SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE MY LAST BEDROOM POST. (In the world, but also in this room.) Schadenfreude fans, today’s update is dedicated to you!!! Things in here were very bad and scary and overwhelming (for me – it’ll be a fun read for you, at least), but we’re finally back on track after a multi-month delay. It’s been a minute (or, uh, 7 months?) since my last bedroom post, so let me catch you up on the complete unraveling of my life (followed by a few design conundrums, because technically this post is for “work” and not for “throwing myself a pity party”). We begin here…
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That’s the listing photo on the left and my move-in day on the right. The good: a palatial, 16′ x 11′ bedroom, really lovely light, plaster walls, and original hardwood floors and windows. The bad: THAT AIR CONDITIONER. Spoiler alert: it leaked. Badly. I’m still not sure of when it started – it was an early 2000s window unit (i.e. slightly different drain/overflow functionality than comparable wall units) and the A/C’s remote control meant that it was always a little “on” even when it was switched “off,” but a water damage expert later suggested it may have been going on for a while (like, since before I moved in).
I still remember getting the call from my landlord requesting entry to my apartment – mainly because it was really late at night, my boyfriend and I had just checked into the world’s tiniest Boston hotel room after a traumatic dinner that ended with a friend carted away in an ambulance (she was fine, thankfully!), and I’d just realized that I’d booked us a room that boasted really special amenities, like no staff on site (!), stained sheets (!!) and a whole room-sized bed with a stunning view of THE BATHROOM’S GLASS BARN DOOR (jackpot!). You know when people are like “chin up, it can’t get any worse?” They’re lying! It definitely can, baby!!!!
ANYWAY. The phone call. My landlord told me that the paint on my downstairs neighbor’s ceiling was peeling, which indicated water damage. Upon entering my room, my landlord later described seeing a few cupped and buckled OG hardwood floorboards (yeah, an absolute gut punch, I know) in addition to water damage surrounding the A/C unit. I flew back to LA and hired a water damage specialist, who officially confirmed that the A/C had caused the damage, and I made a plan to stick around the apartment for a few days to supervise the repair process. (LOL. A FEW DAYS. So naive.)
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Well…that was the plan, at least, until I peeked inside the A/C cavity while my building’s handyman was cutting open additional sections of the wall to house the new replacement unit. (Side note: I learned my building literally does not have insulation, which is why the temperature outside is the temperature inside! Fun old apartment things!) I’d never seen inside an ~100-year-old building before, but I was preeeeeeetty sure that walls of any age are not supposed to be simultaneously slimy AND fuzzy.
But wait, there’s more! After the wall was opened more, I learned that there was no asbestos survey on file with the city for my building…so there was no way to tell if the thick layer of dust now coating the entire room was dangerous or not. (The good times kept on comin’!!!) After spotting what I thought looked like mold and learning about the asbestos risk, I stopped the work and called my landlord, who scheduled sample testing. About a week later, an inspector collected wall, paper, debris, and air samples and I’m SO glad I advocated for myself, because…
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I MEAN. GUYS. Should I play the lotto or what?! LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD OVER HERE! I’m not joking, though – despite being built in the 1930s, I somehow live in the only old building in Los Angeles that wasn’t constructed with asbestos material. The testing did, however, indicate two types of black mold in the air – stachybotrys and chaetomium – and this literal Dexter scene went up in my apartment 3 weeks later. (I have to confess – the wait between my initial “hey, I think there’s mold here” and complete remediation was brutal and took waaaaay longer than I’d anticipated. So much sofa sleeping! So much back pain! I got my first ulcer from being so stressed!)
After the first round of remediation, air quality testing indicated that all the mold hadn’t been eradicated. The team came back the next week, cut out more of the plaster wall and original trim (again – a gut punch), and sprayed everything down a second time. A bright spot: my boyfriend flew out to LA and was present for most of the remediation – we slept on the floor of my living room while industrial strength fans ran 24/7 in the back of the apartment – and having someone who was willing to hoof it to Walgreens to buy Pepto for the aforementioned ulcer when I thought I was dying DID actually make the process a little bit (or a lot, TBH) better. I think it’s really easy to spiral in housing situations like this – especially when they’re going on and on, week after week – so I’m really lucky that I had a great support system who helped me figure it all out, at least 🙂
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And thankfully, the second round of remediation did the trick. I spent a week with that microbial crime scene in my room before the remediation company got the all-clear, and it only took about 4 half-days to put the whole space back together – one to measure, one to hang drywall, one to mud and paint, and one to fix the flooring (which had dried out significantly in the time it took to handle the other issues – the cupped boards had mostly flattened, and my building’s handyman was able to remove screws and knock the buckling floorboards back down into place). This weekend – after nearly 3 months – I was finally able to move back into my own bedroom. I WILL NEVER TAKE IT FOR GRANTED AGAIN, I SWEAR.
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To that end, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE. The last time we chatted about this room, I was working through three potential bedroom color palettes in an attempt to make a decision about which one of these beds to order. I loved reading your feedback – thank you for helping me work through my analysis paralysis! – and this weekend, my bedroom fiiiiiiinally started to take shape when my new bed frame was delivered…
DISCLAIMER: Before you look at these – yes, it is a king-sized bed. Yes, I do currently have my full-sized mattress in a king-sized frame (still deciding on my mattress – it’s a huge investment that I’ll spend 4 months a year asleep on! Though I am currently heavily leaning towards this one for its heating/cooling functionality – would be great to not have to use the heater or an A/C at night!). Yes, those are t-shirt quilts (I know I work at a design blog, but my mom gave them to me and I love them!). Yes, it is kind of nerve-wracking to put your VERY in-progress room on the internet, but…if I can use a bathroom with a glass barn door, I can do this too:)
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AHH. I know there’s a ton of work to be done here – and we’ll walk through it all below – but I feel like I’m starting to see what it can look like in here, you know? First: THE BED. I went cognac, y’all!!! I know the lighting on my iPhone isn’t the greatest – and these aren’t edited at all – but it’s such a luxe, rich, rust-meets-gold shade (at least in here, with northeast light!). My wall is 107″ long and this headboard is 97″, so I love how it fills out the space – going from the world’s bitsy-est bed to something that’s appropriate for the scale of the room has been a game changer.
And second: HELLO, RUG! Once I saw the Grand Rug in Deep Blue, it was ooooooover for me. I literally cannot tell you how much I love this rug – it’s so plush and the color is out of this world (it’s saturated AND quiet? Solid but still dynamic? It’s a literal dream! They just announced new colorways and I’m trying to figure out if I can work one into my dining room because I love it so much). I actually cried when I rolled it out (not joking – this whole mold thing has been weighing on me for a long time and finally seeing this beautiful rug against my brass dresser BROKE ME. I really truly love it and I can’t wait to style around it!!!!).
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This brings me to my next point – y’all, I’m expanding the color palette a little bit (from “cognac and desaturated blues” to “cognac and pretty saturated, uh, everything else.” The front of my house is going to be pretty restrained and a little more minimal – mainly lots of pinks, greens, neutrals, and texture – so I want to make a space in my home that’s a little more vibrant and energizing. (Everyone I know will testify that I have no problems sleeping, so my bedroom priority is more “WAKE UP, LET’S GO” than “WIND DOWN, RELAX,” you know?)
I ended up pulling two of my favorite vintage pieces in here – an Otomi pillow (a 2017 Long Beach Flea score!) and a Tobacco Leaf card case (there are two sets of printed playing cards in there, too!) – to serve as the jumping off point for the rest of the color in here. I’ve loved both prints for years and I’m really excited to have a bedroom that makes me feel as happy and energized as these two pieces do:)
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Which brings us to our first debate: What color should the walls be? I thiiiiink my current frontrunner is the faux grasscloth wallpaper from Society Social in either citrus or sage – I love how the classic texture balances out the super-modern bed shape, and it’d be a great backdrop for the rust fabric – but to be fair, I also don’t hate how the wheat faux grasscloth looks in my little keynote mockup, either. I’m also open to just painting in here, which is obviously the easiest and most affordable option – what are your thoughts?
Next up: let’s talk nightstands, please! I originally wanted something square and campaign-y to tie in the brass dresser, then I thought that something really long could balance the visual weight of the 8’ headboard (!!!), but now I think I’m back to looking for something a bit more squat and plinth-y that could fit in the confines of the rug. (I have about 23″ between the edge of the bed and the edge of the rug, and I do want something with storage – maybe campaign nightstands were the right call all along?) Either way, I feel like I’ll know it when I see it. (Also on the hunt for a cute vintage perch for the corner so my cat can sit comfortably in the window – she loves people-watching!)
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MOVING ON. I still cannot believe that I own this dresser (and that I did not have to like, go into debt to acquire it!). VINTAGE DREAMS DO COME TRUE (if you are very patient and prepared to wait forever, at least). This one is in incredible condition – it was actually in better shape than the one I wrote about in our 2021 “if money were no object” post – and scale-wise, it’s almost like it was meant for this wall. Design-wise, I’m just planning to hang a few of my favorite art pieces up here (and I’m also on the hunt for a good vintage jewelry box to adorn the top of the dresser, if anyone has any fun leads!).
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The last two walls are giving me a bit of design trouble, so stick with me for some external processing. The facts: there’s 3.5′ feet between the foot of the bed and this wall – it’s a super comfortable walkway, and I’d almost rather not clutter it with a bench or stools or baskets. That said, I am going to need to suck it up and figure out a location for a new full length-mirror (I don’t know if y’all can see that one, but it’s broken and it drops shards of glass every time I move it, so it’s probably time to call it and recycle her, hah).
I’m leaning towards placing it on this wall – a bit to the right of where the TV is right now, but I’m worried about the rest of the wall/walkway feeling sparse and empty. (Maybe it’d be a good use case for the huge famous Rejuvenation arched mirror?) I’m also worried about putting so many reflective items next to each other – will it be too much? Beyond that, will I regret not opting for an end-of-bed bench or baskets or even a narrow storage solution on the wall? I’ve only owned twin or full beds and am planning to celebrate this upgrade with some very liberal pillow usage, so I guess I do need to put them somewhere at night – if you’re currently a king bed owner, what works for you?
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Moving on! First – if anyone wants a free IKEA Tarva bed frame in LA, please leave a note – it’s yours 🙂 I feel like the size of this wall is better scaled for a mirror, but the 5′ distance between the bed and wall have me considering some sort of vintage armoire or chest here. I originally thought it’d be a great place for a vanity or desk, but I like doing my skincare near a sink (because I’m messy, and I also because need water), my makeup near the window (better lighting), and my work from…well, not in my bedroom, I guess. I’d like the extra storage (and honestly, I’m not crazy about waking up and staring straight into my own eyes every morning), but maybe a smaller mirror closer to the hall door on the left would be nice?
Last but not least – let’s talk WINDOW TREATMENTS. I’m torn here – on one hand, I want to go with bamboo shades because I love the texture they bring to my home (I just hung these $48 cordless ones in my living room and they look just as good as the $600 versions!), buuuuut they don’t have awesome blackout functionality (which is okay in my living room when they’re layered with curtains – that’s just less of an option here, considering that a curtain would make that closet door on the right annoying to use). Light leak doesn’t really bother me, but I also don’t want to buy multiple window treatments if it ever does, you know?
My alternate option: go with a patterned shade. And while I love this idea now, I worry that any pattern (outside of something simple, like a neutral stripe or dot) will really lock me into a certain color palette or direction. Right now I love that the bed, rug, and dresser are functioning as such a versatile base layer – every piece I’ve brought in here has looked awesome against this backdrop. (I mean…I knew saturated blue with warm leather and brass is one of my favorite combinations to build upon – very classic EHD! – so of course, this cognac fabric is a great substitute for leather!) I’m excited about the flexibility to mix things up in here, and I can’t wait to figure out if I should optimize for texture or pattern. It’s a fun problem to have, at least. (FINALLY.)
That brings us to the end of your schadenfreude-y rollercoaster ride – another saga in the books. (Like literally, in the books – my apartment passed inspection yesterday at 10:50 AM and it’s officially a closed case with the city!) As a reminder, I’d welcome your thoughts on paint/wallpaper, nightstand shape, mirror placement, end-of-bed necessity, chest/armoires vs. desks, and window treatments. And if I can help answer any mold questions…or if you’re in the market for an IKEA bed frame…well, I’ll see ya down there. Happy Wednesday 🙂 xx
Yikes, what a saga! As a landlord I was surprised you hired the water damage specialist — I would have expected your landlord to handle that. But anyway I’m happy it is all resolved and sorry you had to go through that. Yay new bed frame and rug!
We don’t have a bench at the foot of our king bed but we have one in the walk in closet and I love having the bed linens stored close to the bed they’ll go on. Extra pillows tend to get dumped on the floor at night and then retrieved in the morning which may not be the best habit but it actually doesn’t bother me. 🤷🏼♀️
Re window treatments I’d love to see a pattern something like the Otomi or Tobacco Leaf prints.
Ya, I was wondering this too! How is this the responsibility of the renter? Extra bad on top of bad! So sorry you had to go through this Caitlin!
some extra tea for the comments: my landlord originally believed that a spill caused the damage (despite the obvious leaks on the walls, hah) and wanted me to foot the bill for all the repairs – i had to bring out an expert to confirm that the A/C was the cause. it was a VERY stressful time (for both of us, i’m sure – i can imagine it sucks hearing that the building that’s been in your family for 40+ years has damaged original hardwoods) but thankfully we seem to be all good now! he handled remediation and repairs and i was thrilled with the environmental consultant he hired, so it makes up for the snafu at the beginning 🙂
Wait. Caitlin. Did you move? What happened to the apartment with all the wallpaper? Was that yours? Sorry about all the stress with the water and mold!
The wallpaper is in other roo s – kitchen, bathroom, hallway.
still here, still a work in progress! gonna have lots of reveals for y’all in Q1 2023 though – shooting my living room, dining room, kitchen, AND bedroom!! it’s all coming together (finally!!!)
I am confused-saw an old post from 2021 of your bedroom with wallpaper?! Did you move this year? BTW: I am in LOVE with the bed!!! This will be my dream saving up for bed!!! Glad you don’t have any of that stress anymore! Fellow renter in LA and I SO get it!!!!
You may be thinking of Franchesca’s bedroom: https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/romantic-bedroom-makeover-the-company-store
Mattress recommendation- mattresses are very personal! So my perfect mattress might not be your perfect mattress. With that in mind, I recommend the Tuft and Needle.
My husband and I are both side sleepers. With our old mattress, I would wake up several times a night with numb spots on my hips. This didn’t happen to him, even though he is about 100lbs heavier than me and also sleeping on his side.
After sleeping on a Tuft and Needle mattress at my parents house, I was sold on it and we bought their basic model in King Size. We put a 100% cotton mattress pad on it (not the T&N one, just a cheap one off Amazon) bc he gets too hot in his sleep on the synthetic bed material. The cotton mattress pad alleviates this issue though.
My husband probably would prefer a firmer mattress. But he gets better sleep if I’m not tossing and turning, so this has been good for both of us. Oh- and we did sleep on the Sleep Number bed at his Mom’s house and while it seems like a good solution for couples with different bed preferences, neither of us liked it.
i know our team loves tuft & needle – julie has one (the mint i think?), bowser has one (the hybrid?) and they’re definitely our go-to brand for makeover projects (we bought more for that velux room reveal we did!). they’re definitely at the top of my list with eightsleep, too 🙂
I have to recommend a dreamcloud mattress. Long story short, it saved my life. Horrible back problems and nearly bedridden for over a month, in desperation I ordered one and never looked back. My decades long battle with back pain is essentially gone! There’s a one year trial period too. It’s a hybrid mattress with full support that’s like literally sleeping on a cloud. Their top of the line king is under 2k. Best purchase ever!!
Caitlin! Wow, I’m so sorry to hear that the stress of all this resulted in an ulcer for you! I hope you’re on the mend and I’m glad to hear the mold disaster is resolved. Love your choices, but what happened to that super cool tall boy dresser in the dusky rose colour? The one with those curvy lines? Does it feature in your design now? Love the bed frame 🙂. Are you going for a natural mattress? I love my latex one.
i sold the postmodern tallboy dresser! i’m glad i got a few shots of it in my hallway reveal, but it had been about 5 years and i was SUPER excited to see it go to a new home (the purchaser actually bought a few pieces from me, so it’s nice that they went together!!)
Awww, sorry to see it go, but glad it’s gone to a good new home! Your new one is fab 😁
This makes me giggle. “I’m glad they went together” like bonded dogs at a shelter. 🙂
Do tell about that DRESSER! Wow wow WOW!
The post about it is linked in the first sentence (clicking MY LAST BEDROOM POST will take you to it).
it’s by sarreid and it’s from the 1970s and it is AMAZING. 6 feet long and the most storage space i’ve ever had in a dresser – it’s a 10/10 on both form AND function and i can’t believe i get to use it every day!!! an absolute steal from wertz brothers (RIP) and i don’t think i’ll ever part with it – it’s my favorite piece i own hands down 🙂
Wertz Brothers are gone!!!! Noooooooooooooo.
I recommend Pottery Barn and/or Pottery Barn Kids roman shades. They’re blackout and have no cords. They give a nice finished look.
pottery barn kids/ teen shades are always cheaper than pottery barn roman shades. I got some earlier this year and love them.
pb kids and teen! totally forgot about crate and kids, too – i gotta look at all of these places! y’all are absolutely right. best advice is always in the comments!
I gasped when I saw your rug – but (initially) not in a good way. When we moved into our house years ago, half of the house (family room, stairs, hallway, bedrooms) had wall-to-wall carpet in that exact same shade of blue and I *hated it*. It’s lovely for a rug and your room will be gorgeous with it, but when it was everywhere with no visual breaks it was too much. We’ve been slowly pulling up the carpet to add hardwoods over the years and FINALLY changed the flooring in the last room – our bedroom – a few months ago to my relief and delight. When I saw your photo I nearly screamed NOOOOO, but of course it’s totally different in a different form and context. Excited for you and I’ll try to move past my own associations with the blue!
HA. trends are so circular – i know exactly what you mean!! looked at my fair share of fixer uppers with very saturated wall-to-wall carpet (lotta maroon, lot of sage green over here!)
“schadenfreude-y rollercoaster ride” spunds super-scary and a LOT od upheaval.
I hope the stress is done now and your body can revover from it quickly.
This is going to be one worth the wait. ⏰
I suggest possibly lining your bamboo blinds with a block out fabric.
You could either use big, ol’ hand stitches or glue the fabric into the back of the blinds. (I’d probably hand-stitch it and use the wide openness of the room to do it, so you can spread the blinds out, prior to everything changing and filling up)…
It’s not as hard as it sounds – I’ve hand sewn big hems on multi-layered block-out curtains for multiple rooms in my house. You may find twine works well as the ‘thread’, buy a large curved needle.👍
Then you’d get the aethetic you’re looking for, with block-out for heat/cold.
Looking forward to the reveal down the track.🤗
this is a great idea!! thanks rusty 🙂
Hi! I don’t have the Eight Sleep mattress but I do have the cover… I would recommend it with a few caveats: The sensation of water cooling (versus air cooling that we’re all used to from AC) takes a bit to adjust to. To replicate, put an icepack down with a towel over and lay on that. I’m kind of kidding, kind of not. I’ve adjusted to it by sleeping in pants and long sleeved shirt (even in the TX summer!) and then putting the bed on a slightly cool setting. That sounds crazy, why wouldn’t you just wear less clothes and NOT use the cooling feature? Well, because my body temperature seems to rise at night and even with less clothes I used to wake up clammy. I do really like the cover, I just had to adjust to the sensation of cold water. It’s kind of weird but clothes help! I find the cover to be slightly hard. Not sure how the mattress is. You can’t feel the water grid (it just feels solid) but it’s not exactly fluffy either. I was surprised that the app (necessary) had a monthly cost. If you have cats DO NOT let… Read more »
i LOVE hearing this review – i’m actually happy to hear that it’s a little hard! still dealing with some long-term back problems and i was worried this would be a little too “waterbed-y”, you know? and this is SUCH a great tip about cats – buff is a stage 100000 clinger and loves to sleep under the covers with me so that’s REALLY good to know as i weigh options. thank you for your advice!!
I also have the ate sleep pod cover and love it. I have a talaylay mattress with a wool topper because I have had three back surgeries and need the support. So I think my pod cover is probably a little cushier than Angela’s.
Playing around with the temps does take a bit of time, and I second that there autopilot feature does not work as intended. You will have to readjust your settings as the weather gets cooler / hotter. With the King bed, you can set each side separately.
What took me a little bit of getting used to was hearing the pump at night. It isn’t loud, but I live in a very quiet neighborhood, and I could hear it. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to it.
Congrats on getting to this stage! Phew! My thoughts are yes to small tall dresser by closet, navy moody walls, bamboo blinds, mirror behind door so left of the dresser and nothing at end of bed to start with. Yes to circle/stout bedside tables and love that you have your kitty cat in your plan, vintage chair dreams coming up! Good luck, cannot wait to see how it turns out!
thank you ali 🙂
Here are my votes: I like the sage wall covering over the citrus, it seems to blend better with the rug color. I found, at one time, a more tortoise shell colored stick shade and think that would be pretty and rich in the bedroom. You could layer a curtain on only the bed side of the window. As for mirrors, the bigger the better as far as I’m concerned. The bigger the better the more they bring additional light into the room. Pillows can go on the floor, it doesn’t bother me, or on a small slipper chair? I think you would get tired of squeezing by a bench at the foot of the bed to get to the dresser (well, I would). I LOVE the rug and the dresser and the color of the bed frame together, IloveitIloveitIloveit.
thanks priscilla!!
Since you have a low bed and the windows are low, I wonder if you could do a minimal nightstand and then put a chair in the corner (on the side between the window and the dresser). If the chair had a fuller back, the cat could perch on chair back to look out and/or sleep in the chair in the sun. It seems like you have plenty of space to put a chair in the room and it is so nice to be able to sit in your room to put on socks, read, throw clothes onto or throw pillows on at night, etc. I vote for a chair in that window corner instead of a bench anything at the end of the bed, to keep the walkway open.
i also would love a chair there – just a matter for figuring out the scale, i think! i have about 4′ between the bed and the window so i just need to find the right fit for the space. haven’t been able to find a ton of upholstered options that are narrow enough, but i’m sure the right vintage chair is out there somewhere!! hopefully i find it sooner rather than later 🙂
Vintage chairs tend to be smaller in scale, so win win!
I’ve been wanting to do grasscloth in the 1913 home we’re renovating, but we have cats, so I appreciate the link to this faux grasscloth … hopefully it’s less tempting to felines!
less tempting AND way less expensive, too!! printed with raised ink so you do get a little texture, but it’s definitely not “sink my claws in” textured which is awesome
Wait. So, if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, the AC was not replaced, which? Totally worth the hassle to get a clean unfettered wall.
the kicker: turns out that wall A/C units require permits in LA (because of the construction/electrical work required to get them safely through walls/up and running) and……this one was never permitted. i had to get the city involved (fun!) and the un-permitted work was dinged during an inspection, so it had to be fully removed which means YES, clean wall!! a tiny bright spot in this whole snafu 🙂
So interesting! What is your AC source now though? Or is the room just warmer?
Rough go of it! Glad you’re on the other side. Re: a bench at the end of the bed. We bought one, hated it, gave it away. It just held clutter, got in the way (a few stubbed toes) and made the path feel too tight. Plus we had to awkwardly shove the comforter between the bed and bench and it looked silly. We just throw the couple decorative pillows off the side of the bed at night and grab them in the morning. I think a mirror would be lovely, bounce the light from the windows across the room.
great feedback on the bench, THANK YOU!!
I’m sure you’ll figure it all out and it will be wonderful. But- you do know that you can see through bamboo shades at night, right? So I wouldn’t use those solely. Ok, so it seems your boyfriend lives far away and I’m thinking you’ll get this whole place done and then move to the east coast? 🙂
HA – yup, he lives in my hometown (of course)!! no plans to leave LA right now, but we also have been seeing each other every ~2 weeks (he left here on the 18th, i’m headed there tomorrow!) so we’re making it work in both places 🙂
Prediction- that won’t last forever! One of you will move! 🙂
love your posts! Feels like they’re written by my friends. As a human who also suffers from anxiety related ulcers – just wanted to let you in on my methodology when they start : L-Glutamine powder! You can get it at Whole Foods. Put a scoop in a glass of water for a few days and it really helps with leaky gut when the ulcer party starts to launch. Managing my anxiety ulcers have been a game changer!
SUCH GOOD ADVICE, THANK YOU!! this is my first one and i literally thought i was dying – they SUCK. can’t wait to try this 🙂
Wall suggestions!! I do love a grass cloth wallpaper but when I saw your things my mind went straight to tonal. Think a blue paint in the same vain as that beautiful rug and possibly curtains in the same monochromatic scheme. I love a good moody bedroom though. That dresser would POP
I will site some some inspo pics previously used on the blog!
https://pin.it/ihHHdv5
https://pin.it/4rbjEoY
Hope that works (I’m not the most computer savvy)
Good luck with your room journey and hopefully it goes
Smoothly from here on out!!
I’m so confused! I thought your primary bedroom was done last year with the beautiful wallpaper behind the bed???
We’re a plus size family so we have a Titan mattress that we love and plan on upgrading the rest of our mattresses to Titan after the holidays. However, my in-laws -not plus sized- recently bought one on our recommendation and also love it.
You probably know this but…I used Blinds.com in a clients home. they were nice but had to have them come out 7! Repeat ! 7! times to get the measurements right on some. I just reno’ed my own home an opted for Select Blinds, also finding they were right here in Phoenix. less expensive just as nice and they make them black out also. Nice colors.
Also all those grasscloth colors are gorgeous but the CITRUS! with what you have going, Wow! That’s my vote! Hugs for all you have gone through! You make the most beautiful and amazing spaces!
I Love the bed and the color you chose! LOVE LOVE that dresser!!! You need a tobacco leaf lamp or 2 on it. I have a storage ottoman at the foot of my bed that doubles as puppy stairs and that’s where the pillows get stashed at night.
“but…if I can use a bathroom with a glass barn door, I can do this too:)”
This made me LOL!! WHAT an adventure! I have zero advice, but enjoy your posts and am envious of that brass dresser.
I always read every word of your posts, Caitlin — the best! I’d definitely avoid putting anything at the foot of the bed. It’s the sort of thing that doesn’t seem too bad at first, but can grow into a major aggravation. I like the idea of a smallish armoire on the other wall. And how lucky you were with the spot to put your brass chest of drawers. I love the look of bamboo blinds, but I’d never put them in a bedroom without a way to make them completely opaque. If it were me, I’d probably go with a combo of blinds and curtains. Here’s some we purchased, but haven’t received yet, that I think would look good in your space — https://www.etsy.com/listing/675279054/curtains-heni-goldenrod-natural-cotton?ref=yr_purchases .
Sorry you had to experience such a saga…but glad your makeover is back on track. How about putting a mirror on the inside of the closet door, so it doesn’t compete with your reflective dresser? Then you can focus on art, etc. for the remaining walls…
Good for you! I would leave the 3.5 ft unobstructed, grass cloth in any of the three colors, mirror so you can see head to toe, pillows galore (I just got rid of all extra pillows on our KING bed) until you tire of them. Whatever you do will be stunning!!
We have a king bed and we have a very narrow oval storage bench from Amazon in faux velvet. It stores extra throws. Super convenient to have a place to sit down while dressing. You would never know it was Amazon . We have very tall campaign chests opposite our bed in white with brass trim, So of course I love yours! Have a new bench does make the walkway more narrow then I’d have an a perfect world but it’s fine. Not happy with my own nightstands right now. I have a mismatch due to needing to get inside the master bathroom. Meaning I can only have a very small night stand on the bathroom door side. I may switch that out for a wall mount shelf. We’ll see… I don’t think I want to do small campaign chests because I think it will be too Matchey match
Why did you have to sort out the mould and oversee the process? As a landlord with two rental properties I can tell you that would solely be a problem for the landlord to sort out in Australia! Ditto worrying about the asbestos. And I thought we were meant to have v weak rental laws for tenants in Australia.
I love your style but it’s very different to mine so I’ve got no advice except I don’t think you need anything at the foot of the bed. That would get on my nerves. I chuck my extra cushions on the ground! And make sure you place mirror where you can easily see yourself to try on your clothes etc.
Really looking forward to the final reveal. You deserve something beautiful after all that stress and drama.
PS That card case is one of he most beautiful things I have seen. I love it.
Why don’t you think about a patterned wallpaper (to balance block colours of bed and rug) picking out those colours? (After saying I had no advice). You could even pick out a couple (eg green) then pick up the other colours eg pink, red, burgundy plus the cushion as accents. I’m think Florence Broadhurst-y, eg
https://materialised.com.au/product/spotted-floral-plum-florence-broadhurst/
https://materialised.com.au/product/japanese-floral-triton-florence-broadhurst/?product_name=JAPANESE%20FLORAL%20TRITON%20–%20Florence%20Broadhurst
https://materialised.com.au/product/hessian-plum-florence-broadhurst/?product_name=HESSIAN%20PLUM%20–%20Florence%20Broadhurst
but something more traditional a la Sandberg might also be fun and has v similar leaf motif:
https://sandbergwallpaper.com/ava-pistachio?epik=dj0yJnU9bFBaOTIxTGd0QVlzS09Id3VwSE9xeHVEU3hHMzlReXUmcD0wJm49UlRUSmhTUWItUVpla2tHemk2ODRmZyZ0PUFBQUFBR05pLVBB&pp=1
Whatever you do, have fun choosing!
Ignore my comments. I missed the whole grass cloth paragraph. Both are stunning!
No more endless responding to my own comments.
I love the Florence Broadhurst Japanese Floral! I used to have Kate Spade shoes in the black and white version of the print, and now I’m sad I donated them. Fortunately, I still have the coat with the lining. I agree that a floral would look great with the other solids in the room.
It is refreshing to see homemade quilts! I have several my mom made and I cannot imagine not sleeping under them! I’d love to see it mentioned in a final bedroom reveal even if I know you have to use something more general for those <3 love quilter moms
I agree! The quilt is beautiful and so special.
I just got a Nordic Knots rug, but mine is the flatweave, Square. I love it! Good to know you love the Grand. I like the sage colorway of the grasscloth wallpaper. I’m leaning toward smaller nightstands to fit the rug. I think the mirror can work where you want it, on the bigger wall, just integrate it into a gallery wall of some sort on that wall. On the smaller wall, I think an armoire or storage bench would be great, so maybe you can also make space for the pillows. I have a king bed, and the pillows are stacked on a bench while we sleep.
The saga of the leak and mold was pretty horrible. I’m so glad it’s all fixed. I can’t wait to see the next stage of the decorating!
Lots of great design (and life) advice in the comments, so I’ll just add my personal opinions. We have a very large upholstered bed we love. There’s not enough room (leaving comfortable walking space) for a bench. BUT having somewhere to put shams/extra pillows is a necessity. Luckily we have a large round woven sturdy laundry basket we can balance our two king-sized shams on. Second. We have a Tempurpedic mattress with cooking technology. With two people with bad backs, it was well worth the investment. Side note: I have a large vintage dresser too (mine was wood and got it lacquered an emerald green). So fun!
Should say “cooling” technology. Autocorrect!
Just a giggle at the autocorrect moment. As my mind still adjusts to mattresses that heat and cool, but aren’t water beds, it promptly registered – and now they COOK!!! Oh hahaha…. but you know, its probably just a matter of time.
I love the cognac and blue combo- I’m a sucker for saturated colors! Re. The mirror, will 3’ be enough space for you to stand back to get a full view of an outfit? I find myself standing fairly far from my full length mirror so your foot of the bed placement thought gave me pause. You definitely don’t want a bench there if you have the mirror there.
Are vintage armoires with mirrored doors a thing? Or a mirror inside? That other wall gives you more room but I agree it’s the perfect spot for a fabulous vintage storage moment.
What a wild ride in getting your place setup! But you’ve made quick work of the room and it’s gonna be a beauty in no time. I could help but think I have a killer pair of side tables/nightstands that would look so great in this color palette!
1970s Burlwood Accent Tables – a Pair on Chairish
https://www.chairish.com/product/5551615/1970s-burlwood-accent-tables-a-pair
What happened to your living/dining room reveal? Don’t leave us hanging
What a stressful saga! So glad that’s over and the room is starting to come together. For the space you have on either side of your bed, I’d like to see one larger piece, like a vintage armoire, and you could incorporate a mirror on either the front outside or inside the armoire door if it was large enough. I like the idea of a chair in the corner by the wind. Faux grass cloth sounds interesting, I’ll have to take a closer look. I like curtains in a bedroom, cozier and simple, probably in a solid color but maybe a print? Thanks for the update!
Colors: I’m usually in favor of color on bedroom walls but I’m favoring the wheat grass cloth as a more natural base for the rich colors and textures. The brass against a green tone might lend an odd light reflection in the room. But it could be the current photos which have a lot of yellow in them so it’s hard to tell. Super love your vintage accessories and the touches of deep and bright patterns they’re bringing! Last thing, don’t go too small with your nightstands, or the proportions will be askew, something with chunky rounded legs or shape seems appropriate.
I did buy a bench for my king-size bed specifically so I can put pillows on it, hahah. But you can probably achieve the same thing with a big basket in the corner?
I love the idea of an arched oversized, (possibly) leaning mirror with a cushioned rattan bench in front. Easy to slide the bench out of the way when you need to see your feet. Someplace to plop the decorative pillows at night. As for window covering, we enjoy the privacy and light filtering of the bamboo shades during the day but needed blackout at night and sometimes wanted them open – with some strategically placed velcro strips and a piece of blackout material, I was able to rig it for all 3 options. The daytime privacy option requires the blackout material to be rolled by hand and tacked up with velcro dots. Worth it to have all 3 options with the clean, textured look of the woven blinds.
Bench inspo? Would definitely amp up the cushion fabric.
Goddess bless you Caitlin!! I’m such a fan of in-progress photos on the internet. I appreciate professional beauty but the rest of us live in the real world and it’s totally valid to be continually in process! SO glad you have a cozy spot to be (hilarious that your have a smaller bed in the king frame – take yo tiiiime) and I hope working on the dream space is therapeutic from here on out! Also COMPLETELY HERE for crying. Let it goooooo. Sending good vibes!
Your story is very familiar to those of us in the construction industry. our company does mostly home renovations and lately it seems that we have been working almost exclusively on homes that are pre-1900 including our own which we are pretty sure started life as a chicken coop! Mold, asbestos, and lead paint remediation are all part of our business tool chest now. Glad you were able to get the problem solved and totally feel your (back)pain while living on an ongoing construction site. But the end result is worth it, what a great space! I think Roman shades are your answer to the window treatments but I think I’d go with a fairly solid color or something tonal picked from one of the colors in your gorgeous pillow and cardbox. I’d reserve the more exuberant prints for the bed so that it is the star in the room rather than fighting for attention with the windows. Our bedroom is super tiny and the one thing I wish we had was a little more space for the walkway at the foot of the bed. In a perfect world I’d rotate the bed in the room but the electric baseboard… Read more »
I would go with the wheat grasscloth. You can add the green color elsewhere…I think you might get tired of either of those greens in the long run? But go with your gut! You know best 🙂