The Design Process with our Master Bedroom

Jon and I were married ten years ago.  I really can hardly believe it.  Time seems to go by faster and faster.  We thought about going out of town to celebrate, but we have managed to do that more than we would have ever dreamed in the last several months (NYC for a couple of days last June and a whole East Coast trip in October with the boys).  So in terms of decorating projects, we put more money than I have ever had per square foot into our bedroom.  Nothing super human though.  Here it is before:

August 2010

And after:

 January 2011

We kept some things already in the room: the bookcase that I bought at a local thrift store in September that is so functional and the perfect size for the corner of the room, the $8 chair from a local thrift store with the toile fabric from the most recent recovering, the paint color from 15 months ago, the French doors on our closet, the $50 antique writing table that we found locally using the online classifieds.

We had to get rid of some things: Jon's temporary home office with his new job starting in January, the sagging mattress, the 1940s headboard I refinished so carefully in October, a lamp that I bought at a local thrift store for $5 with a Target redo shade.  

I did a lot of shopping.  I had to restrain myself from buying while I was still making major design decisions.

Hancock Fabrics, fabric options, December 2010

I considered different furniture, threatened to take our brand new mattress set back in exchange for another one twice the cost, and even felt like giving up sometimes.

carpet options from Western Wholesale Flooring, January 2011

The tide turned when I decided we really did need carpet.  Even though we can buy at cost because my dad has sold carpet for 40 years, this was still our biggest purchase (we carpeted the next door bedroom for consistency, which bumped up the price).  Now we have a room where our feet feel soft carpet and the noise doesn't bounce off of our scratched and creaking wood floors.  

The curtains are divine.  We hadn't realized how nice they would be at night for shutting out the bright light of a street lamp and neighbor's outdoor motion lights (which I fully support as Neighborhood Watch head).  I found them at JCPenney on sale and I had no regrets about not sewing them myself.  The curtain rods were $30 (together) at a local store called Market Square where you really have to hunt for what you want--sort of like an after market retailer.  

January 2011

The artwork is thrift store frames painted gold, white mat board that I cut myself, and 1936 postcards of patriotic sites that I bought for a few dollars at a flea market in Connecticut when we were on that vacation.

We're glad we consolidated all of our clothes into the closet.  This bookcase holds all of the pictures and books that were accumulating on our nightstands and dresser.  Plus, with little kids, I am always looking for a high up place to store delicate things (and permanent markers!) and now we've got another spot.

Master Bedroom Redo January 2011

The art canvas on the nightstand/antique writing table is from another local thrift store that I found for $4 and wiped clean with wet wipes.

January 2011

I found a spot for jewelry with a $6 hook from a local store called Thai Pan Trading.  

I've learned so much about photography with this project.  Of course, photography helps me to initially see what I need to change in a room by taking the photos as a starting point for the design plan.  But taking photos of the finished product is challenging.  Shadows and staging and white balance are my new research topics.  This stuff is harder than it looks.