4 EASY BEDROOM MAKEOVER TIPS
That moment when you’re laying in bed on Saturday morning, looking on Pinterest and the words “our bedroom needs a small makeover” come out of your mouth. I am pretty sure James, my husband, cringed the moment he heard those words, because after 13 years together he knows 2 things too well about me: 1) Nothing I want is ever “small” and 2) when I start a project I am terrible at knowing where to stop. Before I knew it I had our friend Matty over taking before photos of the bedroom, I had listed and sold all the furniture on the local used website, and our room was now empty besides the king mattress laying on the floor. I guess I don’t do things small and I don’t really have an off switch. I am excited for this adventure, as we have never lived long enough in a home to do a renovation. What better place to start than in the master bedroom!
Here is what our plan for our master bedroom and some easy ways you can incorporate them into a bedroom makeover too!
1. Add some texture to the walls using wainscoting and shiplap.
Most bedrooms are just drywall, paint and carpet. An easy solution for a boring bedroom is adding some texture to the wall. This can be done with wallpaper, custom millwork, or even fabric. My favourite is using millwork to spruce up a space. So head over to your local hardware store and buy some 4” baseboard and make your own custom wainscoting! I am also fascinated by Shiplap, which has made a huge splash in the design world thanks to the HGTV show Fixer Upper. Its funny how something so easy and inexpensive can take a boring bedroom and make it a jaw dropping space!
2. Paint the bedroom and sitting room Benjamin Moore Simply White.
Currently our bedroom is painted BEHR Squirrel and the sitting room is painted Benjamin Moore Livingston Gold. While I still like the Squirrel colour, the Livingston Gold has got to go so I figure why not take the jump and paint everything the Benjamin Moore colour of the year, Simply White! Don’t be scared of white walls. White walls allow you to change your décor often without having to constantly get out the paint can. A quick trip your favourite décor shop (for me that is HomeSense) for some new throw pillows and a duvet cover can quickly take your room from one season to the next. Try darker, solid print pillows in the winter and exchange them out for bright colours with patterns in the spring/summer. To see my favourite white bedroom be sure to check out Jillian Harris’ bedroom on her website www.jillianharris.com.
3. Make a second closet.
I know it can often be a challenge to find room to add a second closet in a master bedroom but thankfully we have a room we can steal some space from. The sitting room off our master bedroom is an awkwardly long and narrow room so taking 5 ft off this room and converting it to a closet was a no brainer for us. But I know what you’re thinking now - “I can’t steal room from anywhere… now what?” Take a good look at how you are using your existing closet. Lots of times closets are not made with functionality top of mind. If you feel you are not using your existing closet to its full potential, it’s time to call in the professionals. First do a closet purge and get rid of everything you haven’t worn in years and secretly toss the shirts of your significant other that you can’t stand…. Not that I have done that…. Okay, guilty. Once you have purged everything you no longer need, it’s time for a custom closet company to come in and give your existing closet a complete overhaul. They will look at your space, see how you are currently using it and what you are missing organization wise. They will design a custom closet that serves all your needs and I guarantee you won’t regret the decision to do a closet overhaul.
4. Make a custom bed.
There are many beautiful beds out there on the internet but the nice thing about the beds that I am seeing is a lot of them have one thing in common… simple modern design. Recently I was sourcing for a showhome and I couldn’t find the right design for the headboard. My design partner had a great idea, why not make our own headboard! We found an amazing headboard design on Pinterest and made a quick trip to the hardware store for some fir plywood. It took an evening in the garage with some power tools, glue, nailer, some stain, and a patient and talented hubby, and we had a custom headboard! So don’t get discouraged if you can’t find the perfect bed in a store because a little creativity and power tools can go a long way!
Stay tuned for the before and after blog of our master bedroom makeover!