It’s here, it’s here! The BIG reveal of my bedroom is finally here! It has been an incredible 6 weeks trying to get the bedroom complete. This challenge was exactly that, a challenge!
If you can think back to what the bedroom looked like Week 1, the walls had wood paneling painted in bright purple with an outdated ceiling fan. There were shallow closets across from the window wall that weren’t deep enough to hang clothing. The room felt tight and there wasn’t much wall space available to put a bed and dresser.
The new bedroom is light and bright, and feels so much larger!
Although the room is still small, there were several ways that we maximized our space. Most importantly, we opened up the the shallow closet area and knocked down the wall in between and made a large niche to place our dresser. Now, we have a functional area to store our clothing and possibly add a tv in the future.
Secondly, we hung the curtains as close to the ceiling as possible to make the room feel larger. I had also selected curtains in an ombré pattern, fading from light to dark, which also draws the eye upwards while anchoring the room. I chose to swoop all the curtains to one side for two reasons: 1) I felt it made the room feel wider rather than segmented and 2) the panels next to the bed would be too close and get in the way.
Next, keeping the color palette light and neutral was important to make the bedroom feel larger. The largest pieces in the room like the area rug, bed/bedding, and even the wall color give the illusion of more space. But keeping things light isn’t the only way to make a room feel bigger, I also painted the accent wall in a darker paint color so that area recedes. Dark colors can give the perception of more depth. The contrast in that area worked to my advantage.
Lastly, we had streamlined the walls by removing the paneling and added trim work. The new crowne molding, base trim, and window trim add architectural interest. The crowne molding once again, draws your eye upward which gives the illusion of a larger space.
Aside from being intentional with our choices to make the room feel bigger, I also had to keep in mind of my shopping choices to ensure that I was creating a space that both my fiancé and i could enjoy. Before we started this project, we both wrote down how we wanted the room to feel. With those feelings in mind — I had to intentionally curate our space to fit that. Furniture choices, texture, artwork, accessories, and color were a big part of that but lighting was also a key factor.
One of the moods my fiancé used was ‘slightly romantic’ …so without adding moody hues and a ton of candles, I installed pendant lights from the ceiling that hung over each nightstand. The Edison bulb lights cast very warm light, reminiscent of candles and oh, so cozy! The pendant lights transform the entire vibe at night.
MY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CHALLENGE
Decorating for two can be a challenge of it’s own but knowing exactly how you want the room to feel and communicating with your partner is key. With any home project (especially renovations), there will be unexpected things that will happen and you have to remain calm (easier said) and open to solutions. Just remember, there are no design emergencies, and everything is figure-outable. This challenge has been a growing experience for the two of us. In fact, this was our first home project together. We had to be a team to complete everything on time and collaborate on a design that would make us both happy. After our work day, we would spend our nights working on the house to get everything done. Plus, I have a whole new appreciation for prepping for paint as I filled and sanded every nail hole. This project has been a labor of love… but 150% worth it in the end! Working with my fiancé to make our very own “happy place” has only made me love this room (and him) even more.
I hope that you have enjoyed following me along during the challenge! Although this room is complete, there is still much more to finish up at our house so stay tuned for more transformations.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this room come to life!
My Fiance, Joey Scotto — for pitching in countless hours after work to get things done and dealing with my late night text messages with my crazy design ideas
My Father in law. Big Joe and The AMA Crew— for all your meticulous labor, demo, sweat equity, clean-up, prep work, painting, electrical work, custom radiator covers, and gorgeous trim work. This project would not be complete if it weren’t for you!
Kelly Money Art — for the incredible painting that I have been obsessing over for years and specifically recreating the painting in the desired size that I needed. Thanks for your attention to detail, endless messages for color confirmations, sending me progress shots, and for working on such a tight deadline to make it happen. You are an amazing person and wickedly talented. SO thankful for you.
My photographer, Mariah Texidor — for photographing this project on short notice, working under pressure, and quickly delivering beautiful photographs that have been edited and ready for the big day! You rock and I love working with you!!
Live and Sleep Mattress — for partnering with me to make my dreams happen (literally). The timely responses, amazing customer service, and super speedy (one-day) delivery! I am in love with my mattress and have been sleeping well ever since it arrived!
— You guys are the real MVP’s <3 Thank you for support, patience, dedication, hard work, and helping me turn my design vision into reality.
Do you love the final result? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
For more design updates from my project, view my previous posts:
WEEK 1 : The Master Bedroom Before
WEEK 2 : Planning + Furniture Layout
WEEK 3: Furniture Shopping with Intention
WEEK 4: My Painting Tips + Color Selections
WEEK 5: Shopping for Window Treatments Tips
To view other projects from other talented Guest participants,
visit the One Room Challenge Blog.