30 A Little Paint Update in our Master Bedroom

About two years ago we made some minor updates to our bedroom to give it a bit of a face lift. I also shared all of the details on how some budget friendly changes gave the space a fresh new feeling. You all know that I love swapping a few things to give a room new life, and it was just that time again.

The master was beginning to feel a little busy and I couldn't put my finger on it. I liked the rug, but was it too much? The bed is too big for the space, I know this, but I am not quite ready to replace it... What about the homemade art I continued to swap out above the bed? The mis-matched lamps? I knew there were a few things that were bugging my eyes, but little did I know that one of the things bugging me most was something I thought I really loved...

We added the awesome yet oh-so-simple moulding to our focal wall about four years ago, and looking back at the tutorial today really makes it interesting to see how my style has evolved over the years. As much as I liked the moulding white, I realized I was really fighting those sight lines with our furnishings. Our bed landed just about exactly on the lines of the moulding, which oddly enough was creating a visual clutter I didn't even recognize initially, especially because the bed headboard is also square-like.  I also use a lot of whites in the space, and my eyes didn't have a great place to land.  I started googling around rooms with similar moulding styles, and the one common theme I noticed about all of the images I was gaga over, is that the moulding was actually painted the same color as the walls.

sources | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

Over the last year I have been in a bit of a decorating rut, almost like a design paralysis with a constant deer in headlights feeling. I over think every decision I make and every room I work on, which really is not like me at all. I have always been a cheerleader for giving new things a try and following your gut; usually it is just paint and of course most decor pieces can always be returned. I have learned a lot from just jumping in and doing and am trying to get back to that bit of impulsiveness again... So one night recently I pulled out my leftover bedroom paint and painted the moulding on a complete whim (painted to match the existing wall color which is Behr's Frozen Pond).

I initially wondered if I made the right choice... It was midnight by the time I finished and I was tired and looking at the wall with a messy room and a single overhead light. My stomach even hurt a little bit. But when I began putting the room back together the next morning, all of that worry melted away. I was quick to see how those extra white lines were really impacting my feelings about everything else in the space, even though I thought they were helping.

We still have more work to do on the room; we love the painted moulding so much that we plan to replicate it around the entire perimeter.  We also have plans to install crown at the ceiling which should really elevate the space even more.

I am a color and pattern lover and I don't tend to go for overly traditional looks, but this little paint update really brought the walls and room up a notch. Even with the bold rug, it has become a bit more sophisticated than with the previous white wall moulding.

I mentioned last week that my very dear friend, Grace, recently flew up to Wisconsin for a visit. With all of my recent indecisiveness, she came to help me make some final design decisions for our kitchen, dining and living areas. Of course, we also took in as much catch-up with a glass of wine girl time as we could squeeze in. I think her and I could talk every single day and still manage to find new stories to share.

During her stay we ventured out to a few thrift and antique stores where she taught me the importance of looking harder and digging more to find the "good stuff". She spotted things I would have looked right over (in fact, I did look past everything she found), and she helped me pick out a few new accessories for around our home. What? Don't you style your nightstands with your guests too?

Before Grace arrived, I had updated the lamps on our nightstands to a matching pair from Target.  I liked that they were classic and simple and would also allow for me to play with color in less committal ways.

I also had previously picked out a couple of pillows from my pal Hollie over at Stuck on Hue; the orangerie pillow has floated around to almost every room in our home because I love it so much. But the second I painted the trim in our bedroom, I brought the lovely color in through those pillows and they have been stuck on our bed ever since.

My final purchase in the space was a blanket that I want to invest stock in and collect multiples of. So, so good! It is the perfect weight for keeping me warm at night, and offers a casual cool feeling to the space.

Grace and I stayed up watching old design shows and DIY'd some oversized yarn tassels using this tutorial. They add a little visual weight to the end of our bed, not to mention they are just freakin' fun. I just used a couple of safety pins to attach them to the bottom two corners of the blanket.

The mirror is an oldie that once lived in this room as well as our living room.  I guess hanging on to a few favorite decor pieces pays off (originally purchased at Target years ago but here is a similar one)! I gave it a quick coat of gold leafing (with this paint) and it is now simple enough to balance the bold pillows, yet adds a little something pretty over our bed.

Now, back to the nightstands... Let's take a peek at a few of the special items that I have added thanks to the eye of Ms. Grace.

That stack of books was an amazing find; they are old Shakespeare stories! I can't wait to devour the pages before I nod off to sleep.

I always create a spot on my nightstand to collect my ring and any earrings I might still be wearing. This blue antique dish with a dash of gold is just so beautiful.

The perfume bottle was another antique find and was the icing on the nightstand cake. I really love the small touch of purple... In fact, all of the nightstand object colors can be paired back to the great orangerie pillow.

Bryan's nightstand received a little attention as well.

I added a box for him to keep some of his primary belongings that tend to clutter up the surface, as well as a valet tray for his ring and watch.

The books and vase were also great antique store finds. The alarm clock is from Amazon.

Although small, the colors in the accessories still bring in that personality and life I am always after in a room.  And that moulding!

Now when I grab a glance of our room from my office, instead of looking the other way, I let out a gasp of giddiness. And although we still have a little work to do, I was so impressed with the difference just a little paint update created.

Have you ever realized that something you really love is actually causing you a weird design dilemma? How did you handle it? I would love to hear your stories!