Thursday, April 12, 2007

Project: Bedrooms

The first project on my "Design To Do" list is bedrooms. I want to re-situate my own which includes tidy, paint, perhaps switch out furniture, and certainly buy new bedding. I also have less than a month to turn my studio space into a quaint little bedroom for my sister who will be living with me for the summer. In general, I would like to simplify my room and make it a bit more grown-up and serene. For my sister's new space, I basically just need to bring it back to "clean slate" status so that she may make it her own. Below are the "Before" photos, in all their uncolor-corrected and flashed out glory. I hope that the fact that my roommate recently moved out and I just got back from a 10-day trip to Japan will excuse some of the disarray.

Cardboard's Bedroom

The walls in my bedroom are painted a very light grey shade. I've painted this room 4 different times and still can't manage to get rid of the lavender tint. Since I can't quite seem to get it right, I'm leaning toward a mature taupe. And, speaking of lavender, yes, my closet doors are stained a really awful orchid-y purple. It was a mistake. I got carried away. I need to change this immediately. Any thoughts?


Cardboard's Bedroom

I still love the wallpaper wall I uncovered soon after I moved in and started peeling away old paint. I plan on keeping that feature. I also like my bed frame a lot but I just don't like the color of the wood. I can paint it, rough it up, or stain it a new shade. Again, I welcome your feedback! The red duvet will be thrown out soon so don't let that sway your opinions.


Cardboard's Bedroom

I don't think I can afford to buy a truckload of new bureaus so for now they stay. Like the bed, I would like to change their appearance. The window treatment was meant to be a temporary fix about 2 years ago. Let's re-think that too, shall we?


Sister's Space

This room is now what I call my "junk room." The floor is plywood covered partially with a carpet remnant. The walls are only primed white and paint-splattered in places. This is the room I can make a complete mess in and not worry about a thing. Since my sister will only be living with me for a short time, I don't want to finish this room completely. Once she moves out, I hope to
reinstate the messiness. This means that I will paint over the splatter but I don't think I want to put in a real floor. I've been interested in the idea of painting wood floors and I wonder if this might be a good chance to try out something fun. What do you think?

Sister's Space

I do need to get all this chaos out of the room, which may prove to be a challenge. Also, I'm not sure if I should leave up the quick shelves (located above the desk). I would also like to find (or make) some fun curtains for her big sunny window.


As you can see, I've got some work ahead of me. I would really love to hear your ideas so don't be bashful with your comments!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey there, you can probably give a bold colour i.e. red or dark purple to one or two walls in a room. This can probably give it a refreshing uplift. Repainting your bed post and vanity table is a good idea. What about doing them in shiny/matt black, giving it a very burdoir look? Self-make your own chandelier from bits of danglies and you may be able to achieve that effect! Which brings me to my next point...must you do anything before painting over wood furniture? If yes, does it depend on the type of wood being painted?

Anonymous said...

I would stay away from pastels. The wallpaper is a great feature, and I would try to pick up some of the warm tones in it, if I were you. Maybe a burnt orange or something? I would sand down the bed and dresser and stain them a darker walnut-y color. That would look gorgeous against the wallpaper. The aqua sheets you got would really pop, and you could compliment them with a patterned bedspread that would also pick up those warm tones. I'd also opt for floor-length drapes in a deep color (maybe a chocolate brown? Oh, and keep your moldings and ceiling white!!!

Cardboard said...

I wondered about the ceiling! I've never really considered painting ceilings a "color" because I just don't know how to go about choosing a shade. The floor length drapes idea is interesting. I will certainly think about that. I just ordered a new duvet cover that is all white but extremely textured. I wanted to go with a plain color because I thought that a pattern would take away from the wallpaper wall. I also have a LARGE multi-colored rug so that's another reason to keep the bedding simple. As for the bed, I think a deeper stain is a good idea. In order to do anything to it (stain or paint), I do think I have to sand it down first. Does anyone know if I will also have to "strip" the current stain or is sanding enough? Lastly, I'm all about getting rid of the pastels.

Jo Walker said...

Hi Cardboard! To restain the bed and bureau they would have to be completely stripped and sanded, not an easy diy. The stain won't penetrate the timber if there is any paint/estapol left. Splotchy. You might be better to paint the pieces with a dark/chocolate/walnut coloured paint, gloss for increased durability. A simple sand will work in this case. My 2 cents is to paint the pieces white to lighten up the room. Will go with your new sheets and white cover. If you like to go dark, stain the plywood floor a nice deep brown instead. I'd even leave the walls white and hang some funky vintage prints. A floor length curtain is a good idea to make the window look bigger. It's a small room with large pieces of furniture so I think you should try to make them disappear and focus on that fabulous tattered wallpaper.

lsaspacey said...

I agree with anon, definitely pick up the other colors in the wallpaper. As it is now, the wallpaper doesn't fit in with anything else in the room.

You were thinking a "mature" taupe, I think you should match one of the lighter tan/tea-stained tones in the wallpaper so that all the walls are part of the same overall design. I would also suggest changing the color of the mats in the pictures to cordinate.

Katie said...

My vote is to get some super long curtains. They make any room look super elegant!!!!