Master Bedroom Makeover

Creating a master bedroom retreat......

Bed Linens

My color inspiration for the master bedroom makeover came from these beautiful linen and sea foam down pillows I found at a great home decor shop,  Picket Fences .   I  am a big fan of mixing up your bed linens and not using the "matchy - matchy" bed in a bag sets.   You can always use parts of the bed in a bag as you can find some great deals, but mix it up and layer with coordinating duvets and pillows.         

It just gives a more custom, high end look.  

Making the Bed...

I started to build my bed with 3 linen colored Euro Shams I found at  IKEA ( what a great buy they were  for only $6 each for the covers)   I already had the euro size pillow inserts, but you can find them almost anywhere these days.  (Target,  TJ MAX, Marshalls/Homegoods, etc.)   Then I added my 2  inspiration pillows in front of the 3 linen euros.  They have the same Linen color as the ones I purchased from IKEA along with my accent color - Sea Foam.   These were definitely a splurge I would not normally make,  but I think they were totally worth it and as I said, they were  my inspiration for the master makeover.

*(I often start many home staging and/or re-decorating projects by finding a pillow or other decor piece that has the colors a homeowner really loves and then we build from there. ) 

*(I like to use clean, crisp, white sheets on the  bed and expose the linens. In the winter, I like to add a  matelasse coverlet and then fold the duvet cover over the foot of the bed.  The duvet cover I used which was also part of my inspiration for the master - makeover, was from Rachel Ashwell -Shabby Chic  line from Target.  It was the perfect mix of white, linen and sea foam and it pulls together all the colors of my pillows and linens. ) 

Project 1: Refurbish dressers

My first project in the master bedroom makeover was to refurbish the dressers/nightstands on each side of the bed.  I found them on a clearance sale at Kirkland's a while back.  They were a great deal because they were scratch and dent.  I knew I had plans to eventually paint them, so no worries there.  I touched up the scratches and dents with dark Old English until I was ready to paint.  

They are not your traditional nightstand, but I love using unexpected pieces in different ways as well as they provide great storage and let's be honest we all need more storage!!!

Since my color palette was already decided by my choice in linens, I chose to lighten things up with the dressers as well.  I wanted to make them look light and airy with a vintage feel.

1.  First, I removed the old hardware and lightly sanded  to rough up the surface enough to allow the new paint to adhere and painted 2 coats of paint in "evasive blue"  it is white with a hint of blue/gray.
2.   I then lightly sanded and rubbed the edges or any place that would naturally wear or age more.
3.  Next, I wanted to warm it up  and decided to add glaze to the top and drawer fronts to give it  more of an aged depth and detail.  I  taped off the edge of the top surface with blue painter's tape and applied the glaze and wiped off until I got my desired effect.  The drawers were super easy as I did not half to tape anything off.  I Just applied the glaze over the already painted drawer fronts and again wiped off to my desired effect.
4.   Finally to finish the piece, I added glass knobs ( from Hobby Lobby) to give it that vintage feel.  You can find them at your local home improvement store as well, I just thought the ones from Hobby Lobby had more of a vintage look and feel.  I have to admit,  it  is a bit feminine, but having the simple glass lamp with burlap shade helps to maintain some of its masculine features and my husband loves it.    You can stack some books and place a beefy wooden frame for more masculinity.

Now, onto the wall.....Creating a custom look of wallpaper

I had already painted the entire room in a soft linen color, but wanted to create an accent wall for my bed.  I had recently found a great  buy on upholstered linen,  nail head, king size headboard  from Tuesday Morning, (however, it blended in with the wall color. To give the headboard more presence,I decided to:

1.  Hang it on the wall to give it more height and more of a presence on the wall.  It has now become the art work for that wall. 

2.  Next, I decided to paint the wall behind the headboard to give it more contrast and as well as a focal wall when you entered the room.  

Let's start painting......

I started with 2 coats of Martha Stewart - metallic paint.  Whoa!!!! I was not quite ready for that and was really second guessing myself as it looked more like a disco???  Can you say "bow chicka wow wow!!!"

Thank God my husband was in Europe during this  several day process or he would have thought I had lost my mind or maybe he would have liked it, because it looked more like a brothel????

I had already committed to the metallic paint,  so I decided to  continue on my journey to try and create the look of wallpaper with a damask pattern without the hassle of  having to take down wallpaper later ( I do like to change things up a bit and wallpaper is a huge pain to remove, with paint, you just paint over!!!)

                                                            Stage 1 - Metallic paint

Stage 2 - Hand painting stencil -(applied on  half of  wall)

( I got mine from Wall to Wall Stencil , but you can find them at Hobby Lobby and Home Depot in many different options).  They also provide you with tips on how to stencil

Stage 3 - Apply glaze over painted wall and stencil to create warmer, aged effect

(applied on half of wall)

The Final Reveal

A Relaxing Master Retreat Makeover.......

One last final touch .....

I am from the south and we like to personalize everything so I took a pillow cover I found in the right color scheme and had it embroidered with mine and my husbands initials along with our last name initial.  The perfect final touch to a beautiful master bedroom retreat.  

This is an armoire I refurbished many years ago.  It was honey pine before....( I am sorry I was not thinking about taking before and after photos back then???) It has been all over our house , but it has a new home now and offers us great storage along with concealing our tv.  I simply added some glass apothecary jars with an antique bird cage on top to finish the look....

Oh !!!! I almost forgot.....   

I changed the hardware to these vintage knobs, just the perfect jewelry to finish it!!!

Home staging tips to sell your home

Ready~Set~Stage!!!

~The first step of staging is to CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!!!

• Bathrooms and kitchens should be cleaned from top to bottom and should shine
• Wash windows
• Shampoo carpets (to remove soiled spots or pet odors)
• Paint touch ups or new neutral color applied to appeal to potential buyers

~The next step is to remove the CLUTTER!!!

• Counter tops should be clear of paper, small items, etc. to maximize visual space
• Personal photos should be packed away
• Remove and store extra furniture
• Clean out and organize closets

*Remember, you are selling your house not your personal belongings, and you want potential buyers to visualize their things in your space.  You are going to pack it all up when you move, so why not get a head start?!!

~RE-DESIGN is the next step that can really maximize the potential of your home.

• Re-position or remove furniture to maximize flow and space
• Accessorize using existing items by re-using them in innovative ways
• Supplement with added accessories such as lamps, rugs, vases, plants or furniture, as needed

~Finally, the EXTERIOR CURB APPEAL should really draw potential buyers inside.  Your curb appeal is the first impression you give a potential buyer.

• The front should be neat and swept
• Landscaping trimmed and  lawn manicured
• Colorful flowers in pots or beds along entryway
• Repairs made to any areas needed

Counter top Clutter in the kitchen......

 I have conquered the pantry!!!! , ( see my post  An Organized Pantry )
Now on to the  paper clutter issue in my kitchen.  Despite signing up for everything possible to be sent to me online from my children's school, they still bring home tons of notes and paperwork  that need some kind of organization and my kitchen counter top  is not the answer!!! Can I get an AMEN!!!!  I can clean off that counter top and with in minutes it is covered.  Well it is not all paper work, but I thought I would start with tackling this first as it is easier than training my family to PUT UP THEIR STUFF!!!!!  Some of it is art that I put in a special binder in their room, some of it is information for me on  upcoming events and classroom info and some of it is homework or projects due at a later date. In addition I also have  all the schedules and rosters for their extra curricular activities and sports that we need to see daily.

When my husband and I remodeled, we had this small little area at the end of our cabinets that was not being utilized, so we decided to add a small kitchen desk ( with remnants left over from our slab of granite) and a small wicker shelf with drawers for extra supplies.  I store TO-GO MENUS in the bottom drawer and kids school supplies like markers, colors and extra paper they may need for homework in the others.

It is this space that has now become the answer to my paper clutter issue in my kitchen.  I have a personal office( well if you count the organized space I have created in our guest room closet) for our bills and my personal business organization. ( I will tell you all about that in an upcoming post). So this new kitchen system is just for me to organize my children's papers, activities and schedules.  I added a basket organizer with divided sections to hold folders with each of their names, a note pad for notes that I may have to send into school( I had some pre-printed with their name and my name so I can quickly send a note for each child) and pencils/pens for homework.

I then added a framed bulletin board  above the desk( which I made myself  from a ready made frame, some cork board and paint) as I could not find one at that time that was large enough.  Now of course I see them everywhere at Marshall's- Home Goods and Target.  I personalized it with each child's name and then put their schedules or important reminders in their own area.  This creates an easy,  quick glance at all our family's activities while still being organized and clutter free.

Kitchen Paper Clutter Conquered!!!!!!!
Now If I just could get my family to pick up the rest of the clutter on my counter tops.  One project at a time!!!!

Professional Organizing - before and after photos

Check out the new photos on my  Photos - Professional Organizing  page for some great before and after photos on the following:

1.  Pantry
2.  Master bedroom closet
3.  Home office - in  a closet
4.  Kitchen organization center

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify ......

We all want to simplify our lives.  Sometimes, we get caught up in our material possessions and forget about what is really important in our lives.  My neighbors husband recently passed away and it really made me start thinking about living a much simpler life.  My family's busy schedule, just as many of yours, keeps us running and thus leaves little time for much else.

I try to keep our home simple and organized through smart organizational solutions  that allow us to  find things easier and create a home for those things we really use and need.  I do not have lots of extra closets or storage space in my home, thus I really have to not only organize our things very efficiently, but also I have to purge and clean out often to make sure we really need and use all the things I am trying to store.  This brings me back to the statement about "simplifying our lives".  Make sure you really do need and use all the "stuff" you are storing. Cleaning out and purging those things you don't need or wear can really make your life simpler and less stressful.

One of my favorite blogs, The Joyful Organizer, just wrote a wonderful piece on this topic.  Follow this link for the complete article.  It is definitely one worth reading.  Here is a short summary of her comments:


Own Your Possesions - Part one   posted May 22, 2012  by: The Joyful Organizer

“Simplify, Simplify, Simplify” –Henry David Thoreau

So much of our identity is tied to our material possessions; our homes, our clothes, our cars and our gadgets.  We identify ourselves through these items instead of through our actions. We end up spending so much time and money caring for our items, storing them, maintaining them, that we sometimes don’t have time to do the things we love anymore.

When you first stop and think about your stuff (clothes, shoes, electronic devices, just for starters), it all seems very meaningful to you.  You simply can’t imagine parting with all the things you have.

 Visualize your life without the excess stuff.  Would you be able to make it out of the house more quickly and with less stress in the morning?  Would your kids have more room to play?  If you weren’t always looking for things you can’t find, would you be able to play with your kids in the yard?  If your garage were clean,  would you be able to pull the car inside and better care for it?  If you had more time in your day, could you squeeze in a workout?  What if the only clothes in your closet were clothes you actually wear and feel good in?

 We spend time cleaning and caring for all of our items instead of taking care of our health, and we even sometimes avoiding having people over to our homes because we feel the clutter is too embarrassing.

We all deserve to live better, more fulfilling lives that are filled with relationships instead of stuff.  The time to start living a simpler life is now.  

I could not have said it better myself,   THE TIME TO START LIVING A SIMPLER LIFE IS NOW!!!!!!

Home Staging - before and after photos

Check out the new before and after photos on my  Photos - Home Staging page of my blog.

A Home Filing System..... that makes sense!

There are 4 must - have sections for your Home Filing System ( Better Homes and Garden Storage - Spring 2012 )

Financial ~ Insurance ~ Personal ~ Home

The article recommends dividing the drawers into 4 color-coded sections as follows:
1.  Financial (green) - for incoming or outgoing  money such as banking, credit cards, investments, mortgage, taxes(current year only), utilities and estate planning.

2.  Insurance/Vehicles (blue) - home owners, auto, life and health as well as files for maintenance and registration of vehicles

3.  Personal (yellow)  - Create one file for each family member and pet to organize items such as medical records, education, church sports, hobbies, etc.

4.  Home (red) - use this final section to organize home maintenance,  improvements or repairs as well as past and future home projects and home owners association.


How Long should you keep it? ..... Get the Better Homes and Garden handy guidelines at bhg.com/paper

So here is a picture of  my attempt at the BH&G Color Coded  Home Filing System ......  now if those papers can just find their way into their beautiful  file!!!!

I took this a step further and decided to organize my tax returns as well since the BH&G article recommends only keeping the current year in your easy to access color coded system, I had to find something to do with the previous years. I store this container in the top of a closet since we do not access it often.  I  printed out labels with dates for each tax year as well as future tax years.  Take a look.....

Another  important note the BH&G article makes is to protect legal documents.    These documents do not belong in your home filing system but rather in  a safety deposit box or fire safe box.

I purchased a small  Water and Fire Safe box at Walmart for around $30 to store birth certificates, passports and other important legal documents.  Great investment for keeping important items safe and easy to grab in case of emergency.