The Master Bedroom - The Reveal

This has been an arduous, but satisfying project.  After 36+ years of marriage, I now have the bedroom of my dreams.  It is not completely finished yet, but enough has been completed that I'm excited to show you what has happened in this room!

Let's begin with the bed.  I had always wanted a 4-poster bed, however, when you are married, you have to check with your husband once in a while on decisions that might affect him, and I felt it would only be fair to get his input on this one.  His only request was that the footboard be low enough so that he could stretch out fully on the bed.  

Done!  That was his one and only ask.  He honestly was fine with all the other decisions I made in the room.  Isn't he wonderful?

I like the simplicity of a white bed.  It provides a visual break, and seems very peaceful to me.  The sides of the quilt are able to be tucked into the sides of the bed.  No more bed skirts!  Yay!  Bed skirts have always been the bane of my existence.  I don't like them, I prefer this clean look.

The curtains remind me of the linen guayaberas, the traditional Cuban shirts that my father used to wear.  These are unlined to let the light filter through.

I chose white nightstands, and in a different style to avoid a vintage matchy-matchy look.  The white also softens the room a bit and makes it a teensy bit more feminine.

It took me a long time to decide on the lamps.  Who would've thunk that there were so many things to think about?  From the height (27¼"), to color (emerald), to finish (antique brass).  Ugh!  It felt like such a commitment!

I had glass tops installed over the nightstands to protect them from scratches and moisture.  I'm afraid both, my husband and I are rough on our nightstands.  We've been known to spill water on them, and I've put several scratches on the old ones with my phone and rosary.  It's actually not that hard to scratch a surface that you use constantly.

Then we added clear hooks on the side to hold our cords.

For my birthday, my husband gave me this lovely candle with the three-dimensional gingko leaves that look like butterflies.  It's so pretty and smells wonderful!  I haven't burned it yet, but when I take off the lid, it perfumes the air in the room beautifully.

The challenge with the dresser was finding one that, even if it didn't match the bed, it resonated in style.  I prefer clean lines that can mix well with traditional, contemporary, and Spanish styles.

I didn't opt for the matching mirror that came with the dresser.  Instead, I chose this one with the silver guilt bamboo frame.  I think the guilt finish adds a bit of glamour to the bedroom.  

Now, what to do about these lamps.  I've had them for a long time, but I'm not loving them so much anymore.  Do we even need them in the room?  Should they be smaller?  Maybe all that's needed is a different shade to spruce them up.  It'll take a bit more thinking . . .

The prints bring a bit of the outdoors into the room, and will adapt well to any bedroom updates . . . 

Nowadays, I make a lot of decisions with an eye towards our future retirement home.

And they work particularly well here in winter, when everything else outside the window is covered in snow.

The silver bamboo frame was another gift for my birthday.  It relates back to the mirror.  I have to say, it's nice that nowadays decorating rules have relaxed when it comes to mixing finishes.  My mother would've been shocked to have seen a silver frame placed next to a brass lamp.  The photo was taken in Venice in October 2019.

So, there you have it.  We are still waiting for Lee's chest of drawers, which has been on back order forever because of the pandemic.  I also want to replace my ratty, but comfortable chair and ottoman.  I've had it since the kids were little, and it's a bit worse for wear.  But I'm happy with the progress!

Bed:  Hickory White, INNOVATION 4-Poster King Bed, Newport Finish

Botanical Prints:  Ballard Designs, Heines Leaf I, II, III & IV

Candle:  Michael Aram, Butterfly

Cardinal Pillow:  Frontgate

Curtains:  Pottery Barn, Belgian Flax Linen

Dresser:  Durham, Providence, Victorian Mahogany

Lamps:  Lamps Plus, Uttermost Elva Emerald Green Glaze Ceramic

Mirror:  Pottery Barn, Bamboo Silver Guilt Frame

Nightstands:  Bernhardt, East Hampton

Picture Frame:  Pottery Barn, Silver Bamboo

Quilt and Pillow Shams:  Pottery Barn, Belgian Flax Linen Floral, White

Enjoying the View

I'm pretending to enjoy a luxurious continental breakfast in my bedroom this morning.  Well, that was the intent, anyway, but who makes their own bed before having breakfast in bed?  Um . . . that would be me!  Truthfully, I don't really like eating in bed, even when we are staying in hotels, but just for today, I thought it would be nice to pretend having breakfast in a space I am in love with!

You see, I have made redecorating the Master and Mistress Bedroom my COVID-19 project.  With all the time being spent at home, I needed to make my nest cozy, and, to finally, add pieces to my taste, instead of the ones I inherited from parents and in-laws.  But more of the redecorating project to come later.

Breakfast consisted of a Coddled Egg, Orange Scone (from Panera Bread, which we had picked up the day before), and a pot of Oolong Tea.  The dishes are Evesham Gold, by Royal Worcester.  I only have a few pieces of this beautiful china, purchased at an estate sale.  The Sferra linens are mismatched deliberately.  I liked how pale pink and gold looked together.

To make Coddled Eggs:  Butter the cup, add a raw egg and screw the top on. Place in simmering water for 4 minutes, or according to desired doneness. I like it so that the yolk is slightly runny, and the egg white is creamy.  The eggs would normally look even better with some chives sprinkled on top, but, alas, no more fresh herbs for us until next Spring.  Our garden is dormant for the winter.

Have you ever noticed how many European dish patterns there are featuring fruit?  It must be derived from the centuries of still life paintings that European masters put on canvas.  I'm very fond of how they are depicted in this china.

Here's a sneak peek of the newly decorated bedroom.  Unfortunately, it's not completely finished yet.  There have been countless delays related to the pandemic.  More will be forthcoming in the coming months.  For now, I'm sitting down and enjoying my first breakfast ever in the bedroom!

Practicing Hospitality

Welcome to the Bee Room!  Won't you come and stay with us for a while?  The room has been ready for a couple of years now, and it's already received guests, but just recently, it's been very empty, what with this awful Covid-19 that is still causing havoc in the world.

This used to be my son, John's, bedroom before he had the audacity to grow up and move away.  Alas!  I haven't seen him since last Christmas season, and I miss him terribly.  Here he is showing me the flan he made using my recipe.  The baton has been passed!

I miss his brother, too.  David, is currently in Abu Dhabi, UAE, serving with his Army unit.  He was pretty bold, too, growing up, and learning how to drive and everything.  I won't see him this year at all.  Maybe next year (Covid and Army permitting).

But I've digressed.  It happens to me every time I think of the boys.  I did not want to buy new furniture, as my husband and I are just a few short years away from retirement, and we will not be staying in the Midwest.  So we polished the old IKEA furniture in the room, added a comfortable mattress, and I indulged in my own touches, which we can pack and take with us, and make the room a cozy guest retreat.  Our guests now stay in a room full of bees — friendly bees, that is, not the annoying ones that hover over our picnics.  Won't you come in and stay a while?

But first thing's first.  Function over form.  Gone are the board games, the Pokémon card collection, the art supplies, the grade school and high school memorabilia.  Instead, you will find extra pillows (encased in dry cleaner bags to keep the dust off), and a big, cozy comforter.

On the other side you will find a luggage rack to hold your suitcase.  I put a lot of thought into this rack, believe it or not.  It is not the prettiest rack I saw, but it was the only one that didn't have protruding ends that could dig into luggage.  Can you tell that this has happened to me?

You will also find towels, a basket full of travel-size goodies, like shampoo, hand lotion, etc., and several empty shelves to store your shoes, or anything else you'd like.  There are also two bars to hang up clothes, and cedar hangers that make the closet smell wonderful.

Next, I tackled the most difficult, and not fun, part of the project — selecting paint color.  My name is Maria, and I am a color-commitment-phobe.  Is there a 12-step program out there for this?  It took me months to decide.  And this was the final choice:

I selected the middle shade, called Risotto; nothing bad has ever happened to me while eating risotto, so I figured I'd be safe.

The windows were next, and I fell in love with the embroidered bees in these sheer panels from Country Curtains — which, unfortunately has gone out of business.  That was what set the theme for the room.  

The check outer panels also came from Country Curtains.  

So, you may ask, how else do you add bees to a bedroom to stay on theme, but don't have the guests feeling like they are being attacked by a swarm?  Well, to that I say . . . hold my honey . . .

I first saw these linens with embroidered bees on my first trip to Venice.  I didn't buy them there because my husband was already looking harassed, wondering how we were going to get home with all the stuff I had already bought.  However, they were meant to be mine because I found them again on eBay while casually looking for something else.  The sheets are so soft!  And I like that the bees are embroidered very subtly tone-on-tone.

The "Sweet Dreams" pillow also has some bees embroidered.  

I thought that was enough for the bed, but a dear friend had different ideas, and sent me this as a hostess gift, after she stayed in the room.

The beading is exquisite.

It didn't take very long to scatter the room with honey bees.

The old IKEA desk stayed in the room and is great to place a laptop, and it can double as a vanity in a pinch.

All the outlets in the room were updated with USB ports to charge the many electronic devices that everyone seems to travel with nowadays.

And a few more bees can be seen buzzing about . . .

The bee pens seem to be a popular item, and we love when our guests take them as a parting souvenir.

And there's a guestbook with the sweetest notes from our visitors!

Some of our visitors have gotten in on the action and have sent us bee additions to the room.

The room is ready for our guests.  I'll have a cozy lavender candle waiting for them . . .

And, if they like, I'll fix them a nice breakfast in bed . . .

With Egg Bites (recipe coming soon!), a croissant, tea, and honey sticks to sweeten their tea.

And I'll be as happy as a bee that I have blooms fluttering about bringing joy and life into our home.

Bathroom Update - Paint!

Hard to believe, I know. I'm still rather stunned, but, yes, yes, we've actually picked out paint for the bathroom!

So here are the samples: “Rye” on the walls to match the mosaic stripe around the shower walls, and “Swiss Coffee” for the trim, to match the crackle subway tile - both Behr paint from Home Depot (currently on sale, $5 rebate on each 1-gallon can of paint).

My accommodating husband, rolled a little of it on the wall, even though he still has a bit more sanding to do, just so I could see how the color would look once it dried.

My friend, Julie, as always, came to the rescue. I don't know what it is about color that totally intimidates me. I become paralyzed from my inability to narrow the choices. She picked the colors. Julie has the most wonderful - and natural - sense of aesthetics. She understands my taste better than I do myself. She listens to what I'm trying to accomplish and without any seeming effort, comes up with the perfect solutions!

It is so much fun to watch her in action. At Home Depot, Julie found the color match for the mosaic tile right away and once she saw that I was happy with it, set about finding the trim color from among hundreds of shades of white. A few times I thought she had found it, and I nodded in agreement, only she wasn't satisfied, nope, not my Jules, she kept searching (and playing) with the color chips until the perfect shade emerged, and indeed it became apparent that no other shade of white would do.

Thank you, Jules! Thank you for lending me your talent, and for your endless patience in putting up with this cantankerous friend.