Primary Bedroom Glow Up
As I slowly update each room of our home, I have one goal in mind: feel joy when I walk into the space. Our primary bedroom was going to be a unique challenge to design because I felt absolutely no joy when I walked into our room. It felt sterile, empty, and lonely. It was an afterthought after moving into our home, using furniture from our last house and throwing everything together. The bed was comfortable, I will give us a point there. My husband gifted me a Casper bed while we were still dating but living together (gasp). Should I mention that I thought a shiny ring was going to be in that huge, heavy box on Christmas morning? I mean you can only imagine the rage when it was a mattress. But hey, we still comfortably sleep on it today as a married couple with 3 children. Good things come to those who wait.
Our primary bedroom needed a major glow up, and I really wasn’t sure I could do the entire design by myself. Sometimes when it comes to our own homes, we just need those extra eyes to help bring a vision to life. I asked my dear friend Cailtin (@marleyjamesdesigns), a designer, to help create a mood board for me. I gave absolutely no direction and was open to whatever she came up with! Low and behold, she knocked it out of the park and I was ready to get started.
Now this vision sent joy up my spine! I’m a sucker for neutrals but I also like to add a little color to my life. The biggest expense in the project was going to be replacing our current bed. I decided to keep our end tables, dressers, and desk to stay on budget. More on that later…
Step number 1 was getting rid of these dark, sad walls. I wanted this room to be crisp and bright, which meant choosing a wall color with some pizazz. I sampled many colors, but ultimately landed on Benjamin Moore, Wales Gray. This is not to be mistaken with Benjamin Moore, Whale Gray. Ask me how I know…
Painting the walls was simply not going to be enough to elevate this space. I had previously installed picture frame molding to a wall in our living room and was confident (ish) that I could do the same on every wall in our room. I knew it would be blood, sweat, and tears, but it would bring so much character and charm into our room.
This millwork was truly a labor of love. The measuring, the cutting, the nailing, the caulking, the hole filling. To complete our entire bedroom took me about 2 weeks worth of nap times. After installing the moldings I honestly wasn’t sure I had it in me to paint the room myself. I got a quote from a painter for $1500 and that was enough to give me the kick in the A I needed to paint myself.
After painting the walls, I didn’t come up for air and I got right to painting our Ikea Hemnes dressers, nightstands, and desk. Our large dresser was painted Sherwin Williams, Pure White and the small dresser Benjamin Moore, First Light. I love the monochrome look that is everywhere these days, so I decided to paint our nightstands and dresser the same color as the walls, Benjamin Moore Wales Gray.
I am pretty sure I didn’t pick up a paintbrush for at least a month after this project. I was spent. But it was finally time to put everything together. The biggest expense was going to be buying a new bed. It scared me to buy something with a bold print, but I loved the idea of it being the anchor of the room. So I put on my big girl pants, waited for a 30% off sale, and made the purchase. Absolutely no regrets, I am in love with this Lola Bed.
Updating some of our bedding was next. We have had Boll & Branch bedding since the early days of living in sin and that had just been replaced a year prior. I wanted to add some texture to the bedding so I added in these Serena & Lily velvet shams and the absolute best bed blanket our there.
Some simple room styling was the final touch to this primary bedroom glow up! Florals, books, lamps, and art made this space come together. I can’t even begin to explain the joy that I now feel when I walk into our room. You can add the feeling or calm as well. It’s a dream space! And I love knowing that I was able to complete 90% of the project on my own.