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My Master Bedroom

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Are you sitting down? Prepare yourself for something truly horrible. This was my master bedroom when we first moved to our home 3 years ago…yikes. Where to begin? I inherited two-tone mauve walls with a chair height border. From my old house I brought a red, yellow, and green french country sort of theme. I do not recommend these colors all together in one room. I’m surprised the universe as we know it didn’t split apart.

And here’s another corner of the room…

Like all of my rooms, this is not the AFTER after, but it’s much better. This has been a tough room to decorate. It’s long, narrow, has 4 doors, and one awkwardly placed window.
This is my husband’s dresser that’s in the corner in the before picture. It was $35 from a yard sale. I painted it white and sprayed the brass handles black, then added the blue decorative painting.

 A closer view…
I bought this pair of glass apothecary jars from a woman getting rid of some stuff before a move. She invited me over to her house to pick through everything (and she didn’t even know me…it’s a wierd story!)

 This headboard was $15 at a yard sale. It’s not really what I want, but it’s better than a metal frame and a blank wall. I’d love to find a beautiful french bed frame…for $15.00! Hey, a girl can dream.

 This was my grandmother’s vanity and it’s shown in the same spot in the before picture. I removed the mirror, painted it white, and added the glass knobs & decorative painting. The mirrors were $1.00 each at separate yard sales and the silver trivets are hung with black ribbon. I added black & white feathered fringe to the lamps for a fun detail.

 This side table was $3.00 at a yard sale. Of course, it got a coat of paint and I sprayed the brass handle black.

 This rocker was $15 at…you guessed it, a yard sale. It had this weird quilted fabric on it and was poorly upholstered, so I made it a white cotton twill slipcover.
The details are what make a slipcover special. I’m not a great seamstress and I don’t love sewing, but I like that I can find an ugly piece of furniture and make it something that works in my house.

 I’ve had this dresser since middle school and I’m not into the Queen Anne thing any longer, but it’s very functional. I couldn’t take the brass handles one more minute, so I painted them black. It was a bit of a gamble, but I really like how it turned out.

 And here’s a corner view. I painted all of the doors in the new part of the home black. In the old part of our house (built in the 1940’s) we have wood doors and glass knobs. Someday I’d like to get doors that match the old ones. Until then, the black makes more of a statement then builder grade white.
I love your comments and questions! The lovely table in my furniture striping tutorial is soaking in the stain downstairs right now, so I’m off to work on that.

I’ll be posting this to Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered Cottage and Metamorphosis Monday this week. Make sure you check out the great giveaway over there!

Marian Parsons 

Paint Enthusiast | Writer | Artist | Designer

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40 Responses

  4. There were so many great ideas in that room. I love the painted furniture with your hand paint touches. I also love the prices on your items…shows you can design a beautiful room on not a big budget. Thanks for taking us on a tour of your before and after.

  6. Good golly woman… I swear I gasp at every post you do. Those touches on the furniture are heavenly!

    You have convinced me to get out my brushes!!! Wana come over and play? Oh come ON. I'm only in BC Canada. Come on over and we'll have a corn roast, eh?

    Donna

  9. I think it looks a million times better! And I know what you mean about furniture you don't love. My hubband purchased some bedroom furniture before we met and I hate-hate-hate it. I've been looking for a headboard just like yours to paint black. We can trade if you want. : )

  10. I love all your beautiful, handpainted furniture. So so pretty. I like your headboard but I hope you find that FRENCH one..for $15.00 of course!
    xo bj

  11. Very Nice!! A great transformation. I love the paint color and how you made it so much lighter. That is a big difference. You are giving me some motivation to do mine.

  12. Thanks for the suggestion, Kristen! I actually had a canopy and took it down when I painted. I love the look of them and might do one again in the future.

    Also, Donna…they did not do this in the 80's. It was 2003, so there is no excuse for these walls!

  13. first – I love the black doors, I did that in my house too. Second – I love all the plates on the wall, fabulous! and i love the painted furniture – you did a great job!!!!
    Joni

  15. Oh wow! This room looks fabulous. Great transformation. I have a similar color in my master bed, but the room doesn't look this amazing. Great job!

  16. Great transformation! Love the headboard and the plates above it, looks so pretty! Could you tell me where you got those black and white pillows? They are exactly what I need in my bedroom.

  17. TamiV – I actually made the pillows. I split an old down bed pillow in half (feathers everywhere), closed the open ends, and made a cover out of the black and white fabric with a light blue piping. I purchased the fabric in the home decor section of JoAnn's (with the decorator fabric that is sold on a bolt, not a roll.) I'm going to do some sewing tutorials in the future, so stayed tuned if you want to know exactly how to make them, but they were very simple.

  21. Love your tranformation! Theres nothing better than blue and white, well maybee black and white also! Love the color! Stop by for a visit sometime!
    Michelle

  25. Thanks for the response about the pillows. I was afraid you were going to say you made them. 😉 Hmmm…gonna have to pull out the sewing machine!

  27. This does not even look like the same room! Totally inspiring makeover, its beautiful!! Amazing what you can do to furniture with some paint!! Love that you went for the black door too, so dramatic!

  29. I am so lovin your bedroom – love the color and all the combinations ! I love looking at your work as I a really trying to get back into painting again – it is sooooo calling my name….LOL
    Kammy

  39. Beautiful. Love the wall colour and especially the make over of your Grandmother's vanity. I'm sure she would be happy.

  40. The 'after' is amazing..it looks nothing like the before…hmmmm..it reveals how God does that for us in our lives when we allow Him to transform us…becoming unrecognizable!

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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