A five minute make-over...

As I've professed before, seasonal decorating is one of my favourite things! Because it is not officially winter -  yet I am done with the fall colours (inside, of course!) - I decided to give my master bedroom a teensy refreshing, finally accomplishing what I vowed to do recently. I chose a creamy palette for the bedding because, of course, bedding is the easiest change to a bedroom you can make! I call this my five-minute/twenty dollar make-over:

I owned the white matelasse coverlet and toile shams (I'd like simple, cream shams...but that would put me over budget!) and I picked up this beautiful blanket (at Walmart!) which reminds me of tiny snowballs.

 I was inspired by this beauty - over at Anthroplogie:

And while mine isn't as decadently beautiful (or expensive!), it makes me happy all the same!

No boring head board...

photo source: Coastal Living.com

I have often thought that a headboard is the crowning glory to a well-made bed. Absolutely, great bedding is important, but even a bed layered all in white can look interesting if the bed itself is worthy of the spotlight. Naturally, a great antique or custom-made bed rich in character fits the bill, but can you frame your resting spot using less notable pieces?

Absolutely! Who says you need traditional bedroom furniture? In fact, I am a huge proponent of mismatched, less predictable pieces in a master bedroom; and nowhere is that more fun to do than in the master bedroom, with a unique and unexpected headboard.

Among my favourite options for unique and beautiful headboards:

Bookcases - but please, please don't place just anything on the shelves. Make your selections interesting, uncluttered, important. Showcase your favourite collectibles, and remember that the bed should be the focal point, not dozens of family photos!

photo source: Country Home.com

Screens - select with care. If a screen as a headboard is your choice, be true to your style. If your bedding whispers french country, don't place an Asian inspired screen just because you have it left over from your college days, or because it is all you could find.

Paint - one of the most economical options is to paint an area as a headboard in a colour that compliments both your bedding and the main wall colour in the bedroom. Framed or not, the right colour will be a worthy choice as a backdrop to your comfy nest.

Mantels, doors, and salvage - take a quick trip to the nearest salvage shop for an outstanding alternative to the tried and true. There are more than worthy doors languishing in garages and barns everywhere just waiting to be pressed into service as beautiful headboards. Just turn it on its ear, so to speak, and install securely.photo source: www.bhg.com

Other great options include iron pieces, such as iron gates, although I am not sure they would be so comfortable to lean against... As for mantels, check out these gorgeous examples.

(photo source: www.bhg.com)

Need I say more...?

Wallpaper - remember the wallpaper feature that I added behind my sofa? The same treatment can be given to the wall behind your bed. In this case, a frame is a requirement, and the wallpaper option provides a wonderful way to introduce pattern and texture to your master bedroom. And because you need very little, you can go ahead and splurge on a very special paper that you might otherwise leave behind due to budget restrictions

photo source: www.bhg.com

Panel detailing - installed at "headboard height", a wall treatment such as this can be the perfect alternative to a typical headboard. I particularly love this example, which incorporates a simple shelving detail: photo source: Katrin Cargill.com

Upholstered, hand made headboard - It's as easy as layering foam and fabric over a piece of plywood or MDF and stapling away! For a quick tutorial go here.photo source: BHG.com

Even easier? Try this option of simply hanging fabric panels from a curtain rod. Cheap and easy!!

Artwork - what could be easier than hanging large-scale framed (or not) art over your bed, all the while displaying what you love and reflecting your great style? Your imagination is all that limits you, and even simply wrapping a favourite fabric over stretcher frames will be beautiful. For a great example of art as a headboard alternative, check out this great room.

Decals - Urban Outfitters offers up a great headboard decal for an even better price (check out the link). Want something even less expensive? Why not stencil or freehand such a design?!

There are other options, for certain, but hopefully this will inspire you to accept the notion that affordable options exist for furnishing your bedroom. With a little elbow grease, imagination, and/or combing yard sales or salvage yards, you can create equally impressive alternatives to owning fancy furniture. Don't allow your budget to hold you back. You will sleep better knowing you have exercised creativity and good financial restraint when decorating your home. I know I do!

Finally, all finished and and all grown up!!

I have lamented before about the struggle to get my bedroom the way it should be...where it feels right when I enter the room, and I am finally happy with the overall look. I have always left my bedroom to the last, decorating with bits and bobs left over from the rest of the house. Well, no more!! I am finally happy with my room. What I didn't like about my old room was the sweetness...now I have a room that, when it was finally put together, I entered it and felt serenity wash over me. I finally have a room that feels like I've grown up and my room relects it...I am so happy!

This is what my room looked like on Monday:

After doing the prep work and in between the two coats of paint:




I decided to go the safe route, paint colour wise, and used Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage. It is the colour in my living room and dining area, and after much agonizing (to the point I thought I should just not bother...I just could not decide on a colour...), I went out to my living room in a huff, and looked around and muttered to myself, "I love this colour, why can't I find something I love as much that will work with the bedding I purchased??" Bingo!! Light bulb moment...surely it couldn't be that easy?? But it was!! I played it safe, but I didn't settle!! Safe was the perfect option, as it is a colour that makes me happy and makes me feel calm...perfect for a bedroom!!

So, without further adieu, here is the unveiling of my new sanctuary...don't you love the drama and pretentious decorating speak??!!

I actually changed very little as far as accessories go. I purchased new bedding: a silvery blue duvet cover and shams that has a textured, quilted effect, and is so soft and lovely, I can hardly believe my luck!! I also painted my dressers, added some crystal knobs to them and my closet doors; added some "organic accessories, like my apple ladder among others; bought beautiful crisp, cotton sheets that have a lovely linen banding along them and the pillow cases, and hung some beautiful velvet drapes that my new friend, Chris, so sweetly gave to me (I still have to take pictures of those...hubby just hung them for me tonight!). All the rest of the decor was already in the room, so I just rearranged some things and others stayed in exactly the same spot.

Here are some more pictures of my room from different angles (I sure wish my camera was more sophisticated!!).

oops! I still have to hang those pictures with ribbon!!

my sweet hubby made me this bed a few years ago!!

ugly t.v. I know, but this room is for living!!

I still need to decide on a light fixture, and I will post a picture of that when it actually goes up. I hope you like the changes...I'd love to hear your thoughts!! Well, off I go to my "new room"...I am a happy, grown-up girl indeed!!!

I love the birds!!

A touch of pink in a master bedroom...

I don't know what it is with master bedrooms. So many people, including myself, tend to put off decorating this space with the similar attention to detail that we give to the other rooms in our home. Maybe it is our altruistic nature; we put the rooms of our children and the common areas in our homes first. I know in my home, I tend to put the most focus on the rooms that are most seen by guests and therefore my decorating budget for the master bedroom is pretty thin by the time I'm ready to address it. I often relegate the "cast-offs" from other rooms to my master bedroom and do my best to make it work.

I firmly believe it is much easier to decorate when you are starting from scratch and/or have a generous budget. When people tend to run into difficulty is when budget is strict and we have to incorporate the belongings that we have collected over the years. I am not one to be too fixated with everything matching. I like things to be co-ordinated, but I like the element of surprise that an unmatched set can bring. Unfortunately, it is more difficult to coax a cohesive look from a hodgepodge of belongings. Thus, more skill is required and sometimes even "rose-coloured glasses" are needed to help us live with what we have until we can make that great purchase that will bring together the look we are going for.

Bedding is probably the most important purchase you will make when decorating your room. We all know that in most bedrooms the bed is the focal point; but you can have the most beautiful bed frame, and if the bedding is not right the whole look suffers! I love the look of layering on a bed. Gone are the days when bedskirts had to match the coverlet which matched the shams which matched the curtains, etc. It is much more pleasing to "mix things up" and instead have a unifying colour. Accessories in the bedroom are also key. Choose what you really love and display them in different ways. Showcase them by elevating them on small books , illuminate them by placing a beautiful lamp nearby, or frame them in a shadowbox on the wall. I once saw a shadowbox picture that contained the candle from a child's first birthday cake. The simplicity and sentimentality of it was lovely.

When choosing lamps, select ones that are the right scale for the bedside tables they rest on. They are there to provide adequate lighting for late night reading but should also be attractive to look at it and co-ordinate with the "look" of your room. If you have a mismatched bedroom furniture set, unify it by painting it the same colour and add matching drawer pulls and knobs. Make do with what you have, but give your room (and yourself) the attention it deserves! After all, we are just as important as our guests!!

( the top right photo is my before shot...my room is a work in progress with dressers that need painting and I am always on the hunt for "the right accessories". Sigh...I don't know if I'll ever be satisfied with it!!) The top left photo is, in my opinion, pink done well (although I think it is a little girl's room!!).