March & April Home Project: Freshening Up the Master Bedroom

A while back, I shared how I was getting back on the one-room-per-month home update wagon. January and February were all about letting go of stuff and playing the Minimalism Game. So starting in March, I was ready to tackle some home updates. The room I chose to focus on was our master bedroom. It actually went on into April too. But that’s okay, right? At least I stayed focused on one room instead of ADHD-ing all over the place as I typically would do and have nothing to show for it. Today, I am happy to bring you the results of a little dedicated time and attention.

The Master Bedroom 2 Months Ago

Let’s go back for a quick visit to where we started. In this post, I went through all my thought processes and what I wanted to change. My main focus was on breaking up the matching bedroom furniture, neutralizing the color a bit, and adding some styling details. The bedroom furniture dates back over 15 years, when I used to work at Pottery Barn. I got a great discount there, so I pretty much purchased most of our furniture there when we got married. But the dark wood everywhere was driving me crazy.

Here’s the inspirational moodboard I put together for the direction I wanted to go. Lighter, brighter and fresher:

I pretty much stuck to the plan. I picked up a few more accessories, and never really quite found some other things. But overall, it came out as I envisioned. Except for the one month deadline part.

Once I was coming to the end of March (my deadline to quit and move on), I couldn’t get over one thing. The chaise in the corner was really bothering me. I’ve had that thing forever. And it is actually very functional. I often work from my laptop on it. Or the kids will sit there as we study for a test, etc. But the mustardy tan color just didn’t work. So I decided to give myself the extra month to purchase some fabric and get it reupholstered. You’ll see below how it came out.

Master Bedroom Updates

quilt / duvet cover / striped pillow / blue pillow / sheet set / nightstand / lamp

One of my first purchases were the nightstands. I loved that they brought in some of the brass element from the ceiling light, and also had space for open storage. We always have tons of books and magazines on our nightstands, so the shelves come in handy.  The next easy purchase was the gray ceramic gourd lamps from Target. My love for Target lighting is not new as I’ve shared in the past. So any excuse to purchase more of my favorites is a good one. In fact, every lamp in this room is from Target.

The bedding I actually picked up at the West Elm in Charleston when we visited. I knew I liked a mostly-white bed, but I wanted more texture. And I was completely over the coral accents I had before. It was too candy-like with the color of the walls. I kept the gray and white striped pillows because I still love them. And I picked up a new sheet set from Target which I debated on forever but I am so happy I went with them.

lamp / pillow / throw / weaving

I love the way our little seating area came out. It’s just a corner, but it is a corner that gets a lot of use. I found this fabric at a great price and got it reupholstered here locally. The new fabric definitely brought it back to life. Everything else I pretty much had before.

mirror / lamp / vases / frame / plate

Ceramic plate

The dresser got a paint job last summer when my campaign against the matching furniture reached its peak. The biggest difference this time around came from the mirror. As you can tell by the “before” picture above, I still had the old wood mirror. I replaced it with this one which is quite large and modernizes the space.

The “Rest” plate is one of my favorite pieces in the room. My extremely talented friend and ceramic artist, Mandy, made it using a gorgeous sgrafitto technique. I fell in love with it at first sight and that word in particular is a very important reminder for me. She also deserves the credit for the “Explore” art above the bed. I am so thankful to have such a soulful and talented artist as my friend. Having meaningful pieces in this room makes the room special and unique to us.

Artwork by Amanda Blair Dexheimer

And there you have it. My March/April home project is done and I am moving on. The perfectionist part of me wanted to keep going because there is still quite a bit I would like to update. Window shades, new bed, area rug. But the reality is, if I want to continue to do this on a regular basis, the slow and steady approach will take me further. I am content with the progress for now.

In case you are wondering, my next home update focus is….the living room. I actually did some updates in the living room last year. May and June will be dedicated to sprucing up some of the things I didn’t get to.

What home improvement projects have you been working on lately?

Posted by Ale & filed under Home Decor, Our Home. This post has 8 comments.