A Neutral Master Bedroom Design Board

So, you guys, I talked about wanting to redo my Master Bedroom a few days ago.  I decided to flesh out my ideas, and put them on digital paper.  And this is what I came up with!

I have to say, I already love it!  I really should do this more often--use more digital paper.  I became more conscious of wood tones and the different shades of colors being cohesive.  I think sometimes when we see bits and pieces that we like, bringing them all together they may not coordinate.  Planning it out can help out with that.  I also mentioned previously that I had been dreaming of this neutral serene space, and I feel like these are most of the ideas that have been floating around in my head.

This is the bed that I haven't set up yet.  It's the Skyline custom upholstered bed.  I ordered mine from Target who currently has them for 15%+10% off thru the end of next week at least.  But you can also find them on Amazon (this Pewter one is 30% off!), World Market, and several other places.  Now I'm kind of kicking myself for not setting it up, because I know I like it so much better than my current bed.  They do go on sale, but you have to shop around.

World Market Wood Jantar 3-Drawer Dresser

I have been hunting (un-successfully) for some vintage nightstands to refinish similar to the ones on the design board.  These that I found are from Cost Plus World Market, and they are currently half-off!

The lamp bases are from Target as well.  I currently have a similar base that I found at Marshall's.

Wood Bead Chandelier

I'm loving the the natural wooden beads on this chandelier, although I don't know if I can actually give up my ceiling fan.

The rug, bedding, and throw pictured can all be found at Pottery Barn.  A fur throw would be so cozy for the cooler temps approaching!

I would love to have long linen draperies, and may end up ordering fabric and sewing some. But I will probably keep the long, ticking stripe lumbar pillow and my existing bedding.

Finally, the piece de resistance, is the shelving unit.  I found this unit at World Market, and I love it.  I love the scale, the color, and the bookplates on each shelf.  And to top it off, it has rails so that you can add a library ladder.

So this is the one option for the room.  I'll be back to share another design board with a bit more color.  I also have ideas for several money-saving hacks and DIY's for most of the major pieces including the artwork, so I will share those later as well.  Happy Friday everyone!

Linking up to Craftberry Bush-The Inspiration Gallery,  Home Stories A to Z-Tutorials & Tips Link Party,  and Cherished Bliss-Moonlight & Mason Jars Link Party.

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Master Bedroom Redo Ideas

It's a dreary looking Monday morning outside my windows, so I've got almost every light on in the house to brighten up the day.  I am an unabashed lover of sunlight and bright days.  That's one thing I like about Georgia--most days are sunny days!

I have been dreaming of this new look I would love for my master bedroom for years and slowly taking steps to make it over.  Most of my furniture is the original furniture my husband and I bought when we got married 13 years ago.  Although I still like the furniture, my taste have changed over the years.

Last year I painted the walls Slate by Restoration Hardware, replaced the carpet with hardwoods, replaced the bedding, and rearranged furniture in the house to bring in a desk for the bay window.

Those things alone made a big difference in the space.  It was like I finally found a color to compliment the wood tones.  But I am kind of ready to get back to work on it.  I got a new bed months ago, but still need to sell my old one to make room to put it up.

Originally I wanted a completely neutral Restoration Hardware feel for the space with botanical or bird prints for artwork...

via

this beautiful raw wood finish on nightstands and on a wall of custom built-in bookcases...

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a linen upholstered bed,

 

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and linen drapes on the windows.

drapes

But I this one from Cassie over at Hi Sugarplum has me craving more color!

via Hi Sugarplum

Of course, I don't have a Restoration Hardware budget, so most of my plans will probably involve DIY's and hacks to recreate the look.  But having a plan will help me be cohesive with my choices.  I'll have to share some of those ideas later!

I hope y'all are having happy Monday!

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A Boy's Room

Boys rooms can be a difficult thing to decorate.  If you look online you're often limited to plaid patchwork quilts or the latest superhero theme.  Nothing wrong with those, but I just don't want to have to redo the room when he outgrows whoever or whatever he's into at the moment.  I have been brainstorming ideas forever and came up with this mood board a few months ago, but have had cold feet when it came to pulling the trigger.

This past week, I finally got fed up with my own indecision and the state of his room and decided to make a move. Whatever I did, I felt would be a step up from what he had going on, which was last done when he was a baby.

I am a decidedly neutral-loving girl, but my boy is full of energy and requested bright color.  Bright wall colors make my heart hurt (ha-ha!), so we are working toward a compromise.  Originally I was thinking of going with a light gray on the wall, but as you can see I have gray-blue on the walls.  It reminds me of the sky and atmosphere.  The room isn't complete and we may change the wall color to something bolder, but we've got a start on the space.

I have a loose 'night sky/night-time' theme for the room.  The Bub is a night owl, and has fought sleep since they day he was born.  He gave up naps at age two and never willingly goes to bed.  We also used to stargaze at night in the summer and count the stars as they came out.  So when I saw the star chart poster, I thought it would be cool since it identifies the constellations in the night sky.  I also have to finalize the artwork for the gallery wall frames over the dresser.  I am planning to have the Bub recreate some artwork they did in Kindergarten of the phases of the moon for the lower frame with the three sections.  And then I have a poster that reads, "Shoot for the moon, even if you fail, you'll land among the stars."  That will go in the frame above the owl.  I'm excited to get those up in the frames.  

This unit from Ikea is essential for corralling all of the toys that kids seem to have.  The sections and bins are lifesavers.  I still want to add a pinboard over the cube storage to post up some of his artwork from school and other things of interest to him.

Although I don't see a bright neon color on the walls, I can envision bringing bold color in by perhaps  painting the bed in a bold reddish-orange or grass green.  He also has a play table that could be repainted in a matching color.  We often think that to add color it has to be on the walls, but bold color can be just as a effective used in textiles and furniture.   I am also debating bringing in the chalkboard and book ledges from the playroom, since it has become somewhat defunct.  Pretty much all of the toys and art supplies have been moved to his room.  I am also looking into some new bedding to coordinate with the space.  But I like the direction we are moving in.

  

                                     Before                                                           Progress

To see some of my inspiration for boy's rooms, check out my Boy's Room pinterest page.

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The Playroom Makeover {Part 1-The Plan}

I have been planning to makeover The Playroom since relocating it to this space.  Originally it was a living room, but we never used it.  Later, it became the dining room, but now it serves as the playroom.  I like that it's here because it makes use of a room that previously went unused.  Two, it gets great natural light after school, the time when it's most likely to be used on a daily basis.  And three,  it's near the Bub's room, so toys and books can easily be moved between the two.

The plan for the makeover is to make the room a space that inspires free play.  Kids(and adults too) so easily watch TV and pick up tablets and video games.  I would much rather inspire play and creativity with books, toys, and art supplies.   I've had several ideas floating in my head for months and pinned on Pinterest.  I thought it would be neat to mock up the design plan and show you my thought process.

Here's a breakdown of the design plan:

1.  The Restoration Hardware Knockoff chalkboard that I made a few months ago will be hung in the playroom.  I've just had it leaning against the wall but want to make it safe from falling.  I also plan to build a mini floating shelf to hold the chalk and eraser.

2. I want to add floating shelves like these from Ikea for book storage in lieu of a bookcase.  I plan to DIY some by tweaking a great tutorial I found online. 

3.  Having a homework and art station will allow supplies to be out at all times to encourage creative expression.  The thrifted desk I refinished last year will be put to good use.  The photo above is from And George blog.  I am debating whether to paint the desk black to allow it to contrast more with the wood tones of the blinds, but we'll see.

4. Stripes have already been painted on the wall in a greenish-gray color.  They are a custom color I mixed to match the chevron rug.  But it's a close match to Sherwin Williams 6164 Svelte Sage, kind of a muted green with gray undertones.  The base cream color on the wall is Sherwin Williams 6140 Moderate White.  The cream appears very beige on the website, but it's a very light, creamy white in real life.  

5.  The existing chocolate-gray velvet sofa and the Nate Berkus chevron rug (which is discontinued) will remain in the room.  Although the rug stripes look blue on the design board,  they are actually green.  But navy blue will still make an appearance as the major colors of the space are a greenish-gray, cream, navy blue and brown.  I was going to repaint the red table on the right, but I think I will remove it to open up the corner.  There's an interesting story to how we got that sofa.  I will have to share it with you, but it involves a toddler, an ink pen, and leather!

6. The yellow cedar chest pictured above came from my grandmother.   I love that a piece from my son's great-grandmother will be repurposed as his own.  I'll be repainting it in a lightly distressed cream color to help it better coordinate with the existing color scheme of the room.  Coincidentally, my sister was telling me a story about a safety hazard with old cedar chests.  Children can get trapped in them because there is no release mechanism on the inside to get out if they hide inside.  So I've already removed the inside clasp for safety.  Thankfully I was using it for fabric storage and it is filled to the brim!  I  could definitely see the hazard after she told me about it and couldn't believe it hadn't crossed my mind before.  I just wanted to share that in case anyone else has an old cedar chest.  The inspiration one, shown on the design plan, is from Pottery Barn.

7. I can envision a gallery art wall above the sofa after relocating the existing seafans artwork.  The scale of the seafans seems a bit off with the height and scale of the wall.  The constellations wrapping paper from Paper Source will be the starting point of inspiration.

8. Finally, I'll add burlap drapery panels like the ones above from Ballard Designs for the windows.  I need to add lining and actually sew the burlap panels that I have hanging up currently.  Right now they are just lengths of fabric clipped to the drapery rings. {Gasp..does anyone else do that?) 

I believe that is all, and most certainly, it is enough.  It's almost spring time, the perfect time to get started on projects!  I'll be back to share my progress.  

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