Same Furniture, New Room

My master bedroom looked like this when we moved in over 2 and 1/2 years ago.


I know it looks like it was hit by the 1990’s stick.  Apart from the fact that there are no shades on the sconces in this picture, it looks kind of like a furniture showroom doesn’t it?  Although I’d venture to bet if this was a furniture showroom many people would walk right by without giving this set a second look.  The wall color and the decor really don’t do anything for the furniture.  One of the biggest mistakes we ever made was purchasing a “bedroom set”.  You live and learn I guess.  The thing is, it’s really good furniture, but a matching set is just so boring.

While this room is far from finished, you saw a sneak peek of the work in progress earlier this week.

I think it’s incredible what a difference changing the wall color, bedding, and accessories have made in this room.  It’s the same bed, but it looks so much more appealing now.  I know a traditional four poster bed isn’t everyones ice cream sundae, but I’ve always loved them.

I recently made another little change that has made a huge impact.  I changed the hardware on the chest of drawers.  While brass is back and I’ve always loved gold; the style of the previous hardware just dated this piece.  I really want a less formal more causal look in here, so the brass pulls had to go.  I went with these Martha Stewart drawer pulls/cuffs, and I’m so pleased with them.

I’m amazed at the difference a little hardware change can make.

It’s the same furniture we’ve had for over 8 years but it looks like a whole new room, and I haven’t even changed the ceiling fan or hung curtain panels yet !   😉

I’ve always loved this furniture, and now with new surroundings I love it even more.  I’ll show you soon what I’m doing with the night stands that I pulled out of here.

Is it not crazy what a difference the wall color made?   Have you made any hardware changes on your furniture lately?  Sometimes you don’t need paint; you just need a screwdriver and some new drawer pulls.

 P.S.  Thanks so much for all of your e-mails yesterday!  I appreciate them so much.  I’ve been so inspired by your projects, and I can’t wait to share them here on the blog!

Linking up at Savvy Southern Style, At the Picket Fence, Miss Mustard Seed, Thrifty Decor Chick 

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  • Wow, you're right, it looks like a completely different room! I love the new wall color and the dresser hardware totally changes the look. Yay for small changes and big impact!

  • Wow, Carmel, I cannot get over the transformation of this room just with those simple fixes! Really stunning. Can't wait to see what's next! Good luck at Haven – I'm jealous:)!! Maybe next year I'll join you and you can show me the ropes of a blogger conference! Oh, and yes, I am very, very jealous of your trip to Napa!!! One of my favorite all time trips – ENJOY!!

  • Nice update! I think I have a very similar, if not the same bedroom suite (Sumter Cabinet?. I too regret buying a matchy matchy bedroom furniture – so love seeing pictures of how you made it feel more 2012! 🙂

  • Your wall color and the new draw pulls truly transform the room and furniture. I know exactly what you mean about buying a complete set. We did that when we first go married so when that bedroom set started to die due to abuse by various movers, well we updated slowly. piece by piece. Have fun at Haven! and definite enjoy your Napa trip!! HOw exciting!! We are doing day trips this summer but in April our middle son & I are going to FRANCE!! Talk about excited!!

  • it looks SO awesome and has me so excited to paint mine!
    i have my headboard, too, but have kept it quiet… i need to stain it. seeing your wood bed against the blue makes me SO happy. 🙂

  • Wow! I had to keep going back and doing a double take on this room (even though your post title clearly told the story). ;-). I love the wall color, and even the bed looks totally different in the "new room". Looking good! What color did you use on the walls? Love it!

  • Beautiful, Carmel! I love that you go with your use of bold color, it always turns out fabulous! I just redid a room and painted white walls and did the ceiling in the same color as your walls. We had stained bookshelves in there and I was trying to get away with not painting them, so this color combo has worked out well with the wood finishes. But, you already knew that from your fantastic bedroom mixture! Great new hardware, too!

  • The new color made a huge difference. Love the new bedding also and the white sidetable. Changing the hardware is so much better than painting this piece. Great idea. I am trying hard to find a dresser like yours, they are hard to find at a price I want to pay. Great changes. Hugs, Marty

  • Wow, way to take it into 2012 and without spending much $ at all, it's beautiful and the perfect example of how a little creative thinking can totally transform a room! Fabulous job!

  • The room does look totally new! The paint color is so rich – I love it! The hardware switch up is also so simple but has a great impact. I used the same drawer pulls on my coffee table!

    Looking forward to seeing you soon!

    Sarah

  • Huge difference! I'm loving your new master bedroom!! The wall color is fabulous! We also purchased a bedroom "set" when we got married & I'm totally regretting it too!! Hoping to make some changes to our master at some point this year & looking forward to it!

  • Where did the hardware for your dresser come from? I'm so amazed at what a difference the paint color and a white bedspread can make? Where did you get the bedding? No more bed in a bag? I bought a bed in a bag about two years ago and I wish I hadn't.

  • Carmel, this is genius! I never really thought about just changing the hardware on a piece of furniture without overhauling the entire piece. It doesn't look anything like the 90's original with the super shiny brass pulls. Visiting from Kelly's at Eclectically Vintage.

    PS I have a fun linky party every weekend. I would LOVE if you linked this up. This is an idea that I bet most people have never thought of. So simple, yet such a huge impact!

  • The hardware is from Martha Stewart's line at The Home Depot. The bedding is a mix that came from Target, Tuesday Morning, Pottery Barn, and Etsy. I wanted a mix rather than a matching set and I love the way the white contrasts against the navy.

  • I like the before too – I was just ready for a change. My comment about it looking dated was more to do with the fact that the furniture is a matching set which was popular years ago.

  • Are you kidding me? That looks amazing. I love all of your changes! Your room looks like an entirely different space! And I would have never believed that was the same dresser! Those pulls are great!

  • Today's version of your bedroom is so much better! I use a writing desk as my nightstand too, and enjoy having the extra space … because there's always stuff stacked on it!

    Like you, we bought an entire bedroom suite when we were first married. Who knew any different back then? It took me about a year, but every single piece in my bedroom was replaced with something more "me" and something more eclectic. And I'm so much more comfortable here now!

  • I really like the whole look! I have a matching set that also has a four poster bed. The dressers also have gold pulls I have been thinking about changing. I like your choice, but I am not sure it will go with my furniture style. I am really thinking about painting the whole set to give it a new look. The set is not in that great of shape and I am tired of it. The room is in need of a paint job as well. Who knows when I will get to it and decide exactly what I want to do. Maybe I will get daring and go bold like you did. Did you not put the mirror back? If so why?

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