It has been too long since I've shared our home with you! The last part of my "home tour" seems like ages ago. As you may know, early last year we bought a cottage, and lived there full-time from May to October. We will soon be headed back to the cottage, so I figured I would squeeze in at least 1 more stop on the tour before we relocate. This time I am sharing our master bedroom, which recently got a small refresh. Perfect timing!
With just one window on the side of our house, our smallish master bedroom does not get much natural light. I know the old adage about dark paint making a room look smaller, but chose to ignore that since I have also found that painting a dark room a light color (such as white) never looks quite right. Rather than a nice crisp white, you end up with dingy looking walls in a dark room. So, several years ago, we decided to embrace the dark, and create a moody cave-like bedroom. We painted the walls Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore, and I have never regretted that decision.
Back when we first painted the walls blue, our bedroom furniture was a set from Ikea. The furniture was a dark brown/almost black color, and it did not work well with the dark walls. The combination of dark walls and dark furniture was just too dark. So, we decided to purchase new bedroom furniture. This was our first ever nice furniture purchase as grown ups! And by that, I mean it was out first set of furniture we bought that we didn’t have to assemble, which was so exciting! The furniture was an investment for us, and I know we will have the set for many years since it is well made, very versatile, and has the mid-century modern look that we love. We purchased a bed, dresser, and nightstands, and eventually a bookshelf about a year later.
Fun fact - our room is too small for 2 dressers, so my dresser is actually in our guest room. But, we make it work, and I do keep some things on top of my husband's dresser including my jewelry box and some perfume. And by jewelry box, I mean I keep a half empty jewelry box on top of the dresser, along with jewelry scattered basically everywhere.
About 3-4 years after getting our new furniture, I was ready to refresh the space with some updated decor. Mostly I wanted to update the look of our bedding, since the bed is a focal point in the room. Our previous bedding was a mix of white and gray. With new bedding, I wanted to add a bit of color, while keeping the overall look relatively neutral. I quickly found an affordable duvet on Amazon that I love (it zips rather than buttons), along with a throw blanket with lots of texture to keep at the end of the bed. Since I didn't want a ton of color, I decided that pillows would be a nice way to add color, without adding too much color. I picked up some patterned pink pillowcases at Target (and by pick up, I mean I tried 3 different shades of pink before settling on this one) to go along with our white sheets/pillows. I also knew I wanted one long lumbar pillow on the bed rather than several throw pillows. I love the more minimal look of a long lumbar, and making the bed is much easier with just 1 accent pillow. My husband hates it when I get crazy with too many pillows, so having just 1 makes him happy (not that he ever makes the bed!).
Finding a lumbar pillow did not go exactly as planned. I wanted a long/oversized lumbar in a darker/burnt orange or rust color, and I did find some options, but I was shocked at the prices! I found some beautiful pillows on Etsy, but I couldn't justify spending $100 or more on one pillow, so I decided to DIY it. I found a pillow insert at West Elm on clearance for $19. It's a tad smaller than I wanted, but still a long pillow at 36". I found fabric for $9, and my mom helped me sew the cover. I am very happy with how it turned out, and so happy I spent less than $30 instead of twice that (or more).
My other large purchase when refreshing the room involved adding sconces. I love plug in wall sconces, and knew I wanted to add them to our bedroom. I read in bed every night, so I must have by own bedside lamp. Wall scones free up space on your nightstand, and plug in scones are so easy to install, which only requires mounting them (no electrical work). I personally love the look of plug in sconces – I find the hanging cord creates a laid-back casual look that I can’t get enough of. I knew these sconces were perfect the moment I saw them. I love the black and bronze color combination and the fact that they swivel so you can position them perfectly. As I said, I knew the moment I saw these sconces that they were perfect, but had to wait patiently for them to come back in stock. Now that they are up, I know it was worth the wait!
The remaining updates I made to the room consisted of smaller accessories and art. I restyled the bookshelf with a new adorable planter from Target, along with some new finds from the thrift store, like a framed butterfly that cost me 50 cents!
I love adding art to our home. Not just on walls, but on shelves and other surfaces, but the cost can add up super quickly! Lately I have been purchasing digital prints online and having them printed myself to save some money. If you haven't heard of Juniper Print Shop, check it out! They have some beautiful prints and offer digital downloads for purchase, or you can have them print the art for you. The digital images range from about $15-$20, and printing is super inexpensive at places like Walmart. I have also saved a lot of money by shopping for frames at the thrift store. You can find frames at thrift stores for a dollar or two, including perfectly worn looking frames that can make new art look like a treasured piece you've had for years. Though a bit hard to see, I love the art on my nightstand (below), and it cost less than $20. I wish I had a better picture because the art is really beautiful close-up, and the thrifted frame makes it look antique.
My husband does not like too many things on his nightstand, so I try to keep it simple with a few books and decorative objects.
I also added some new art above our bed to freshen things up.
I hope you have enjoyed this quick tour! It never ceases to amaze me to see how much of an impact small updates can make. By purchasing some new things, and rearranging what I already had, the space feels new to us again. My husband thinks I am crazy for spending my free time refreshing rooms again and again, but I can honestly say I feel happy every time I walk into this room. Most sources are linked below. If you are looking for something that isn't linked, just ask!
PLANTER | DUVET | SCONCES | THROW | BED | PILLOW CASES | NIGHTSTANDS | ART | PAINT | PILLOW (SIMILAR) | SHELF | ART
For more inspiration, follow me on Pinterest.
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