Quickly Transform a Small Main Bedroom Into a Relaxing Retreat

My bedroom is my sanctuary, my getaway, my cave, and a room that I haven’t taken the time to highlight… until now. I did little things along the way to make it bearable for me, but it took longer than you might have expected.

You may have seen some photos in the before + after section, but here’s a quick recap: The floors were carpeted. And filthy. The blinds were discolored plastic, also filthy. So the blinds came down and the carpeting came out and I was left with big, bright windows and lovely hardwoods. The floors looked amazing once they were sanded and refinished (a story that you may have already read about here).

After living in many pure-white-don’t-you-dare-paint-it apartments, I wanted to add color to my home, and I wasn’t afraid of going dark. I chose a dark gray color (it was between this and a dark mocha brown), but I swear to you, I could have gone darker without it making the room feel small; the trim and ceiling were repainted white, and I installed my favorite faux-wood blinds to add dimension to the windows.

And while you check out my house (not only the bedroom pics below) keep this in mind: I’ve actually only made 3 full-price purchases that I define as “big ol’ investment purchases” since I moved in. 1) The living room TV (old one broke and it was time to invest in a digital flat screen, although I signed up for a free 2-month BJ’s membership and got a great deal), 2) the living room couch (girl needs a place to sit while she watches her flat screen), and 3) this wonderful carpet that you’re about to see in my reveal photos (which I admittedly got free shipping on).

Ready for it? Ta-da:

That’s the much coveted pebble rug from West Elm, people. A real rug. And it’s girl’s first real-investment-rug… and the only nice rug in the house. Here’s the room from the other angle:

I spent some time researching rugs before making this purchase because I feel as though they add a special warmth and character to a room. Though the rug I chose was simpler, tribal rugs were one style I considered. I like the one-of-a-kind aesthetic, and I tend to gravitate towards the idea of decorating with items sourced from a part of the globe that I’ve visited to add personal significance (still shopping for an amazing Boucherouite to commemorate a trip to Morocco).

Other things you see:

• The comforter you see is a king, and the duvet’s from IKEA. My bed’s only a modest full-size, but there’s something to be said for having too much blanket (overhangs the edge of the bed nicely, and is good for the cold winter nights).
• The dressers are also IKEA, but they are both secondhand from a local girl who was selling them on Craigslist. Perfect condition, half the cost, and already assembled (even worth having to make three trips to pick all of the pieces up).
• I added a roller blind to the closet since it was lacking a door, which does the trick for me. Simple $15 fix, even though I’d love to find an original door and install it.
• The big mirror is an antique that I took from my parent’s basement and painted; an inscription on the top of the frame tells me that it was made in 1900. It’s awesome.
• The trunk under the mirror was from my parents too; they like to tell me it was carried over from Poland when my ancestors arrived. I don’t have anything to validate that, but it’s a handy place to store blankets and pillows.
• The starfish are from a shop at San Fran’s fishermans wharf. I’m still looking for a friend to send me more; if I recall, they were just $1 each at a little shop. Pick-your-own from a huge barrel full of starfish. Across from the Gap. Next to a lobster sandwich and chowder shop. Help a girl out.
• Those are some ribbony belts hanging over my door.
• The fan was updated too; it’s much closer to the ceiling, and has a lower-profile light that I can live with (I’m generally anti-ceiling fans).
• No, the dog is not allowed on my bed because he’s furry. And he’s not allowed on the carpet because he’s furry. And he clearly knows his boundaries, as evidenced by this photo:

The headboard is wrought iron, and was one of my first purchases when I moved to Rochester. I bought it from a girl I was subletting from at the time, and it continues to work really well, as I’ve been lugging it to many apartments and finally to the house where it’s still much loved. There isn’t a matching footer, but I continue to believe that adding a footer to the end of the bed would make the bedroom feel smaller than it already is. I haven’t done anything to the finish on this, but there are days I think about painting it to be a single color. The potential is never ending.

The small side table is really efficient; it doesn’t take up much space, it’s on casters so I can roll it around easily. It also turns sideways so that I can hide magazines and books in the shelves without them pouring into the room, and even though it’s from IKEA, I bought this on Craigslist on the cheap too. And the cord along the baseboard is from the satellite dish; I just noticed that it was a little slacked.

Hope you enjoyed the reveal; the room’s already a mess again so it’s not likely that you’ll be getting a glimpse in here soon again. :)