Bedroom Update: Painting Done

 I am pleased to report that the painting in the bedroom is officially done! We started this bedroom project back in March (I think), so it's good to have the most time-consuming steps finally finished.

Last week the contractor/carpenter replaced the trim around the windows.

 Then the painter came over and surveyed the job. We decided to have him repaint the crown molding and the baseboards since they still had original paint and were definitely showing their age.

 I'm so happy with how it turned out. The newly painted trim is so much fresher now and really highlights the windows.

Of course, it looks super bright in the bedroom because we have no blinds, which is a slight inconvenience. But I can wave to the neighbors from bed, which is something new. :)

The paint on the crown molding and baseboard had slightly yellowed and just looked tired. I'm glad we decided to have it painted.

After we order the carpet, it should arrive in about one month. In addition to carpeting this room, we'll be carpeting the closet (yikes...I have to unload and paint it first!) and two other bedrooms. We've picked out the blinds and once they're ordered, they should arrive in just a few days.

We are on the home stretch with this project. YAY for getting things done!

jp

Bedroom Update: New Window Trim

We are continuing on with the very slow update of our master bedroom. It's been quite awhile since I've had an update, so you might thought I abandoned ship! If you'd like to see where we started with this room, this post will give you an idea. :) I'm sure hoping we can be done by Christmas, but I'm not holding my breath.

The contractor came back this week to replace the trim on our bedroom windows so that it matches the trim in the bathroom. This was something we weren't sure we were going to do, and I have to say I am SO HAPPY that we decided to make the change. I honestly can't believe what a difference it makes! Here, I'll show you....

BEFORE: Very skinny window trim and mini blinds:

 

 AFTER: The skinny trim has been replaced with a chunkier trim to match the bathroom:

Here's a good picture of the bathroom window. The contractor matched the trim design he created in the bathroom on the two corner windows in the bedroom.

 

As you can see, the trim has not yet been painted, but I already love how it looks.

With the chunkier trim, the windows have much more visual weight. They are more in proportion to the scale of the room and the furniture. They are so beautiful that I would never consider covering them up with curtains! 

 The next step will be to have the trim painted, then we will be replacing the carpet and installing cream/natural color roller shades like the shades we have in the bathroom.

Then it will be time to hang some things on the walls and decorate both the bedroom and the bathroom, as I have been waiting to finish both spaces before doing any sort of decorating. I am looking forward to wrapping up BOTH of these projects!  

jp 

Bedroom Update: New Bedding

We are still plugging along on the very slow bedroom update. Spouse recently finished the painting, and while our daughter was home, she helped pick out new bedding. 

I have been on the lookout for a matelasse (embroidered) coverlet in a neutral ivory/cream color so that I can use my heirloom quilts with it. Here are two inspiration photos from Pinterest so you can see what I mean!

 As shown in these photos, my plan is to add small accent pillows to match whatever quilt I may be using. That way I can add pops of color without committing long-term to any particular color scheme. I've made soooo many decorating mistakes in the past, and most of them were related to making large-scale color/pattern choices on items that were hard to change (flowered wallpaper, plaid couch, etc.). So I vow to keep things pretty neutral going forward!

 As a reminder, this is what the bedding looked like before (yikes!). When we moved to this house 22 years ago, the pink floral wallpaper border and curtains were there. Although I disliked all of it, we didn't want to spend any money updating the room so we just threw a green comforter on the bed and ignored it. After 22 years, it was obviously due for an update!

This is how it looks now. Although the room is a work in progress, it's a big improvement.

  Because the headboard is tall, we found that the bed needed two sets of shams. The ones in the back are square Euroshams. The shams in front are normal pillow-size.

Obviously, I haven't done any other decorating in the room, nor do I have any quilts or accent pillows on the bed yet. My quilts have been in storage for a very long time and need to be laundered or cleaned before using them. One thing at a time! :)

Now that we've painted and purchased new bedding, we'll be replacing the window trim and carpet this fall. Although this project is taking some time, each little step we've taken makes the room feel so much better. Progress -- even slow progress -- makes me happy!

jp

Bedroom Update: Painting Done

Awhile back, I posted that we were starting to update our master bedroom. This space adjoins the bathroom which we just remodeled, and we needed to update it so that the two spaces match. The bedroom is not done yet by any means, but finishing the painting is a big step in that direction.

The painting has taken a long time due to the presence of a floral wallpaper border around the room. Spouse elected to lightly sand it and paint over it heavily and I'm happy to report that his idea worked great. You'd never guess there was a border hiding under the paint!

Here you can see the color pretty well. It's the same color we used in the hallway outside the bedroom door. (The shadow you see on the wall in the photo below is the headboard of our bed.)

We have two corner windows which we will have re-framed to match the windows in the bathroom. Having a wider/deeper frame will allow us to change the metal mini-blinds to the same kind of roller shades we used in the bathroom.

Now the two spaces flow together in one neutral color scheme. Obviously, it's a lot of tan right now because I have yet to do any "decorating" in either space!

 

To finish off this room, we'll be getting new carpet (the carpet is original to the house, making it 22+ years old...yikes!), changing the window frames, installing roller shades, and getting new bedding. Compared to the painting, those will all be easier tasks! 

It's amazing how different the space looks now. Although I'm anxious to finish it, I'm already enjoying it very much! 

jp

Bedroom Update: Painting

Awhile back, I shared that we've started updating the master bedroom which adjoins our bathroom. I'm super excited about this change because it means that the two rooms will flow together from a color and design standpoint. 

As I mentioned in that post, the wallpaper border will not come off AT ALL, so Spouse tried painting over it. To my complete surprise, it WORKS! After a couple of coats of paint, it's completely covered. Had I known that we could "just" paint over it successfully, I might have pressed for this update a few years ago! :)

To make sure there is no little "ridge" of wallpaper border, Spouse has been lightly peeling and sanding the bottom edge. This little trick has worked perfectly.

 After this first coat dries, the walls will need a second coat to ensure good coverage.

But I already love the change! Color makes all the difference.

After this room, we will have only one more room with wallpaper border to remove or cover. Somehow Spouse doesn't want to talk about that just yet! :) One project at a time! 

jp

New Project: Master Bedroom BEFORE

 If you followed along with our master bathroom project, you may remember my mentioning that our master bedroom was next in line. I'm happy to report that this project is now underway!

  Like the original bathroom, the bedroom has not changed since we moved to this house approximately 23 years ago. The bedroom and bathroom are adjoining rooms, so of course the colors/design coordinated. And, like the bathroom, we could never justify spending the money to update it since no one except for us used the space. Even though the color scheme was not our taste, the space was functional, so why change it?

  Still, I've been somewhat mortified when we've had guests venture into the space. It's obvious that we've neglected it, and it's long past due for an update. (Look at the wrinkles in the carpet...yikes!)

 The space itself is fairly large and bright with two sets of corner windows. We'll be keeping the antique furniture set which we bought when we moved to the house. But the bedding has never matched our furniture, so I'm looking forward to choosing something different that will really highlight the beauty of the walnut. 

When I cleaned out my parents' house, I brought home the tall dresser with the mirror which my parents had refinished for me many years ago. It belonged to my dad's dad's mother (my great grandmother!) and coordinates well with our bedroom set. I sold a trunk at the auction to make room for that dresser in our bedroom. The hope chest (which at this time serves as a TV stand...) belonged to my mom's mom (my grandma), as did the wicker chair. These pieces are all special and will remain in the room in some capacity!

While the to-do list is long, the updates in this room are mainly "cosmetic" and won't be nearly as involved as the bathroom. The bedroom projects include:

* painting 

* new carpet

* new window treatments, yet to be determined

* possibly update the corner window frames to match the bathroom

* new bedding

* possibly update lighting/fan

The biggest stumbling block to starting this project has been the wallpaper border. Like the wallpaper in the bathroom, this border was applied without sizing. That means that nothing -- no product on earth, no amount of muscle -- will take it off without taking the drywall with it.

I can recall a few occasions over the years lying sick in bed, counting the clusters of pink and white flowers!

After a few removal experiments, Spouse decided to peel away the bottom border of the wallpaper as best he could, then sand it to eliminate the edge. Then he gave it a coat of paint to see how it would cover. To my surprise, it covers pretty well after just one coat. After a second coat, there should be no evidence of the wallpaper border!

 

At this time, Spouse is making his way around the room, sanding and covering the border. When he finishes this coat, he'll go back and paint the walls, including the border area. Depending on how the white walls cover, he may have to go back and do another overall coat.

Incidentally, I did not give a lot of thought to the paint color. It's the same color as our hallway and entryway and it matches the bathroom perfectly. The light caramel color highlights the creamy tones of the woodwork and looks great with the furniture.

As they say, this train has now left the station! Stay tuned for updates on this project!

jp