Our Master Bedroom Reveal

Today’s reveal is our master bedroom and I like her a lot. It’s simple, warm and calm with a decent amount of texture, but not too much actually happening. For the shoot we styled it out a bit more than it would look on any given day, but visually I much prefer it here. Let’s get into it.

Here is what it looked like when we bought it. Very little had to be done to this room beyond making the closet bigger and extending the hallway so that the bathroom could be part of the ‘suite’. That’s pretty abstract to you and frankly not that important, but point being – the room changes were just cosmetic. We replaced the flooring because of how damaged it was in other areas of the second floor, so we did the entire floor, and we painted, obviously.

*Random update: For those of you who weighed in on whether squeaks are annoying in an old house, (ours were riddled with them) a year ago because I was on the fence about replacing the non-refinishable floors. I can now report that I am so glad we have new floors and subfloors. It did cost a lot more (especially the subfloor repair on the stairs) but with those two kids I can’t imagine the sneaking around we would have to do (during their naps) and it really does feel more solid.

Technically Charlie’s bedroom was the ‘master’ because it was slightly bigger, but ultimately his room has the least natural light. I kept walking into this room with it’s North and East facing windows and thinking ‘I sure wish this were our room’. Then I remembered that I’m in charge and Charlie wouldn’t ever know the difference. Then our architect drew up plans for this to be the master bedroom with the adjoining suite and I said, ‘Ah, yes. It’s mine’. You see that room above, with the door on the left? Well that door doesn’t exist now, instead if you walk two feet in, the bathroom is on the left (with the pocket door) and the door to the hallway on the right. Many of you just fell asleep but I know that some of you really care about a floor plan and why we do things that we do.  I love that it’s connected, regardless of it not being this massive SUITE.

Here is how she is now:

I love this space you guys. I know that there isn’t any huge wallpaper or tile happening, but it’s so cozy and functional. I could have done a pattern on the window treatments but I didn’t want to. I loved these chambray washed linen ones from Calico. I chose drapes behind the bed. We thought about doing one big roman but ultimately we decided it would be prettier to have two curtains framing the bed, rather than a box of fabric above it. We float the bed out a little bit and it’s not a problem. No regrets there.

When we first measured/selected all our treatments it was late winter. We chose shades on the four windows because I felt that four HUGE blackout panels in that not so big room would be a lot of fabric. I was right. But then summer rolled around and the light leaked on both sides of each shade at 5:15 am, which was a huge BUMMER. I mean, I’m a morning person which means that once I’m even slightly awakened I can’t get back to sleep. To have blackout shades and have them not really do their job is sad. It’s fine to wake up early when you want to, but with both kids up at least once a night (WHY? I DON’T KNOW, MAYBE  TO TORTURE US WITH FAKE ACCOUNTS OF BEARS IN THEIR DREAMS!!!) it actually became kinda unhealthy for me to wake up that early because I needed more sleep. Brian could just roll over and go back to sleep but I was up and not happy.

So, we had them quote and paid for an additional set of drapery ($1,500) and ordered them. They gifted most of our window treatments but we had reached our max. They are expensive but I wasn’t going to all of a sudden sew the other two and have them not match. It’s a three month lead time. So hilariously a couple weeks ago as the mornings became darker and darker, guess what we now don’t have a problem with? Light leaks. HA. The sun is in a different area of the sky (lower) and it doesn’t shine straight into those windows anymore, plus when it does it’s 7:30 am which is fine. Right now we have both shades and curtains installed (both blackout) so we are covered for any season, any light and yes it is DARK in there. I haven’t properly stared at the room with two sets of heavy drapes, but I think I like the look of the shades more. Also (and we knew this) the curtains are at different heights because the north wall is sloped so we couldn’t hang them as high. Now we could have done roman shade above the moulding but I don’t think that would have looked good – they would have looked clunky and not refined. Additionally if you don’t have curved moulding you can do an outside mount but we couldn’t. That would have been the ideal solution – on the moulding but above/outside of the window, with bigger moulding in between so you could still see the moulding without the light leak. COULD I SAY LIGHT LEAK ONE MORE TIME????

Anyway, you want the ‘whys’ and sometimes it’s complicated so it takes a long *ss answer. If I could go back in time I’d probably just do the two sets of drapes knowing what I know about the summer light leak problem. So that is all to say that depending on where your windows face you may not have this problem. And I’m glad to know it wasn’t that I was ‘wrong’ I just didn’t have all the information of the sun since we had just moved in when we ordered them.

The bench at the foot of the bed is from Target’s new line and it’s a soft brown tweed. Unfortunately it isn’t live yet on their site (coming soon), but we did link up a similar option for the time being. Now many of you don’t think that I can do brown and at times I’m not sure myself, but I like how it ties in the nightstands and the headboard. It holds all our sweaters and sweatshirts by the way. It’s also awesome that it is long enough to sit at the end of a king bed. Many benches aren’t but this one is a great size. Part of me wants to reupholster it in a ticking stripe to add a little pattern to the room, but then I’m like when and why?? … Bigger fish to fry, folks.

Wanna keep talking about light leaks? Me neither. Moving on. (Sorry I have to show you the same photos over and over, we didn’t take a ton of photos in this room so in order for me to blab and you to not have to scroll up and down I’m just repeating photos – this is why I have photographers take 15 photos of the same room).

The bed is from Rejuvenation (which you guys helped me decide on). It’s pretty much perfect for here – the wood works with the leather and contrasts nicely with all the blues and grays.

The rug is from Elliot’s old nursery and is 3″ of walking on clouds. Now the rug was a moment where I could have brought in a pattern or something really incredible – a vintage persian, etc. But I didn’t want to. My feet didn’t want to. Brian didn’t want to and when Brian begs ‘Please, please please let us keep this rug in here’ you say, ‘Sure, my love’. 🙂 I love it.

The bedding is all Target, linked up below except the colorful quilt and the long bed pillow. Now the comforter that I used here is one that I LOVE to put on guest beds, but I prefer a duvet with an insert because I don’t want to have to wash a comforter. But the reason I call it out is because it is so pretty. It’s washed linen and looks beautiful when light bounces off of it and looks easily like it could be $300 but it’s super affordable. If you are a top sheet person (we aren’t) then it’s a great option. But duvet people like us would need to wash it weekly and that’s not good for comforters as much.

Why would you style a bed for a magazine that is different than you live? Well, because this is so much prettier, more layered and is something I would absolutely recommend to others, it just may not be how we go to bed every night.

The black dotted quilt is new Target, and the quilt on top is from Lost and Found LA. It is STUNNING and I feel in many ways pulls the whole room together. This is what I told myself as I was debating keeping it (we borrowed it for the shoot). It was $700 which I hadn’t realized when I borrowed it. But my brain was like ‘you didn’t buy a rug and typically a rug pulls the room together, you need color and this quilt has all of your colors? It’s like a rug but for your bed!’ I can be super convincing. I didn’t keep it because while I do splurge on things, future Emily reminded me that we don’t know what will happen to those of us who have a social media driven digital careers, so maybe a $700 wool blanket in Southern California wasn’t it. But if you have a stable career and extra dough, that blanket is handmade and a piece of art. It’s not overpriced, it’s just expensive. There is a difference.

The nightstands and lamps we’ve had since our old house. I love them both so much. The leather nightstand with the round black ball base table lamp is frankly pretty darn perfect. Those lamps are two that I want to put in so many rooms because they are edgy but so simple. I feel like they instantly propel a room into the the present. The headboard is classic, the leather nightstands are more contemporary and then the lamps are super modern. I wish I hadn’t put that frame on there so you could see it better.

We threw a few pretty stacks of books and branches/plants on the window ledge (that is like 12″ deep) for the shoot. They are dead now because I forgot about them, but they sure looked pretty for the shoot.

Finally, headed over to the other side of the room.

The dresser is from English Farmhouse Furniture and I love the shape and style for this house and had it customized a dark shade of green. By the way we share that dresser and the closet and that’s it. Just bragging about how we aren’t clothes hoarders and yet we remain married despite our small clothes storage issue. I had fantasies of the dresser being a REALLY dark green, and we chose this one that I love – Caldwell Green. Once it was on the piece and in the light it looked a lot lighter. Here you can see what my intent was and what it turned out to be:

I still REALLY like it, I think I would love to go back in time and pick a much darker green knowing that it will go lighter. This has happened a few times, so a lesson needs to be learned. The entry table sample definitely ‘popped off the wall’ and then once the piece was painted it didn’t! The console in the living room was supposed to be more slate, darker than navy then once it was painted it wasn’t. I sure wish someone would write a blog post about how dark paint colors always look lighter in a room than they do on just a swatch card. 🙂

I flanked the dresser with that amazing cherner chair. A lifelong dream of mine to own. One that my kids can’t really sit on without me getting REALLY stressed out. The ladder behind it is from Food52 for $50 and I highly recommend it. It’s just a pretty sculptural accessory that can fill an empty vertical space.

The brass lamp on top ties in with the handles and helps modernize the dresser. That was my goal – some pieces that felt classic, some more English and some more modern. The one thing I would do differently is I would love a more modern piece of art up there. I like that one, don’t get me wrong, but I think something simpler with a lot of negative space and a glass frame would help this room feel bigger and lighten this side of the room.

I love that moon from MQuan and the blankets on the ladder are from Parker Clay and Rebecca Atwood. Virtually nothing has changed on this side of the room since the shoot. I really love how it’s styled.

The tray is from Katy Skelton. I wish I had it in every room of my house. The white pottery is from Blake Beaudette, the black potpourri thing is from Lost and Found LA and is laughably expensive but nothing has ever smelled better in my life. I didn’t know we were doing potpourri anymore, but the French are and this company Mad et Len is doing it RIGHT. The terra cotta vessel is in the Threshold line which is in stores now. I love those adorable handles.

That vintage mirror does a great job of drawing light over there and reflecting that pretty lamp. I love that you can see the bathroom in that shot 🙂

I’m pretty darn happy with the room. The only things I would like to update is a better piece of art (or huge round amber mirror) above the dresser. Otherwise it’s full of really warm cozy textures, it’s easy to maintain and while I don’t need that cherner chair, I certainly don’t feel like I have a ton of extra stuff.

 

1. Abstract Art (similar) | 2. Marble Vase (similar) | 3. Indigo Stripe Vase (similar) | 4. Ceiling Light (custom lengths available) | 5. Bed | 6. Curtains (custom) | 7. Duvet | 8. Rug | 9. Storage Bench (similar) | 10. Patterned Throw Pillow | 11. Stripe Sheet Set | 12. Vintage Painting (similar) | 13. Lamp | 14. Throw | 15. Herringbone Blanket (similar) | 16. Box (similar) | 17. Marble Tray (similar) | 18. Mirror (similar) | 19. Nightstand | 20. Pot Pourri | 21. Ceramic Vase | 22. Brass Lamp | 23. Ladder | 24.Woven Throw | 25. White Vase | 26. Seaside Blanket | 27. Moon | 28. Glass Box | 29. Geode | 30. Terra Cotta Vase | 31. Planter | 32. Seascape (similar) | 33. Admirals Tray | 34. Wood Frame (similar) | 35. Black Frame | 36. Dresser (Paint Color: Caldwell Green)  | 37. Sheepskin | 38. Chair

***Photography by Tessa Neustadt