Beachy Bedroom Makeover - Transform Your Space Using Coastal Elements

This beachy bedroom transformation has subtle coastal elements, dark grey walls, a mix of patterns and bright white accents.

It doesn’t feel that long ago but we bought our little apartment on the Jersey Shore more than 10 years ago now.  Our lives were very different back then and this little getaway has changed as drastically as our lives.  We renovated the bathroom and kitchen and carved a kid’s room out of the living room space.  It was finally time to tackle our bedroom.  It had never been a priority before but a restful place to lay our heads has suddenly taken on new meaning. This is how we found it the day we decided to purchase it.



Let’s just say Better Homes & Gardens wasn’t going to come calling anytime soon.  We did a few patches here and there with some Ikea furniture and paint but it never felt like a truly well put together, restful space.



I’m happy to share it’s finally a totally different room thanks to some help from my friends at Hayneedle. The anchor of the room is the Linen Tufted Wingback Bed which is a beautiful shade of navy. As you can see, I didn’t want to go too crazy with the coastal vibe but I wanted to have just the suggestion of the shore.

 

Since there were already a lot of rectangles in the room I wanted to add some more organic shapes and textures.  I started with the using these round end tables in place of traditional nightstands. The walls were painted a dramatic deep grey (BM Kendall Charcoal) but needed a little artwork to break it up. The abstract artwork stopped me dead in my scroll – the perfect shade, organic shape and nod to the sea without being something too on the nose.

Coastal Elements Give A Beachy Bedroom Vibe

For lots of extra storage as well as a warm infusion of natural wood, we put this long 8 dresser chest of drawers along the long wall.  This thing holds sooo much and looks lovely doing it.

 

Finally, my absolute favorite addition is this modern update on a wingback chair.  Tucked in the corner, it’s the perfect spot to flip through a magazine or put on your sandals before heading out.


I’m so happy with this beachy bedroom now that I catch myself peeking in there every chance I get!

Beachy Bedroom Source List:

Bed  

End tables 

Artwork

Dresser

Chair

Rug

Bedding

Drapes

Disclosure: Some of the products featured in this post were provided by Hayneedle but all of the opinions expressed are my own.

For More Bedroom Makeovers Check Out:

Shore Bedroom Makeover

Girls Bedroom - Grownup Sophistication

New Mattress, Better Sleep {Sponsored Post}

I may have mentioned that the amount of time I'm spending in my bed has increased a lot during this pregnancy - my mattress just wasn't cutting it.



While ol' lumpy and I were no longer getting along, I dreaded the whole process of buying a mattress at the store. Too many options and a somewhat less than open sales pitch really puts me off. So when the lovely people at Leesa, a new online mattress company, asked me if I wanted to give their product a try, I jumped at the chance.



The Leesa mattress arrived on my doorstep in an unassuming box.  I was a little suspect of how a truly plush, comfy mattress could fit in there but I held off judgement.  Out it came and we laid it on our bed and cut open the plastic. The sound of air rushing into that mattress was a hoot and within minutes, the mattress had plumped up to its full 10 inch size.  We were impressed.



The mattress is made up 3 different kinds of foam - dense core support, memory foam and a cooling top layer designed to keep you cool. It's all wrapped up in a seamless, pretty cover.  It's also super tempting for toddler jump parties!




But who cares all about that?  The proof is in the sleeping!  We only had spring mattresses before and I was prepared for a small adjustment period to get used to the foam. Much to my shock, it took no time at all to adjust.  We've been sleeping like logs on it for a few weeks and I've really appreciated not waking up with a back ache each morning.  I've also noticed that because of the foam, we are less prone to wake each other up throughout the night so that's another big win.  So far, I love it and I'm so glad I made the switch!




As if that wasn't enough Leesa is doing good in the world by donating 1 new mattress for every 10 they sell so we can all sleep a little easier.

Want to join me for a snooze?  The first 50 readers to redeem the promo code "BROOKLYN" will get $75 off your order!


disclosure: this post was sponsored by Leesa but all opinions expressed are my own.

Master Bedroom: Nearly Finished

I'm quite certain that no room has been fretted over more in a single blog then this room. Its been going on for years and it has to stop. But not just yet. That’s because a) I'm nearly finished and I wanted to show you and b) I have a couple of more tweaks to make and could use your input.

So ignoring items b and c for now - here is how she looks. I busted out the fish eye lens so you can see more of the room at once. Take my word for it, the walls don't curve in real life.






As you can see I made a few small adjustments from last week including making a little polkadot pillow for the chair, swapping the painting over the bed for some framed fabric, hiding the white pillowcases underneath the gray.

For those that have asked, here are the details of the various elements.
Wall color: Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin, Flat
Trim: Benjamin Moore Bone White, Semi-gloss
Floors: Original to the house, no stain, high gloss oil based poly
Chandelier: Vintage from Mr. Limestone's parents house
Headboard: Purchased secondhand from a wholesale showroom via Craigslist
Quilt: Rosette by Anthropologie
Square pillows: Dwellstudio Peony Pillow from Target
Dotted pillowcases: Sewn by me, fabric is Midwest Modern by Amy Butler
Rug: Surya, suggested and ordered through the talented Paula Grace
Dresser: Find Furnishings, Brooklyn
Canvas over dresser: Painted by me, based on this vintage photo
Chair: Second hand from ETG, Staten Island
Little pillow on chair: Sewn by me, fabric is Summer Soiree Paula Prass
Both Nightstands: Purchased second hand from Englishtown Antiques
Lamps: Cost Plus (no longer available)
Collage Canvases: Designed by me, printed by Uprinting
Frames over the bed: Ikea, yellow fabric is Chardonnay Home Vicki Payne
Jewelry tree stand: Little Birch by Urban Outfitters
Black hands: Jewelry display from Nile
Small female bust: Ebay
Drapes & Hardware: Purchased at the now defunct Linens and Things but available elsewhere.

If I missed anything, just ask.

Im really happy with how it looks. It has the color scheme, mix of textures, new + old, and personal touches that I wanted. So its nearly there and its certainly good enough to make feel like I accomplished 'finishing' the room.

But is anything ever finished really? There are a couple small things I could use help with. Please feel free to weigh in:

1.

I'd like to replace the fabric in the frames with two of my own photographs. I'm terrible at selecting my own - all I see is what could be improved. Suggestions?
2.

I'd like to replace the photos on the dresser with some of my own photographs as well. See #1.

3.

I'm not sold on the quilt. I think it looks pretty but it doesn't sing to me. What I'd really like is a simple, medium gray comforter (NO DUVET COVERS EVER!!) but I can't find that for the life of me. Have you seen a gray comforter?
4.

Not sure if I should paint the nightstand on the left to match the gray on the right. On the one hand, it works well with the wood on the chair legs. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind a bit more symmetry on this wall.

Hmmmmph.

Breaking down the bedroom projects

In spite of some serious efforts this weekend, I'm not quite finished with the bedroom. I need to make a few more tweaks but I'm feeling good about it. (I even broke my personal rule of photographing rooms only during daylight hours to show you...but its not the most accurate portrayal of the color. Ill have some better photos for you next week.)

If you remember last week's post, I put together my ideas. I decided to add yellows and grays to the existing color scheme and now that I see in the flesh, I love it. No surprise that I like the grays, creams and blues (since that is everywhere else in my house) but the pop of yellow adds just what I wanted in here. I know this color scheme may not be for everyone but its exactly what I imagined so Im really happy with it.

But lets talk about some of the details. First off for the walls. I randomly found this fabulous vintage photo on flickr and wanted to use it somehow. So I got out some paintbrushes and did my best in recreating it in acrylics with a twist on the colors.

Hardly a masterpiece, I think its a fun way to subtlely personalize the space with something I did by hand. I'm not convinced its location over the bed is the right place. I might switch this around a bit but I'll have to play musical walls this weekend.

Using some of this lovely fabric from Amy Butler, I pulled out the sewing machine to make two pillow cases. Thanks to the those who answered my calls for help on twitter! It really was a simple project - too me about an hour (excluding the time to wash and dry the fabric first)


After a lot of searching, I finally found a dresser I loved. (This was one of the two items I mentioned purchasing at FIND.) I needed something to sit in the space left of the fireplace tohold the cable box so a little bit of additional storage was welcomed as well. I searched forever for a second hand or budget piece of furniture but never found something that didn't have a major issue. Once I spotted this commode, I fell in love. The curvy shape and the slightly distressed finish was exactly what I wanted.

After I got it home, I realized just how substantial it was. Its made of a very heavy hardwood and its finish is well applied. So it made me feel better for splurging on it.

So I'm just about there. Its not perfect but its getting close to something I'm happy with. More to come before I call it done. Ill share more details then.

Vexed in the bedroom.

Generally I tend to have a very good idea of what I want a room to look like when Im done with it. I have lots of ideas to start, toss them around in my head for a while and decide. I can usually "see" what its going to look like at the end without much effort. Did you notice how I wrote 'generally'? That’s because there is one room that has vexed me (yes, I said vexed. Dramatic, right?) - our master bedroom. It’s the only room where I've never had a proper vision for how it will come together. Sure, I've flailed about trying different things but, not surprisingly, have never been happy with the result.

I admit, this room has certainly come quite a long way from 3 years ago.



When it came to finishing it off, I was stumped. Who knows why?

If you've been reading for a while, you'll know I had the finishing the master bedroom as a home resolution for 2009. EPIC FAIL! Sure I did make a few bits and pieces of progress. I got a lovely headboard and nightstands. The ornate frame got sprayed and hung over the fireplace. I designed some romantic collages that make me misty. I managed some giant silhouettes with a scroll saw and my fingers intact. But still, it just wasn't looking finished.



So when I won a virtual decorating package from Paula Grace Designs, Inc., I knew exactly what I was going to use it for. And she sent me a great binder full of ideas - a rug choice that was perfect, beautiful fabric swatches for linens, an amazing chaise lounge chair for the area around the bay windows. She had a vision! (Of course she did - she is a talented professional! If you need some proper interior design help, this is a fabulous service.)




I now had someone elses ideas for this room! I stared at that binder for a while before I realized that it wasn't what I had envisioned for the room. And poof - there it was, the idea that had been alluding me for so long. I did take some of her suggestions so that alone helped me a great deal...I just went a slightly different way. More importantly, she helped me crystallize my own ideas.

So I started the hunt for the items I needed. I will admit I spent a good bit deal more than I originally had hoped. I just couldn't find the pieces I need at my usual cheap haunts. Ultimately I decided after struggling in here for 2 years, a couple of splurges were in order. Of course I mixed in some diy and budget friendly options as well. Here is a sneak peak at what I have in mind.



So you're wondering where my after pictures are, right? Sorry - I don't have them because I haven't put much of it together yet. I have most of the pieces ready to go and one little sewing project to finish before I can put do a presto chango. I'm kind of nervous now that I've really took the plunge. What if I hate it? Either way - Ill tackle that this weekend. Wish me luck!

A lamp's journey.

Thanks to suzie's (of Decorpad) fabulous bedroom makeover, I have been eyeing that lamp for quite a while.

Love the shape, the color, the size. Back when I was debating the art over the bed thing, I had decided it was just right for our bedroom too. I even photoshopped them into the photogragh to be sure. Ever the cheapskate, the original price tag of $80 seemed steep so I decided against ordering.

Then one day a few weeks ago I decided to visit the site again to see if they might be on sale. Eureka - they were $45 and I had a 10% coupon. Sold! Days later, they were sitting on my doorstep ready for their perch.

But as if my luck weren't good enough, a wonderfully sweet reader who remember me bitching about the price sent me an email to tell me they were on clearance at $20 something bucks each!! So I quickly contacted World Market and they did a price adjustment - no muss no fuss. I was really impressed with their customer service and highly recommend them.

The lamp is out of stock now but it looks like they adjusted the price back up and expecting more.

As for the lamp itself, its a lot better quality than I expected - its got a nice weight to it and isn't as shiny as the photo suggests. It comes with a lovely shade - which isn't always the case with lamps. Definitely a great value even at the higher price.

As for our bedroom, its inching along but at a snail's pace. As you can plainly see, I haven't quite managed to paint that left nightstand yet nor have I managed to buy a rug. What you don't see is the plastic bin that is substituting as a dresser on the other side of the room. Baby steps I say.

Master Bedroom inching along.

Still quite a far way from being "finished", the master bedroom is getting there. After much yapping about it for the past few months, the ornate frame is now hung over the fireplace and the television was mounted inside. (Yes, we do watch and enjoy plenty of tv in the bedroom without apology.)


In case you missed the whole frame play by play, I got the inspiration from a quick peek inside a London shop, Mr Limestone got me a fittingly ornate frame on Craigslist, a very nice stranger (more on that in another post) spray painted it to match the walls and everything was just recently hung with care. Ahh...all is right with the world.

But still a lot to do. I definitely need a rug in here, I need to paint the other nightstand, find a suitable dresser to hold my various goodies in the space left of the fireplace (to replace the plastic bin that is there now!) and of course accessorize as needed. But for now, this is as good as it gets.

What do you think? Suggestions for improvement?

Hung.

Check it out. I actually did something I planned to do, in the timeframe I planned. Wonders never cease.


Pretty close to the mockup, right?

Im happy with how it looks but I think it needs a little something extra to make this "vignette" complete. Not sure what - a table maybe but Im not convinced thats right either. Am I over thinking it or should I add something more? If the latter, what should I add?

Target Slipper Chair Review

Guess what has a new home in my bedroom?

If you recall, I had a few front runners for the bedroom chair. Your comments convinced me going with a solid versus a print was the way to go. So that narrowed it down to three choices - the Ikea, the Target or the JcPenney.

When a sale came round, I took the plunge and got the Target slipper.

I'm sure you already know I'm a huge fan of Target. Design to the masses as a reasonable price. What could be better? I really do love that store and go into a semi trance when I enter its hallowed halls. Unfortunately, this was a web only item so I had to go on faith. I googled it before ordering but found almost no third party reviews so I took a gamble.

I don't often do detailed review posts here but since there were none out there I think it might be helpful for those looking for more info so here is my take on the chair.

Let's start with the good stuff.

It arrived very quickly. Much more quickly than promised by Target.com. Once it was out of the box and layers of wrapping, it was very easy to assemble. Stick part a into part b, a few nuts and bolts and twist ands turns later and it was done. Really like not like having spend hours putting something together. And overall, it looks pretty good. I think the photograph is a very fair representation of the item. The material is exactly what I expected it to be in terms of quality, etc. Its stylish without being too trendy - exactly what I wanted. And lastly, it doesn't scream "I'm from a discount chain!!".

And now onto the not so good stuff.

After I posted I had ordered it, Nikinikinine commented that the chair was really small. That made me worried but part of me thought to myself 'that might be good because I don't have a lot of room in there'. Well, she was 1000% correct in her description that its surprisingly wee. Like really short. The overall measurements are included in the description but the seat height is not so its somewhat misleading. If I had known just how low to the ground it was going to be, I would not have ordered it. Particularily with a high bed, it doesn't look quite right to me. Not completely crazy somehow off.

Another note on quality, the finishing is very raw. I didn't expect high quality work here but I also didn't expect there to be a tear in the fabric or staples showing. Its not terrible b/c the tear and the staples are only on the undersides and where the back and seat meet. Still, this is pretty poor workmanship. Affordable shouldn't mean cheaply made! And really, at $250, its not exactly free!

And lastly I'm a bit dissapointed in the pillow. I like the pattern - the problem is the colors. While the chair fabric is a stark white, the pillow fabric is black on off white. I know, its a minor thing but again, there is really no reason for it. Use a black on white pattern OR make the chair fabric slighly off white. Just because I'm cheap, doesn't mean I'm blind. Again, not a big deal, the pillow can be changed but its all these little things that add up to feeling its just not worth it.

With the exception of the height, I would have been pretty pleased with how it looks. So I don't think I'll return it for its short stature alone. It might not live in the bedroom for the long haul though, I'm still thinking that one over. Overall, I'm feeling a bit let down by the purchase so I can't whole heartedly recommend it. This might be the first time I've felt that way with a Target purchase. I guess the honeymoon is over.

In other news, I just ordered the canvas prints I planned to put over the chair. They should be ready in the next week or two. You can bet I'll be posting about those when they arrive.