I've been wanting to redecorate our bedroom for a long time, but I was having trouble making up my mind. I was finally able to purchase the bedspread I've been wanting from UO (it was out of stock for the LONGEST time), and with that purchase completed, everything else seemed to just fall into place. I thought I'd share a bit, since I'm really happy with this room. There are still some things that I'd like to do, such as paint the nightstands and (possibly) the chest of drawers, but that will have to wait for warmer weather.
Here's a look at the entire room, taken from the door.
There's really no perfect orientation for the bed. We don't want it on the wall to the left of the door, because of how the door opens. That leaves only two remaining positions, and both of them involve the bed's headboard in front of a window. So we deal with it. What can you do?
Here's the view from the closet door.
Chris gave me a hard time, because it took me forever to find a bedspread that I liked. See, the problem was that the quilt needed to match the orange milk glass lamps that I'd found the previous year at a Pottery Barn outlet. I adore them, and they are one of my favorite things that I own.
The nightstands were purchased for $8.00 each at a local thrift shop; I'll be giving them a nice coat of white paint this spring and possibly adding some wallpaper or a stenciled design to the top surface. The vase is from a West Elm outlet in Memphis. The books underneath are a handful of hardcovers on my "to-read" list and my full collection of Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels.
Here's another glimpse at the quilt -- it's so soft and I love the variety of patterns. The pillow was a Christmas gift from my mom that she made. Usually he stays tucked over in the chair at my desk.
Here are a couple of shots of the bookshelves that we have in our room. I'd eventually like to get one larger bookshelf -- something with either more height or width (or both) to hold these books. Ideally, I'd like to have more shelves in our living room and move some of these books in there, so that our collection isn't divided like this, but right now there just isn't room.
These are all books that I've read. The top shelf contains my autographed books and advanced reader's copies. The small cut-glass jar holds jewelry, and there's a really neat clay disk on top that Cassidy created as part of an art field trip. The canvas above it is one that I made. That's my favorite bit of a Mary Oliver poem with just some freehand shapes to fill the space.
This bookcase, on the bottom two shelves, holds all the books that I haven't read yet (with the exception of about 7 books on the bottom shelf). The top has a large framed vintage map of Belgium (no particular reason why it's a map of Belgium, other than that is what I found and I thought it would look neat framed).
The chest of drawers is something I'd like to either refinish, paint, or just completely replace. It's still a good piece of furniture, despite the fact that it's at least 40 years old. Chris's parents bought it for his room when he was just a year or two old, but it was a used piece of furniture even then. The knobs were purchased at Anthropologie almost two years ago; I love the shape and the color.
Hanging above the chest of drawers are two framed portraits of me and Chris; Cami drew these of us when she was only 4 or 5. I love them, and they are truly one of my most prized possessions -- like "grab them if the house is on fire"-prized. There's also a cast iron bird with two hooks, where I hang most of my larger necklaces. It was an antique store find and cost $3.00.
Our bedroom is large enough that I have a small desk space in the corner. This allows me to work on my laptop or to pull out my sewing machine if I'm working on a craft project. The desk is an old library desk that my mom purchased at an antique store when I was in elementary school. She used it in the kitchen as an island when I was younger. I really need to give it a good rubdown with some wood oil; it looks dry. Underneath are baskets with yarn and fabric, as well as my sewing machine.
I bought the desk chair at a yard sale for $2.00. I absolutely love it -- the seat sinks in a little and there are a couple of worn spots/stains, but overall, it was a steal for two bucks.
Here's a glimpse at the 'stuff' on my desk; the wooden owl is what Cass bought me for Christmas. Isn't his face just adorable? The coffee cup is from my friend Jan; I've got three recylced cardboard binders where I store magazine clippings and articles for home decor, scrapbooking, and knitting ideas, plus a plain white magazine file from Wal-mart for all the other paper odds and ends (plus some cute file folders).
The other side has another neat owl -- the white one is a creamer that my sister bought for my birthday. I use it to store pencils. The glass owl with the cork lid holds some lovely perfume oils from Flourish; I bought it at an antique shop for $1.50. The little wooden owl is one that Cami carved (with Grandad's help).
I really needed a bulletin board, but couldn't find any cork sheets large enough to fit an old gold picture frame that I've had for 15 years or so. Instead, I used a large piece of cardboard. Since most of it is covered up, you can't even tell, and it works just as well as cork right now. Of course, eventually it will end up full of holes, but it's super-easy and cheap to switch it out with another piece of cardboard.
I've got my Damien Rice Hatch show poster hanging there, from when he played live at Lovett Auditorium here on campus almost four years ago (we had just moved to Murray, and I was thrilled at the chance to see him live). I've also got a cute tea towel from my sister, although I'm pretty sure I'm going to make a pillow out of it eventually (to replace the orange toile one in my chair).
I've got some prints on the wall -- a Curly Girl print that I LOVE (there's a card by her on my idea board also), a bee print that I picked up here on campus by a local art student, and a small print I made with some of Kate Hadfield's cute doodles.
I'm really happy with how everything has come together; I'm especially happy that I was able to work with the existing paint color on the walls and the curtains we already owned. I've been working hard to create a cozy comfortable home with thrifted pieces and things we already own, and I feel like my style has really come together over the past year. You'll likely never see my house on Apartment Therapy, but that's okay. It warms my heart to know that my family loves our little rental house, and that we've made it a HOME in the truest sense of the word.
Glad for seeing you here! Though I susbscribe to your Tumblr, I missed the blog so much.
I want so much a sock monkey for me...
Posted by: Érica | February 08, 2011 at 08:05 PM
I love your room - so homey and inviting! I wish I had room in our bedroom for a little desk - that would be perfect!
Posted by: Erica | February 10, 2011 at 12:14 PM
Thanks so much, Erica! Judging by the amount of time all 4 of us spend piled up here, my family must think so too -- which makes me a happy mama!
Posted by: aud neal | February 10, 2011 at 12:20 PM