Leigha has been a thrifter her entire life. The talent to find a good deal was used to furnish her home and she eventually sold her finds out of two booths at antique malls. She’s recently been honing her style and realizes that “her home no longer speaks to her.” While Leigha’s ready to sell it all and start over, the fact that she has a busy life (works as a librarian, married to a firefighter, three boys), it’s a little more than impractical.
She would really like to make her bedroom a haven, though. A place she really loves.
Right now, there are only two things she likes in the space…the pictures of her boys (not the thrifted leopard frames) and the tall secretary her parents gave her. That’s it.
Leigha wants a lighter, brighter, cozy space. She wants to move away from the heavy, masculine furniture. She loves green, crocheted cream throws (she already has a few) and dreams of an iron bed. And her husband is on board with whatever she wants to do, even swapping out the ceiling fan! The room just needs to be comfortable.
So, here’s what I’m thinking for you, Leigha…
Don’t get overwhelmed. I think you can take this project one step at a time, as money, time and life allows.
Here is what the room looks like now…
One word comes to mind when I look at Leigha’s space – heavy. So many elements in this room are weighing it down visually. None of it is ugly, it’s just heavy.
The good news is that she has amazing bones to this room – a beautiful ceiling, hardwood floors and nice windows. She also has some great furniture pieces to work with already and, since she’s a dealer, she can work on “trading up” for things that fit better with her style.
The first thing I think you should do, Leigha, is what I call a “room reset.” Take out all of the accessories, wall art, curtains, bedding, lamps and small furniture. Then, assess the room. What furniture could you rework? Paint, change out the hardware, maybe. Or, should you sell it and trade for something else?
I can’t see the bed stands very well, but it looks like those have a simple shape and could easily be repurposed. The long dresser, though, is very “heavy” in style with the ornate carvings and chunky hardware. If you find another dresser that would work in the space, I would swap them out.
Since you want to lighten and brighten, the easiest way to do that is with paint. I would suggest a creamy white like Benjamin Moore’s Simply White or Sherwin William’s Mascarpone (below).
When I spotted that beautiful tray ceiling in Leigha’s room, I immediately thought, “Paint that thing blue; like the sky.” The creamy walls, bright white trim and sky blue ceiling would look so fresh and clean.
Image via Millenium
Keep the blue soft, though. Something like Harbour Haze by Benjamin Moore…
Leigha mentioned wanting to swap out her current bed for an iron one, and we’ll get to that in a minute, but I wanted to show how nice a dark wood fourposter bed can look when lightened up with white bedding…
I would try one of the crochet bedspreads you love so much on the current bed you have, to see how that works for you. You may find you don’t want a new bed after all! (Leigha says she’s bought a few to sell, but loves them so much that she’s kept them. Let’s try them out on the bed!)
source unknown
If there is a concern about the durability of an antique crochet bedspread, layer it over an inexpensive white matlasse spread and fold it down during the night.
As far as the boys’ pictures, I would suggest painting the frames black or white or gold leafing them. Swap out the mats for simple white mats as well. The pictures will then be the feature and they won’t be competing with the leopard frames.
I would also hang a grouping of small plates above it or perhaps a cool piece of architectural salvage to round out the large rectangle created by the frames.
When Leigha said she loved green, this picture immediately came to mind…
How about trading out those more masculine chairs for petite wooden chairs painted in a pretty green…
Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint – Boxwood
Like the inspiration picture, I like the idea of adding a few black elements, like in the lamps or decorative accents. But in small doses and ones that aren’t too chunky. I would trade out the current lamps in favor of ones that are glass, wood, ceramic…just something not as heavy as the current lamps.
I think your wood secretary will look perfect in this new space, as is. I would remove the tray off the top and leave it empty or put one special piece there, like a woven basket.
Now, if you do want to swap out the bed, I think you could sell your current one and put that money towards a new iron bed. I did a bit of shopping around online and found this economical version from Ikea that I think would look nice…
Ikea Svelvik bed frame – $299
And one that is more expensive, but still a good price for a queen frame…
Restoration Hardware Dutch Industrial bed. The queen in distressed white in $695 on final sale. And I have two RH beds, so I can recommend the quality of them. I’m not sure about the Ikea one. (Has anyone seen that one in the store? Impressions?)
And I have two final thoughts for the space…
First off, I think the botanical prints are beautiful and I love how you hung them, so they are touching. I do feel like they are cramped behind that headboard, so I would remove three of them if you’re keeping that bed, just to give the six that are hanging a bit more room. Your room looks like a nice size, but the lamps, headboard, bedding, frames, etc. all clumped together make it look smaller than it is. I think the green in the leaves will look nice with the green, white and black design I’m proposing for you.
I would also suggest raising the curtain rods. You have great high ceilings, so take advantage of that height and put the rods just a few inches down from the ceiling. Remove the shears and just have some simple linen or cotton drapes.
So, there you go, Leigha! Those are my ideas for your space. I hope you keep in touch and let us know what you end up changing!
42 Responses
I have the IKEA bed, and it is very sturdy. My husband painted it white for me, and I love it!
Good to know! It looks nice and is at a great price, but I wasn’t sure about the sturdiness and quality. Glad to hear it’s a good buy. I bet it looks great painted, too!
I love all these ideas and think it would look great, even keeping the bed. Hope we get to see how it turns out.
Love your ideas. Re: portraits of boys — not sure white mats would work as there seems so much dark in the pix themselves . . . maybe ecru-ish? And bring in the light! And love the suggested blue for the ceiling! What a difference that would make. And maybe less furniture? Love these virtual room makeovers. Thanks for indulging my musings.
Love all your ideas! I think before Leigha changes out the bed, she should make the other changes that you suggest. It will really lighten up the room and make the bed pop, like in your inspiration photo. She may fall in love with the bed again. And, that’s from someone who has iron beds in all her bedrooms….and a board of all iron beds on Pinterest! Haha!
Love these features. I think she should keep her bed. There isn’t much room between her bed and dresser and if the frame is raised on the foot of the bed it will make the room look smaller. Are you going to be tackling this project as well? Would love to see end result! Also love the ideas of the photos with new matting/ painted frames.
Tracy, I’m in Georgia, so too far for Marian to travel, but I’m taking her suggestions and running with them! I’ll send her updates and photos and she can share. I’ve already done my room reset and my husband and I spent Saturday painting. You won’t believe the difference that made!
I would double-mat the portraits. Pick up the color of the boys’ khaki pants for the inner mat, then use white for the outer mat. For portraits, I like to use white mats with just a little linen-like texture, but nothing too heavy. Another option is to use a mat with a thin inner frame around the portrait. You can even find these prefab at Michaels. Either option should help lighten up the dark images.
Yes, I think those are great tips.
I have an older version of the Ikea bed and it is incredibly well-made! Not even a wiggle when my kids jump on it! I painted my finials gold 🙂
Oooo…I like that idea! I bet they look great in the gold.
I love the new and lightened look to Leigha’s bedroom! I would also recommend a look at this bed:
Inspire Q Giselle Iron Bed from Overstock.com. The queen in antique white is $310.99.
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/INSPIRE-Q-Giselle-Antique-White-Graceful-Lines-Victorian-Iron-Metal-Bed/9116507/product.html
I have this bed in bronze- queen size and really love it. It has nice lines….and legs 😉
I haven’t seen the antique white color in person, but can say the bronze one is a deep, dark chocolate color, sturdy and solid. It certainly is a great price and comes packed well with standard free shipping.
Another option would be keeping her current bed and painting it with MMS typewriter. I did this to a four poster bed, as well, and love it, though I don’t have any photos at the moment. 🙂
So fun! Hope she shares her new look!
To Leigha: I have a very similar tall secretary that I left very dark, but I covered foamcore panels with pretty handmade paper in cream and gold and wedged it between the shelves to look like the back of the bookcase part was painted or wallpapered. It really lightened it and added some pretty interest without changing the piece. Maybe you could use the suggested green and white? I also leave the doors open to let the items I showcase breathe. PLEASE send pics of the new look so we can all see it!
I was going to suggest this too! I did it to the back of my china hutch in my dining room – it really lightened up the piece for me and made it more modern feeling without compromising the look of the wood (and I’m super fickle so when I change my mind about the color/pattern/paper/fabric I can just swap it out to suit my mood)
Fantastic idea! Yes, I like the idea of leaving the doors open, too, if there’s room.
I love that idea! I am on the hunt for the perfect fabric…love botanicals, so thinking of going that direction. Ideas about how many fabrics? Should I use just one with green and keep all else neutral? I know MMS suggested neutral drapes.
Those chairs would still work if the wood was painted a lighter color and the upholstery fabric changed out. Or having the chairs slip-covered in a light colored fabric and keeping the woodwork dark as with the bed would work as well.
Once the walls are painted white the current bed will be beautiful. All great ideas.
Love this room! Its beautiful and a great place to start! You have such a great sense of style; I’m sure the end result will be stunning! What if you painted your bed and nightstands in a distressed coat of MMSMP Ironstone? It would immediately lighten and open up the room.
Great ideas, Marian! (as usual) I have some of the same issues…dark, heavy furniture, no budget, wanting to switch to something lighter and brighter, so that I can better endure the dreary Pacific NW winters. God moved us here from the mountains of California, where, even when there was snow, there was usually sun. Since we live in an apartment, I don’t want to attach too much to the walls (so that we can get back most of our deposit). It’s in our lease that we can’t use “Command”-type picture hangers. We can’t paint the apartment or make structural alterations We can’t use our garage or apartment as a “workshop” or business. Even so, I have managed to paint 5 pieces of furniture, which has helped the look of our space. My next project will be painting the cedar chest that we use as a coffee table. Now, if I could just get my husband to go for a different bedroom set or let me slipcover our dark, heavy couch…It will be fun to see what Leigha does.
Couldn’t wait to see when it is done. I have some dilemma as to what I should edit in our master bedroom. My husband and I agree that the four poster bed has been problematic for the rearrangement . (I tend to re-arrange so often – he could not keep up with me :). The bedroom has slanted ceilings and it is a good sized room. I would love to swap for a new bed . My vision for our bedroom is light and airy… taking my time to see how it evolves.
I had a big heavy masculine looking dresser. I painted it white with an very light tan trim. It was amazing how suddenly light and feminine it looked just by doing that. It gave it a completely different feel. If I were you, I’d try something like that before you get rid of it. It’s such an interesting piece.
Thank you for this post! I hope you do more of these; ones that show how you would improve upon readers current room dilema. So interesting and now I’m looking at my bedroom for ways to change the look
What a fun and awesome post! LOVE IT!! Such great ideas for an already beautiful space. I think the bed could really work once everything else is lightened up too. Also, when I redo a space I like to take pictures after I change something. Pictures help me know what is working and what still needs some improvement. Would enjoy an after as so many have requested. Nothing like an after photo to motivate one to push change through!
Yes, I agree that Leigha might fall in love with the existing bed if she lightens the bedding, walls and things around it. She really does have pretty pieces to work with, which gives her a great place to start.
Man! You did a great job! I loved hearing the “whys” behind your choices. Thanks for such a great post!
Yes, the bed is stunning and yes, the finish is so dark! I agree that it would pop against a lighter wall and that might do the trick. She could also rub a light paint wash over the dark wood and see if that helps to visually lighten the mood in the room (and lift her spirits). But on the other hand….maybe she’s just sick and tired of that bed! Hang a pretty chandelier in that blue ceiling for some ooh-la-la!! Just my opinion.
Yes, I forgot to mention a chandelier for that pretty blue ceiling. I agree it would really look beautiful.
Love the inspiration for this bedroom! I agree the way it is now is very heavy but you do have ALOT of potential in the space. I agree with the white and white lace bedding, A blue ceiling would look great. Cant wait to see what you change! Those botanical prints are fabulous, some great advice Marianne.
Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
xx
Hi Mariam,
As always thank you for your wonderful ideas and explanations. Another resource is a great furniture retailer called Arhaus Furniture at http://www.arhaus.com. They are a great hand forge wrought iron bed called the St. Lucia. The most popular finish is “rust”. Don’t let the name scare you. It is like an oil rubbed bronze/ blackish finish. The style of bed works great in all styles. Good luck Leigha!
This was a fun and interesting post. In reference to the portraits of the three boys and as a photographer and portrait artist myself, I would suggest not going too light with the mats. You want the eye to be drawn to the portrait, not the mat and our eyes are usually drawn first to the lightest, brightest area of an image. I think the frames would be fine in solid black, but I would suggest a medium to dark gray for the matting. It might be helpful to take the photos to a framing store and try them against several different mats.
I think your suggestions, Marian, are great, especially the blue ceiling. I hope we get a look at it after the changes are made.
Interesting point about what our eyes are drawn to first. My impression of the portraits was that there was so much dark in the images that the white mat would be jarring. That explains why. Would be interesting to see a gray mat. Great suggestion to try several mats.
I’m sure Leigha’s bedroom is going to be stunning no matter what you do. You both enjoy the same tastes and it is going to be beautiful! I think if you lighten things up it will look more open and much larger. Can’t wait to see the finished room!
Smiles!
Terry
If the walls go white I think the dark bed is needed as an anchor/focal point. I love all of the ideas!
The first thing I wonder about is COLOR. What colors does Leigha like and want things to be? Is gold [on the walls and curtains] something she wants to keep? If so, forget getting calmed in that room! It’s a “loud and awake” color with lots of get up and go-go-go in it.
Then there is the Use of Color. As it is now, the bedroom feels very busy with the black next to the white on the bedspread [light value next to dark value, repeated about 50 times]. This is the first thing my eye saw. Second is the ‘striping’ of gold alternating with white in that otherwise incredible dome skylight. It’s like being inside a wedding cake, waiting to pop out.
In fact I wonder if Leigha would truly like a typical MMS calming room? I’, concerned that it would not be stimulating enough for her because the two are worlds apart.
Here is my best piece of advice when making a radical design change: When looking at photos of what I would like I write down what I see in generalized descriptive terms. For example: “Painted dresser, in mid to light tones, all one color.” “Only one cool color [i.e. blue, green] used as an accent.” “All items are small scale.” “Items are made of wood, cotton, straw. No synthetics visible.” “No open shelving with messy books and stuff on it.” “Plenty of space around items.” (All these things could be the exact opposite if that’s what one saw.) Then I use them as criteria to measure my choices against, in order to keep on track. It’s very hard to make such a big switch. It’s such a big change. Maybe shooting for a mid-point would be more attainable for now?
Yes!!! to moving the curtains up higher!!! This is a major flaw in this room, Everything is BIG and heavy in the room except those smallish windows.
If I was Leigha I would start by painting the room (lighter), redoing all the pictures and moving those curtains…..and I bet she would fall back in love with that bed…it is a beauty. Remember, if you like to read in bed….iron beds are not the best….I know, I have one!!!
Can’t wait to see the end results.
Addie
I have not see the idea bed in person, but have bought ikea items over the years and the have been great.
I hope she sends you pics of her redo with your ideas which would be great for her wonderful space.
I love all of Marian’s suggestions and truly appreciate all of the reader comments, as well!!! I did my room reset yesterday and have several paint swatches on the wall. I wanted to look at the whites throughout the day and evening to see which worked best for me. I feel confident about everything except the blue ceiling and what on earth to do with the boys’ photos. As far as the ceiling, I may just go for it…I can always repainted it white if I don’t love it. The photos will be one of the last things I do, so I think I’ll tuck them away while I work on the “bones” of the room. I will share photos of my progress with Marian along the way. Thank you all for the help in making my space more ME!
I wonder if you could tell where I can buy the green floral bedskirt and shams? Or where I can get that fabric to make my own. I love your sense of style. Thank you. Liz
That is an inspiration room, so I am not sure of the source.
Loved reading all the great suggestions! I think the bed & secretary are very nice and I hope they keep them. Simply changing the bedding will make the bed even more beautiful and I think removing one chair will help the room seem less crowded. I can’t wait to see how the paint will lighten the space. Maybe consider reupholstering the chair and painting the Dresser MMSMP Boxwood.