Friends, for a good while now, I’ve been gathering inspiration for a master bedroom makeover & it is time to share my thoughts with you!
The Plain White Bedroom Before
On the left below is a glimpse (before filming days) of the first upgrade to our bedroom from 2021. It was a plain white box with ancient carpet, plastic builder-grade blinds, and a ceiling fan with more presence than I like.
I was so ready for a change that I ordered curtains from Amazon without reading the product description carefully. And, I couldn’t wait to hang them as you can see… I’m convinced now that they were shower curtains and I really detested them! The only thing they had going was the color. They were shiny, too short, had the grommet hanging system, and they were plastic lined…ugh. It can only get better from here!
2021 Makeover: Sky Blue & Thrifted Art
We started with painting the ceiling and three of the walls a nice creamy white with one wall a light sky blue accent. That patch you see is where Matt removed the 1960’s original intercom system!
We also took this opportunity to re-shelve the closet to better suit our needs. Having a freshly painted, organized closet is such a blessing!
On the blue accent wall we hung a gorgeous thrifted gallery wall with mountain paintings. This was such a lovely view to wake up to! So, if you don’t have a great view ~ make one!
Tessa Foley & Cathy Kincaid Bedrooms
This first effort was a drastic improvement, but… since then I’ve had a few new ideas cross my design path! Here are the top two bedrooms that are tickling my design imagination.
I’ve admired this serene bedroom designed by Tessa Foley from the blog Nine and Sixteen Home. You can find her work at tessafoleyinteriors.com. This photo is from the book Nora Murphy’s Country House Style. The color palette of creams, greens, and blue drew my eye as well as the brass touches, antique dresser, and lovely paintings. It has the feeling of a simple country bedroom where pieces have been collected or inherited over the years, while still feeling as luxurious as a private getaway. This is a feeling I’d most like to capture for our bedroom.
Here is another angle of the same bedroom. To me, part of what feels luxurious is the bouquet of fresh flowers on the bedside table, and the simple pleasure of a personal reading light that can be switched off from the bed…
Here is the other bedroom influencing the look and feel of the space I’d like to create for Matt and me. This dreamy bedroom is featured in The Well Adorned Home: Making Luxury Livable, a book by interior designer Cathy Kincaid. The light, spacious feeling, subdued pattern mixing, and sumptuous use of fabrics inspire me. Both of these books live in our cottage style resource guide, along with the rest of the ones I keep pulling off the shelf.
Linen Drapes, Bamboo Blinds, Mood Board & Eastlake Chest
A long time friend of mine from Texas gave me two sets of fully lined white linen triple pinch-pleat drapes! These are my favorite style of window dressing to top the bamboo blinds, so luxurious and something I’m sure wouldn’t have been in our budget!
In addition to the “brass” looking French return curtain rod I also found these brass ring clips from Amazon to hang the curtains.
Under the linen drapes we layered in our favorite Bamboo Blinds that we now have in every room of the house. They add such a country feeling with the natural woven texture. I love how easily they blend into the style of whatever room they are in and how functional they are.
Then, to create a mood board with items we have or are hoping to come across. So far, we have found the antique Eastlake chest of drawers on Marketplace, the perfect piece for a bedside table. This chest of drawers has become one of my favorite pieces of furniture in our home!
Here is the 2025 cottage style progress so far, and I’m looking forward to sharing the next layer as we move towards our vision. This is a good canvas to add layers of English country house style to! In the meantime, I will continue hunting for specific pieces online and in thrift/antique shops. I’m excited to share the next phase soon! Until next time,
Take Care,
Rachel
