Master Bedroom Refresh

Master Bedroom Refresh

*Progress!*

Last week, I shared with you a Master Bedroom: Inspiration post and let you know that I was working on a "refresh" of our bedroom in our new Union Hill apartment. While I wouldn't consider our master bedroom "done" necessarily, I am so pleased each time I walk into this room now. It feels calming and fresh, and more complete than it did when we first moved into this apartment. Below are some "before" shots of this room when we moved in. 

We bought this black & red bedding when we lived in our Holdrege Street apartment, about a year and half ago. We are definitely keeping it--it's decent quality, comfy and in good condition. But when we purchased this bed last summer, I realized that it was all too dark. So it will be our guest/extra bedding set. 

 Black bed & nightstands, black on the sides of the comforter (which you actually can't see well in the photos because it blends into the bed), black Euro shams, and black blanket. Too dark!

The Euro shams, which theoretically should be giving the bedding some height, are hidden against the back of the black headboard.

Although I will say I love this headboard--it's faux leather upholstery and it is very comfy when I'm sitting up in bed to read. 

Don't worry about these pillows--they have found a new home somewhere else in my home. More on that very soon!

My sad lamps...I found them at different times in different places, and they worked okay in our last apartment because they were in different spots in the living room & office area rather than "attempting symmetry" here.

The lamps really make the bed feel unbalanced with their different heights. 

The nightstands were functional but boring with these tiny lamps whose only personality came from the print and very few accessories. 

We were also losing a ton of height by having shorter lamps & no art above the bed. These ceilings are actually quite high, but there was nothing to draw the eye up and show them off. 

This lamp on Ricky's side was particularly tiny and his little tray (more dark on dark on dark) just blends right into the nightstand. 

Another shot that shows the blank walls, begging for something, anything to liven them up!

And here is the bedroom as it looks today:

 The gray sheets (shown in the pillow cases on the middle "sleeping" pillows) are a few years old--we've always had them as "extra" bedding and I've been gravitating towards them more and more lately, which influenced my decision to do this refresh. I bought the gold accented art pieces months ago from Hobby Lobby and have been waiting to put them up until I had lamps and knew what the height should kind of be. 

  The next step was this gorgeous, soft gray & white duvet coverlet & Euro shams from Amazon--I actually bought them in separate orders & didn't realize they were from the same company. :) 

Next up were these awesome pillows from Joss & Main that read "Good Morning Gorgeous" & "Hello Handsome", which I am seriously crushing on. They're great quality down pillows, with a shine to the thread. I was super excited that they matched the bedding so well. The pillow in the middle (which I placed this way so you could read the others) is from Target and is actually from the patio section. It's honestly kind of a placeholder at the moment and will be re-homed to our balcony once I find the perfect breakfast pillow for the bed. This one from Ikea & this one from Harbor House are my front-runners--any opinions on which I should choose?

I was standing on top of our dresser to get this photo #bloggerdedication

This super soft blanket was from TJMaxxfor $15 and was a steal. What I really like about this blanket and the breakfast pillow and the neutral grays in the rest of the room is that I could easily trade them out for something in a soft aqua, coral or a variety of other colors and totally change the look. 

The lamps & mirror were more difficult for me to tie down. It's funny how easy it was to choose larger items like the bedding & the bed itself, but so difficult to choose the lamps. It literally took me months and countless hours on various websites, in stores (even HomeGoods which is usually my winner) and I just struggled. The ones that I liked were extremely pricey and I would eventually decide that I didn't like them that much. But in the end I'm very happy with my choice!

This was the lamp I eventually chose. It's from Target and I loved that it makes a big larger impact than the old ones with the larger drum shade but doesn't have a huge base, which still leaves surface area for all of the nightstand necessities. 

I also added some scrapbook paper to the tray on Ricky's nightstand, which is where he puts everything that comes out of his pockets when he gets home in the evenings. Super easy and quick to do, but gives it a tiny bit more color on the nightstand and matches the coaster he has on the other side. 

My nightstand got a matching lamp & tissue box, a floral coaster, and a tiny dish for jewelry. 

This vase is borrowed from my mother-in-law and will be going back to her soon but I couldn't resist switching it out for the clear one I had here for these photos--I think a white vase is on my DIY list for the near future for this space! The jewelry dish was found at TJMaxx for $3.99 and is currently holding a gold & garnet ring  and some gold & pearl earrings. It's nice to have a slightly more feminine touch on my side & I like to think that the dark tray is a more masculine touch for his.

Another view, with a more "typical" pillow configuration. This is what I would do if I didn't have pillows with script on them that I want showing. 

You got kind of a peek at this area in a couple of the above photos. This is definitely an area I wouldn't consider "done." I'm not sure that this white bookshelf is the most functional or fun piece of furniture that could go here. The two options I'm debating between are a reading chair/nook kind of thing or a vanity area. I do like this canvas engagement photo and the tray, but the shelves themselves don't do much for me. The baskets hold extra sheets & Ricky's jeans or other items that he's worn once but aren't "dirty", but I think these items can be pretty easily relocated. I also am not in love with the bright blue hamper Ricky's had for years & years that is in this corner-I think a more subdued color would work better for us, but maybe I can find space for it in the closet? Who knows at this point!

At least the flowers are pretty... (Update here!)

Other areas I still need to work on in this room are the wall above the dresser on the other side (there's a reason you didn't see that side of the room), and possibly a rug for under the bed. Ideally it would be a rug we'd love forever and eventually have in as homeowners on a hardwood floor, but since we're renting right now it would need to look okay on top of the carpet in our room as well.

You know me--there's always something more to look forward to doing!

Here are a few close-ups of the finishing touches on the wall. This gold-foil print hangs above Ricky's nightstand. 

 This sweet gold painted number is above my nightstand. Both art pieces were Hobby Lobby finds early last fall.

And this mirror (which my Instagram followers got a sneak peek at this weekend) is above the bed. It was a HomeGoods steal and I am in love with it. It was in their "Welcome to India" section, and while I'm not sure that Indian was the vibe I was going for I think it looks perfect in the space. 

 Another view of more of the room that includes a glimpse at that under-utilized white bookshelf. 

One of the things I love about this bed, and one of the reasons we didn't go the other top-contender which was white & iron...these storage drawers!

Perfect for hiding away the extra "decorative" pillows that we don't keep on the bed while we're sleeping. 

And there you have it! Our Master Bedroom "Refresh". Which part was your favorite? Any suggestions on which new breakfast pillow I should choose, or what I should do with the "white bookshelf" area?

If you missed my Master Bedroom: Inspiration post, find it here. You can also find much more bedroom eye candy on my Dream Home: Bedrooms Pinterest board here. 

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XOXO,

Jaclyn