Brainstorming about the bedroom

Brainstorming about the bedroom

I can’t stop thinking about what to do with the master bedroom.  Right now it’s just a mess (and not only because of all my dirty laundry). The paint job we did last summer, the first in the new house, needs to be re-done now that we actually know how to paint. Plus, all the white trim is a disaster. I need a new comforter/duvet. I need a new headboard. I need new bedside lamps. I need a new rug. I hate my nightstands. I hate the “boob light”ceiling fixtures.

This is what the room looks like now, more or less. (This picture was taken August 26, 2010) It looks even worse right now because we had to take the curtains down to put plastic over the windows to keep out drafts in the winter…  I CANNOT wait to take the plastic down. Most of the furniture in the room is fine.  We have great dressers (Andy’s and mine somehow match perfectly), so the only issue is the area around the bed — the nightstands, the bed itself, the rug, the linens.   The space we have for the bed/nightstands is really limited, only 14 inches on each side of the bed, so it’s been really hard to find any nightstands small enough to fit. When I first moved in and really needed a place to put my cell phones and glasses at night, I bought a couple of cheap-o white bathroom cabinets at Target. I tolerated them barely for a while, but it is sooo time for new ones.  The ugly white things you see in the picture above went out in yesterday’s trash. Woo!  I discovered these Pharmacy Side Tables at Urban Outfitters (one of my favorite places for design-forward, relatively inexpensive home decor).

Picture from Urban Outfitters

They’re the perfect size for us, and I really like the styling — sort of vintage-y utilitarian industrial.  The silver color is great, and they have all the storage we need.  The TV remote fits perfectly in that little drawer. I also just bought this bed frame from West Elm. Time to grow up and get rid of the metal bed frame. It arrived this week and is still in the (world’s largest) box in the kitchen (that I can’t even budge). Unfortunately they were out of white, but it was 15% off (!) so I just had to buy it. I got barley and will probably paint it white, unless I get it out of the box and love it. Fingers crossed.

Photo from West Elm (ignore the headboard)

Barley color — photo from West Elm

The headboard I have was my parents’ and I think even my father’s before that. It’s a low-profile mid-century piece in a nice rich color, and before he gave it to me, my father completely refinished it. I’m certainly not getting rid of it, but it’s just not what I’m looking for in this room right now. I’d like to move it to the upstairs extra bedroom eventually. What I would love to do is borrow some inspiration from Dana at House*Tweaking, who made the most amazing headboard ever out of old fencing taken from her husband’s grandma’s farm.  I mean, even the story behind it is amazing.  Check this out (and read more about it here):

Photo from House*Tweaking

So fantastic, right?  It’s even in the colors of my room! Well, my grandma didn’t live on a farm. She lived in downtown Detroit, so I don’t have any great old fence to pull down. What I do have an overabundance of is old doors. There used to be doors between every room in my house. I’m sure it was a great way to control heating, but it had to be annoying. Now those old doors are tucked away in various hiding places in the attic and garage. I don’t plan on putting them back up, so it would be pretty cool, relatively easy and VERY inexpensive to turn one into a headboard. I’m thinking sconces next to the bed, since the surface area of our nightstands is pretty tiny. I really like the look of the Fisherman Sconce from Pottery Barn Kids (is it weird that I tend to like kids’ home decor better than adults’?!!). Again it’s that vintage-y utilitarian. 

Photo from Pottery Barn Kids

Since we have wood floors, a rug of some sort is necessary. I like stepping out of the bed onto something that isn’t ice cold in the winter. I’m leaning towards a little throw rug next to the bed, rather than a bigger area rug. I like the look of a sheepskin rug, but, oh, poor little sheep! I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Another kids’ store to the rescue: here’s a good animal-friendly alternative at Rosenberry Rooms. The creamy color might be a nice warm break from all the cool silvers and greys in that room, and for only $48 the price is sure right:

Photo from Rosenberry Rooms

For the overhead lighting, we need a flush mount because we need to be able to walk under it all the time. But the bronze “boob” lights we have must go ASAP. I’ll probably go with something like the Lombard from Rejuvenation with a silver striped shade.

Photo from Rejuvenation

So that’s about it. Don’t even get me started on quilts. This post is already ridiculously long, and I could easily talk about all the quilts I love for hours. I absolutely cannot pick one, and I am obsessed. And that’s all I’ll say about that. Look forward to pictures soon as, hopefully, this room starts to come together!!