master bedroom progress

April 15, 2016
IN: bedroom, decorating, design process, master bedroom

*Thanks to Kohl’s and Mohawk for sponsoring this post. All opinions 100% genuine.

As I mentioned yesterday I’m going for a light and bright look in our master bedroom, light colored walls, light bedding with pops of color and a fun mix of patterns. It’s a work in progress, as is the rest of the house, but I thought I’d give you a look at where things stand at the moment. Before and afters are great, but I always think it’s fun to get a behind the scenes look at how things come together. Design is a process that rarely happens overnight……or in my case, rarely happens in less than a year. Please tell me I’m not alone.

Last year I was so focused on making the living spaces in our new house feel more like home that I didn’t spend any time at all on the design of our master bedroom. It’s been pretty basic and boring in here since we moved in last July. I brought all the furniture but the night stands from the master bedroom in our last house. (I’ve been using a cardboard box filled with books as a nightstand since August…..fancy!) Our bedroom in that house had deep, dark navy walls that I really loved, but our bedroom here feels like it needs a lighter look. The room has three windows on one wall that overlook the backyard. My plan is to play off the outdoor scene and sort of bring the outdoors in terms of color and pattern.

All white bedding is somewhat of a go-to for me in a master bedroom. It just opens you up to play with different patterns and colors throughout the year. I fell in love with these floral, palm print pillow shams as they were just the right dose of color and pattern in this mostly neutral space, and while I’m not huge on themes I couldn’t resist this embroidered palm tree quilt for the foot of the bed. I’m really loving this fun mix of patterns and this little pop of pink. The lumbar pillow will eventually be monogrammed.

The headboard wall will be getting a moulding treatment. I haven’t nailed down the specifics on that just yet, but I want that wall to stand out as a focal point and add some interest in the space. I toyed around with a few different wall colors adding swatches of paint all over the place; but ultimately I really like the color that is already on the walls, so why bother repainting? (I’m so sorry I have no idea what this color is called as the extra touch-up paint the previous homeowners left us doesn’t have a name or formula written on the tub.)

vintage trunk makeover

I really love the look of hardwood floors in a bedroom, but they can be a little cold underfoot. To warm things up and add a little more texture to this mostly neutral space, I brought in this rug from the Mohawk line at Kohl’s. It looks so much better in person than it does online. I love the neutral beige color and chevron pattern, plus it is super soft to the touch. Bringing in the rug is what sealed the deal on the paint color for me too. This rug just works so well with the color that is already on the walls. I think it’s best to wait on choosing a paint color for walls until you’ve nailed down the textiles you’ll be using in a space because you can always find a paint color to match but it doesn’t always work perfectly like that in reverse.

The rug will likely be pulled up more under the bed, but it’ll sit here for now until I finish the moulding treatment on the headboard wall. And also until I bring in some night stands. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect pair for a while now. Fingers crossed I find something soon as I’m pretty much over my cardboard box of books. 😉

So that’s where our master bedroom stands for now. I have plans to swap out the ceiling fan for a chandy, to bring in some light and flow-y curtain panels and to paint the ceiling a dark moody color to add a masculine counterpoint to all the sweet femininity going in this room. I like shared spaces that look like they’re shared, and right now our master feels a little too much like a ladies only lounge. So I’ll be bringing in some masculine touches to balance things out a little.

Hopefully in the coming months this room shapes up a little more. I’d love to have her finished up before the holidays!

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Looks great so far! Where is the mirror above the bed from?!

Thanks Monica! I’ve had this mirror for years, bought it from Ballard Designs.

Hi! In love with the palm blanket! Where is that from?

The bedroom is looking great. Where is the embroidered palm tree quilt from? I love it and am looking for one exactly like that!

Thanks so much! The palm tree quilt was a Bed, Bath & Beyond purchase. I snagged a little while after Christmas. It shows up as not available online but I’m pretty sure it’s still available in stores.

Carmel, the room looks great and the design will go perfectly with the rest of your home. I too agree that the wall color and rug compliment each other. Question, where did you purchase the beautiful pillow shams? Can’t wait to see the finish room.

Hi Carmel,
How lucky you are to have such a beautiful, light-filled bedroom.

My honest comments are:
– rather than paint the ceiling dark, install a ceiling disc or rectangular frame from which you spend a light, diaphonous fabric as a canopy
– I wonder you why would monogram your own pillows in your private home?
– raise the mirror …take photos and look at the proportions of space around the wall above the bed
– put the trunk somewhere else and find a piece more in proportion to the setting
– the palm tree quilt is cute but the geometric row pattern of trees does not complement the organic dense pillows

I look foward to seeing the progress.

I linked to them in the post. If you click on the red highlighted text it’ll take you directly to them. They’re from Pottery Barn – on sale now for $8 but I think all they have left is the king size sham. I really love this pattern!

Hi Eva, thanks very much for your feedback. Not sure my husband would go for a canopy as it’s already leaning a little too feminine as it is. Monogramming may be a southern thing. If it’s not nailed down……put a monogram on it. 😉 I love a monogram on pillows and towels. With a four poster style bed I don’t like for what is hung over the bed to be taller than the posters. This may just be a personal thing, but also when I replace the fan with a chandy the visual space above the bed will be filled. That wall in general will look much heftier with moulding and night stands. Funny you mentioned the trunk, it will probably end up being used as a coffee table in the sitting area of our bedroom once I source a bench long enough to put at the foot of the bed. The bedding, again is probably more of a personal thing as I think the scale and colors compliment each other pretty well. I’m not crazy about matchy-matchy bedding and really love a good pattern mix.

May I commend you on how graciously you received the “constructive criticism” from Eva. Decorate to your aesthetic; your bedroom is coming along nicely.

As a fellow coastal carolina resident, don’t be so quick to change out the fan until you’ve gone through a whole summer. It’s going to get really hot and even with AC, a fan can be nice especially for sleeping.

Good luck whatever you chose, look forward to seeing how the room evolves.

Thanks! Design would be so boring if we all liked the same thing.

I know it gets super hot here, but I’m one of those weird people that doesn’t like air blowing on me when I’m sleeping. So strange, I know, but true. I had a bad experience with a fan while I was sleeping as a kid…..long story short, a moth flew in my ear…..a trip to the er and a phobia of fans while sleeping was the result. 😉 Ha!

Agree, I love monogrammed towels and pillows!

I love what you did so far and I like the mirror where it is, and it makes sense with the eventual placement of the chandy. Like you, I’m also adding a chandy in my master bedroom as I think it’s a very elegant and sophisticated touch to such a personal space. Haha, I don’t like air blowing on me either when I sleep (my hair tickles my face…so annoying).

Monitors vary, but that wall color looks a lot like BM Cream Fleece from where I’m sitting.

That touch of pink is *perfect*.

Hi Carmel,
As I was reading the responses to this post, I noticed that most of them were simply compliments and or product inquiries. That is why I decided to spice things up with my genuine thoughts. I personally prefer it when a blogger lists or links to product sources so the reader responses can be more of a conversation within a community of individuals with shared interests but diverse opinions and ideas to contribute. I hope you don’T go to all the trouble of sharing your thoughts about your decor plans just to have readers say yes yes, that is exactly what you should do. Written with a smile. …Best wishes, Evaline.

Thanks Kim! And thanks for sharing what you think the wall color is for those that are interested. I really wish the touch-up can had a name on it.

Hi Evaline, I link to sources within the post whenever possible. I use a lot of vintage items and pieces I’ve had for years so that doesn’t always work. I absolutely welcome all thoughts and opinions. Design isn’t like solving a math problem; there’s no “right” answer. It’s fun to chat with other design obsessed folks, especially when your real life friends couldn’t care less about fabric swatches and paint colors. 😉 Feel free to comment with your honest thoughts whenever you’d like.

I feel compelled to respond to Eva’s post.

I don’t know about everyone else who follows this blog, but I’m not a monkey who just comes here to ooh and ahh and compliment and comply with submission and tell Carmel yes yes yes that’s what you should do. First of all, Carmel didn’t create a blog to seek decorating advice from the community; she is here to share her expertise WITH US; not to ask opinions from amateurs regarding her particular design choices.

Okay, admittedly, I do ooh and ahh, but I hardly think that Carmel is here to share her design talents for nothing more than seek out compliments. I’m sure others would agree with me – we do actually LEARN from her and while every design choice she makes may not necessarily be what others would do in their home, it doesn’t justify insulting her design aesthetic just because a particular design doesn’t correspond with your own.

Carmel may have received it with grace, but in my opinion there’s an obvious tone of passive aggressive condescension, whether intended or not, and that type of response is better suited for Gardenweb home decorating forum, for example, where amateurs post photos of their home to seek out unqualified advice from other amateurs who like to think they know what they are talking about.

If you are curious how she came to her design decisions, there are more tactful ways of approaching it. Honesty is not synonymous with tact, smile inserted and sandwiched between compliments or otherwise.

Among other things, I’ve learned to understand the importance of paying attention to “visual space” thanks to Carmel sharing her design expertise with the rest of us, and how to coordinate lighting elements and hardware choices and finishes with your decor.

I have a pile of leopard print textiles in my home that I thought were out of style (does leopard ever really go out of style? I don’t know, I don’t follow design trends), and they were on their way to the thrift store, but Carmel has made me rethink that with the way she works these prints seamlessly into her design schemes in ways I never would have thought of. I adored the leopard print in her daughters bedroom as well.

What I especially adore about Carmel’s design aesthetic is that she doesn’t follow mainstream trends – she’s not going to have the chevron pillows and chevron curtains and gray kitchen and gray everything just because that’s what’s being pinned all over pinterest, or because that’s what property brothers tell you you should have. No offense to anyone who likes that style or follows trends, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, the exception being that I value having a unique style myself. I don’t want the cookie cutter style that everyone else has.

Carmel has her own unique sophisticated and what I consider an eclectic style. She has a fabulous use of color that I think is a talent in and of itself and especially when it comes to bold colors – they aren’t easy to pull off unless done right. Like the red staircase in her last home – I have friends that painted and repainted their living room FOUR times before they found the right “red.” Red is probably the most difficult color to choose in terms of paint.

I may not be an interior decorator but I’ve been told I have sophisticated taste – I know that what I’m looking at works when it’s done right, and with Carmel, it’s always done tastefully and everything always looks comfortable and livable and pulled together with a level of sophistication that much of the population has difficulty achieving without seeking out professional design advice.

I also appreciate that Carmel is as real as it gets. She doesn’t give the illusion that the average population just goes out and buys everything at once and put a room together overnight, nor do we have to spend a fortune in doing so. It’s a progression and it takes forethought and talent.

So if Carmel’s design doesn’t suit your taste, why follow her blog? Most of us here are here just for the fabulous eye candy, or to learn, or both.

Carmel, I just wanted to let you know that I look forward to reading your blog posts and to let you know that we appreciate you sharing your expertise with us. We DO actually learn from you.

Now excuse me while I go peel my banana. * Insert smile here * <——- sarcasm

Klm, You totally made my day with your kind words! Thank you so much for this rave review! I don’t share anything for oohs and ahs, but rather in the hope that someone will find encouragement and inspiration to rock their own unique style in their home.

While I think it’s hard to note the tone in someone’s writing, I don’t expect for everyone to like or even appreciate my design style/choices. If I’m going to put it out there on the interwebs I have to be able to take all that comes with that, but it’s nice to know you’re in my corner.

I appreciate you! And am really glad to hear you didn’t send a bunch of leopard print textiles to the Goodwill. 😉

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