“A good day starts with a good night’s sleep.”

(usually?)

The realization of how far we’ve come is pretty strong when it takes me a minute or two to remember what project came next. Maybe my lack of memory is just due to lack of sleep, which would be ironic because it was definitely our bedroom.

Since moving out of our apartment, we had become completely unorganized with basic, everyday things – namely our clothing which was strewn about my mother-in-law’s house in various places. We were very much longing for a place for our “things” and so logically, the next step was our bedroom.

Color first. Everything was purple – the walls and the ceiling. It all looked nice enough – probably painted only a couple years back but with it being our first real space, we wanted to switch things up.  I had visions of the finished product and per My Bedroom Board my “pinning” habits were trending gray and yellow.

Tip #1: When you find yourself envisioning (or pinning) the same look and colors over and over again, take it as a sign and get started!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tip #2: If you plan on pulling up the carpet, paint first.  Your carpet can double as a drop cloth because….no one’s perfect.

 

Along the way, I learned that having a strong vision of your finished product can be a great tool for planning but it can also make life difficult when you run into inevitable “bumps in the road”.  This happened to me as I searched high and low (to no avail) for a comforter to match what was in my head.  Eventually, I had to allow my vision to change and I ended up eliminating yellow altogether.  I have yet to master this skill. I struggle to make any decision (whether deciding what to eat, what to wear or where to go) so when I do finally make the call, I don’t like having to choose a different direction, mid-stream.

I did stick with gray as the main color and kept things simple by buying a white comforter set.  I actually really ended up liking this plan because eventually, I would like to work in some color and when I do, anything will match!  Maybe my husband won’t mind pink. 😉

Tip #3:  Plan.  But allow your plans to change.

I still wanted to have some fun with this room and so I decided to create a wallpaper accent wall, which would become the backdrop for our bed.  Nowadays, the choices for wallpaper seem endless (#patternsfordays), which can make this decision making process a hard one.  I however, quite enjoyed using my lunch hours to peruse wallpaper stores and to look through wallpaper books.

My friend Katie (check out her awesome blog documenting her life as a New England girl making her way in Miami) turned me on to a very cool wallpaper blog (check it out here!).  I learned of it too late for our bedroom and dining room (which you’ll soon see) but don’t think I’m done wallpapering so……I’ll be referring to it very soon!

Tip #4: Wallpaper books are awkward and heavy but are well worth bringing home. You should get a feel for how the paper looks in your  space, before you drop lots of money on it.  It is $$$.

So far, so good…

Paint (Behr, Dolphin Fin) – check.
Carpet up, 8’x10′ down (Pier I Imports) – check.
Wallpaper (Ricciardi Bros.) – check.
Headboard (Wayfair) – check.
Nightstands (Home Goods) – check.
New fan (Wayfair) – check.
Curtains (TJ Maxx) – check.
Dressers (Home Goods & Overstock) – check.

           

Tip #5:  Stay as focused as possible when in stores that also carry non-home related goods.  There were many times when I struggled to not grab that pair of shoes calling my name or that cute shirt reaching out to grab me.  Don’t grab back.

The accents wall was finished off with a large three paneled canvas photo, which really gave it the ultimate sense of prominence and acted as the finishing touch.  Go big or go home!  I wanted to hang a piece that would really draw attention and catch the eye but that would still be subtle enough to match the softness of the room.  I came up short on all of my shopping ventures, so I decided to pull from what I already had on hand.

One of my favorite past times is taking photos. I partake in the activity like it’s going out of style.  The image I chose for this space has long been one of my favorites. I took it at Central Park’s Strawberry Fields Memorial a number of years back and finally it’s up for the viewing thanks to Groupon where I was able to get an awesome deal on a tri-panel canvas wrap of my photo.

Tip #6:  Utilize your skills.  You’ll find you do have them.  It could be something as simple as taking pictures.  If you like to do it, and have thousands of images saved up like I do, you can use them to decorate your own space.  At least you know they are things you like to look at.

This room is still very much a work in progress but it has already accomplished our main goal which was to become more organized, get our clothes out of sight and to be able to start each day feeling well rested and ready to conquer the day.   It’s slowly becoming my night-time sanctuary.  I sleep soundly under a thick, white cloud of covers, IMAGINING our future in this house, while my husband tosses and turns from “boring bedroom” syndrome.  Men.

Still on our bedroom TO DO list:

• hang the TV
• find wall mirror(s)
• find fun round storage ottoman
• get a white sheepskin rug
• install crown molding

and then…decorate, decorate, decorate! (accent color…PINK.)