Fixer Upper House: A Master Bedroom Makeover

The master bedroom has finally received some much needed attention, and I'm excited to show it to you today. But truthfully, I don't have a lot of really good "awful" before photos to show you in comparison. The above photo, taken during the holidays, looks just fine. My winter wonderland bedroom was working with the colors already in place, but I knew that the room would need painting in the future.

The walls (like all the walls in this house) were in really rough shape. And I really was not a fan of the two tone color scheme.

I wanted something peaceful and romantic. This room faces northeast, so it only gets sun in the morning. For that reason, I knew it needed a lighter shade. As I've mentioned before, I'm using the Coastal Cools palette from HGTV Sherwin Williams to give the house a good flow from room to room. I'm not a "coastal" person, and I don't decorate "beachy". But these colors have a tendency to tone down all of the yellow oak-y wood trim in this house, and that's why I'm using them.

We chose Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray for the bedroom, which really isn't a gray at all, but something closer to a pale blue with a hint of gray-green.

I'm going to call this makeover "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue".

Here it is:

Ah! So soothing and pretty and romantic! Just what I was hoping for!

The "something new" in this room? The new headboard!

We have never had real "bedroom" furniture, let alone a proper bed. What we have is a hodgepodge of dressers and chests cobbled together from my childhood, along with some cheap pressed board night stand tables covered in old tablecloths. It just seems that bedroom furniture is never in the budget.

I've been longing for a wrought iron style bed, but whenever I look it makes me feel like Goldilocks. This one? Too expensive. This one? Too ornate. This one? Too modern. Never just right. Until last week, when I happened to be browsing on Craigslist and found just right...a wrought iron headboard in just the right color, with just the right amount of detail, in just the right location down the street, for just the right price...$100! The best part? The owner told me she bought it from a stager, who had used it in a model home, and she never had the chance to use it herself. So basically, a brand new headboard. In the words of Goldilocks "This one is just right!"

And it matches our nightstand lamps perfectly!

Is there anything more romantic than lilacs? I remember reading a book once where the author called their fragrance "bittersweet", and it is so true. The scent is attached so strongly to memory.

In our rooms, you'll always find a mix of old and new, like this sweet dish with pussy willows. I always try to incorporate family heirlooms and thrift store finds.

Vintage paintings and old books.

Duck decoys and old globes.

Old McCoy Pottery mixed with new candles (under a cool wire cloche...a gift from my sister, Tina!).

The sheets are from Simply Shabby Chic at Target. I love the lacy embroidered trim and the crisp, cool white. The duvet cover? That is in the "something old" category. Pottery Barn, circa 2003. But I'm using it to "borrow" the shabby chic look, and I still love it.

Our corner chair is so old. Hell-o? It's mauve. And mauve hasn't been popular since the Eighties. But a Queen Anne chair never really goes out of style. Add a flower pillow (Target) with a hint of pink, and make it look like it belongs. And speaking of pink...can you see the crab apple tree blooming outside the window? They smell amazing!

I would still like to add some gauzy white curtains for a little drama. I think they will give a little visual interest and possibly show the height of the vaulted ceiling better. We also plan on replacing the ceiling fan. I found a really pretty one at Lowe's with an attached drum shade light and a little drop crystal bling, perfect for a bedroom.

This may just be my favorite master bedroom makeover yet, and that says a lot when you consider how many we've made over.

Next up: the master bath and the boys' bath are on the To Do list. But for now, we are taking a break to enjoy some long awaited sunshine.

Thanks for visiting the cafe today!