Before and after -- master bedroom

I haven't done any house tour photos for a while, so I thought I'd share a few of our master bedroom.  It's definitely still a work in progress, but it's coming along.  Here is the "before" picture, taken probably about a year and a half ago:

And here is the little plan I drew up, illustrating the changes I wanted to make:

And here it is today:

I recovered this chair in Waverly's "Garden Lattice" fabric.  This was my first upholstery project, so it was a trial-and-error process, often mostly error.  :)

 

Yet another DIY project: Check out how I dyed these lampshades here.

 The room setup hasn't changed, but I did swap out the big comforter for a coverlet instead.  I made a white linen duvet cover that we use with a down comforter in the colder months.

We have these white faux-wood blinds in all of our front windows, and I really like them.  From the street, they give the house exterior a nice, consistent look.

I know a lot of people don't like having a TV in the bedroom because of the temptation to keep it on all the time, or because watching TV right before bed can make it harder to fall asleep. We don't use it all that much, but it is nice to let James watch Saturday morning cartoons with us or turn on the news while getting ready in the morning.  The framed etchings here were a terrific flea market find.

I keep this little bowl from Anthroplogie on my nightstand.  Mostly I use it for barrettes and hair clips, but for some reason I always have this little kid's toy watch in here too.

I made the headboard--it's a faux leather fabric that is very easy to keep clean.  I worry about a fabric headboard getting too dusty after a while.

I am thinking that I would eventually like to replace the coverlet and dust ruffle with a custom-fit bedspread, probably in a beige linen that is close to the wall color.  I wouldn't mind going with mostly solid fabrics and getting rid of the more patterned chair and pillow fabrics.  I only have the aqua curtains because we needed to buy something for a home show, but I would prefer less color in the room.  So we'll see, there may be another "after" post sometime in the future!

Boy's bed: before and after

I have been doing some rearranging in J's bedroom (see the initial setup here).  Now that he's older, we raised his bed higher by putting his boxsprings back on his bed frame.

Here's what it looked like before:

And here it is after:

I covered the boxsprings with a mattress pad and a fitted black sheet.  The blue quilt is from Target, and the colorful duvet cover and sham are from IKEA.

The quilt is not very thick, but I think it would work well as a single layer during the summer or underneath a duvet for the winter.  I like the washability of the IKEA duvet cover, but the colors are really bright, so I think it looks better folded up at the end of the bed.

I hope to get his room finished soon, so I'll post more pictures then!

Sunny rooms

These rooms are cheery in their atmosphere, but neutral in their color scheme.  All the brightness comes from the sun itself!  Despite the sun streaming in, however, these rooms don't seem overly warm in tone.  Personally, I can't take a room painted in warm colors that gets a lot of sun.  I am at heart a foggy-sea coast-British-umbrella sort of person.  I like lots of natural light, but I don't like a lot of hot, bright sun.  So I think these rooms are perfect!

via DecorPad

via DecorPad

Liz Williams Interiors

via DecorPad

via Grits and Glamour

Amanda Nisbet via House Beautiful

Okay, so the Amanda Nisbet room is a little more on the "warm" end of the spectrum, but it's also a big, open room, so the color makes it just cozy enough.  The key element in all these rooms: lots of white, which I also love!

I think I could move right in and be comfortable in any of these lovely rooms!  Also, I think I need an inglenook fireplace.

One room, three ways

Since it's Friday, I thought I would leave you with a pretty picture:

I have liked this image for a long time.  I like all the different textures and objects in this vignette, even though the range of colors is pretty limited.  I like the contrast of all the round objects (clock, lamp, gourds, spheres) and the angular table, trunk, and books.  The fresh green leaves make all the difference here, though; imagine how much different this corner would look without that greenery!

I recently was looking through interior designer Richard Holley's portfolio and found these images of the same bedroom:

Bits and pieces are still there -- the parsons console table, trunk, gourd lamp, upholstered bed.  But I still really like that combination of the antique screen and the stacks of design books in the first image.  Most of all, I think I really like the branches, and that's a look that's really easy to replicate in your own home, especially now since it's time to trim back all those trees and shrubs in your garden.

Have a great weekend!