A Fun Bedroom Decorating Project

The only criteria I had when giving this bedroom a COMPLETE make-over was it had to:

1. Have a colour that was calm and soothing.
2. Have barn board some where in the room.
3. The bed had to feel like a big puffy cloud.
4. The room had to feel like going away to the cottage but it still had to be functional with a desk.
5. I had to somehow incorporate ‘twinkle’ lights.
6. Incorporate some personal meaningful keepsakes.

Two dressers and a bed (with no headboard) where all I had to work with when I started the project, and I had to stay within a very tight budget 🙂 

Challenge Accepted

1. Paint the Room

The first thing I did was search for the perfect linens.  I gave the client three choices (knowing that any of them would work) and from there, we chose a colour pallet.  We chose a soft soothing blue/gray.  The new colour completely transformed the room.

2. Barn Board Head Board

I covered the thick wood board with barn board and then capped it with steel to finish off all the rough edges. I even had to pre-cut the electrical outlet. The barn board is actually peel-and-stick rubber flooring that was adhered with Gorilla Glue. If you are ever doing this type of headboard, you have to do the gluing with the board laying on the floor and let the glue set for a couple days. It’s amazing how real the ‘wood’ looks and it’s also very comfortable to lean up against.

3. Bed that feels like a cloud

I bought all new sheets, bed skirt, pillows, and linens.  The pale gray and white pattern really do feel like a big puffy cloud. In order for a bed to feel really comfortable, you also need to have a night table with a lamp.  I loved the round white metal country table.  It mimicked the circles in the linens and it didn’t take up too much space.  The blue base of the lamp was another way to add colour and texture to the room.  The blinds and drapes allow different levels of brightness and privacy.

4. Cottage and Functional Elements

To me, nothing says ‘cottage’ more than water colours and trees. 

Since there were many shades of the blue/gray/teal/ivory in the artwork, it allowed me to add other pops of colour. The teal vase with pussy willow sticks and branches also make if feel natural.  I was able to add the new desk that matched the existing dressers with a few gray accents in the legs and storage drawers.  The dark gray at this end of the room balanced the dark gray headboard at the other end.  Don’t forget how important it is to have task lighting.

When I think of going to the cottage, I think of lanterns.  I thought these were a perfect addition to the room.  It helped fill in the space above the headboard.  They were secured into the ceiling with hooks and the candles are battery operated so there is no danger 🙂

5. Twinkle Lights

I was able to find battery operated twinkle lights easily since they are also very popular at Christmas.  They look like little fire flies in the mason jars.  I decorated the jars with some textured ribbon, sand and raffia to they would be interesting to look at even when the lights were not on.  We put two jars in the room for more impact.

5. Personal Keepsakes

When you are completely redoing a room, it’s important to keep some of your ‘special’ things so it still feels like ‘your’ room.  It takes time for a room to evolve into ‘your’ space. 

Adding lots of white helps keep the room feeling fresh. The closet door always fell off so adding the same ‘gauze’ drapes as doors right beside the window actually made the window look larger. Because the drapes have grommets, they are easy to open and close.

I think all the boxes on the list were crossed off and it looks great.  Another happy client 🙂