I don't remember where I found it but it was a website recommended by Michele. The problem was I never liked how short on the sides it was on our bed - a common issue I've found. When you have a queen size bed you can order a king and have it hang nicely but there's not much you can do if you have a king size bed.
Anyway during one of my fantasy shopping excursions earlier this year, I found this one and I really do like it. And I hate that I spent that much money on something and I'm already replacing it. But I'm not getting rid of it because I don't like it. The size was good, I liked the colors...but you'll have to go to part 2 to find out why I changed it. It's from Wayfair.
And finally, the curtains. These are black out curtains because my menfolk always seem to prefer a dark room. I bought white because at the time I wasn't sure where I was going with the room and at least they matched the white trim and helped brighten it up, but they do come in a lot of colors and patterns. Two 96" panels for under $30 is a darn good deal. And they are very effective at blocking out the light, especially when paired with this curtain rod.
Of course when I bought that curtain rod I did not consider that Rob would not be happy not having at least sheers on the windows during the day, so I added those on a tension rod after the fact.
As a reminder, you can see what my dresser looks like now. I bought it at Rooms to Go ages ago and then re-painted it in 2019 when I was moving to an apartment I couldn't paint.
Ignore the box, that's for part 2.
Moving over to my office, I have the same blackout curtains but they stay open with sheers because it looks out onto our little private side yard and therefore privacy isn't an issue. The club chair was actually the first purchase we made for this house. We found it in the clearance area at Living Spaces and since my original design inspiration for this room was Art Deco, we thought it worked.
Also for what it's worth, at the time of purchase I thought we would have room to put it in the corner window area on the left side of the bed. So yeah, not always the best with spatial conceptions either.
And since it was on clearance at the time, I couldn't find it on their website though I'm fairly certain we paid less than $200 for it. This one is pretty similar for under $300 but there are lots of options and colors available. Although this isn't where I intended the chair to go, it has worked out nicely as it gives Rob a place to sit and chat when he wants to talk during my work day.
Looks like my desk is no longer available on Wayfair but I love how big and deep it is - I use 2 monitors and a laptop for my job plus I have my personal laptop on my desk so I I need a lot of space. I do wish it had drawers though. I miss having desk drawers.
I found this similar desk though and at $130 it's a steal. It's not as deep (my desk is 30" vs this one at 24") but it is available in a 63" width and that's what mine is. Also I know this is less than what I paid because I remember agonizing over an over $200 price tag. I'm not sure how I feel about the side pocket but I like the hook for the headphones so I might need to think about that for my desk - rather than just having them dangling on my laptop screen.
If you are interested, the under desk elliptical machine is this one that I bought for $250. It's great but probably more effective if I actually used it more.
I can't find the rug. I looked - I can't even remember where I got it as it isn't showing up on any of my usual site past orders. I'm sure I bought it online since it was during the height of COVID but I just can't remember where.
Changing point of view, we have behind my desk - since I don't have drawers in the desk, this is how I make up for it. I got it on wayfair.com but it looks like it is currently out of stock. They have a grey version available for $375 or you can get it on amazon here for $301 - guess white is out? Wait until you see what this looks like now!
Protip: I sometimes search for items on wayfair.com but then search the exact product on Amazon because Amazon is almost always more affordable when they have it. I'm aware of all the bad things about Amazon but please keep in mind that when we moved in it was July 2020 and we were still fairly quarantined. Also I am impatient. I do support local businesses, thrift shops, and shop etsy a lot too, though more for gift giving than big decor pieces.
Phew. This post was one giant commercial wasn't it? I hope this isn't coming across as obnoxious, but I include pricing to show that you don't have to spend a lot to have a nice home. And if you are handy like my friend Michele, I'm sure you can even thrift and get a similar look for even less.
*do you think if I name check Michele enough in this post she will volunteer to come help me redo my dressers? ;)
I can't wait to show you how it looks so far - I hope you love it as much as I do.
#stilllucky #infinitelybetter #lazyinfluencer #beforeandafter #mainbedroomupdate #comingsoon #artdeco #hollywoodregency #glam #update #amazon #wayfair