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

The Master Bedroom Makeover - Selecting the Paint

Here we are, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.  We are working from home, with nowhere to go at the moment, sheltering in place to stay safe until who knows when, and with too much time staring at the walls in our home, so . . . it's the perfect time to finally tackle the Master Bedroom makeover that I've been promising myself for years!!!

We had made a start last year, when we took out the hideous wall-to-wall carpeting and installed a wood floor in the room.  Click here to see that post.  I called on my dear friend, Fran, an interior designer, to help me navigate (and nudge me) through the myriad choices that needed to be made, from picking out paint color, to selecting the furniture.  The paint decision was hard.  Fran would have preferred a deeper shade of taupe, but I couldn't see myself with dark walls.  We finally compromised on Frappe by Benjamin Moore, I mean, nothing bad has ever happened to me while drinking a frappé . . .

There's my husband, who secretly thinks he's Spiderman.  He's forever terrifying me by climbing tall ladders, inside and outside the house.  Hire a contractor, you say?  Not in Spidey's world, no, sir . . .  

As always, and, especially being in the middle of the pandemic, there was no way to bring anyone in the house to help us move the furniture, so we painted the room in sections . . .

The painting is done, and granted, it doesn't look like much right now . . .

But this is only the beginning . . . 

Tackling the Master Bedroom

There have always been other priorities — the children, vacations, the children, remodeling the public rooms of the house . . . did I mention the children?  

But I couldn't face that old wall-to-wall carpeting anymore . . .

My husband did all the work . . .

And, since the kids are not home, he had to do it in sections to be able to move the furniture by himself.

I helped where I could with the smaller pieces, but mostly my help consisted of moral support, and lunch . . .

We also included the closet, for which we had to dismantle the entire closet system.

Here's one way to declutter, but I don't recommend it . . .

Naturally, since the closet system was down, we had to repaint . . .

I went with Sleek White, which would go with everything, regardless of what I decide to do in the bedroom.  I hope this is the last time we have to disassemble that closet system!

I have the best husband in the world!

Well, it's back together now.  All that is left is installing the wood trim . . .

And then, putting everything back . . .  I need a vacation . . .

Here we go again . . .

It wouldn't be our normal, unless there was a major remodeling project going on at our house at the beginning of Spring . . .

The time has finally come to take out the old flooring - several kinds of flooring, in fact . . .

First, we have the creaky, imitation hardwood in the Living Room and Dining area, above showing a partially exposed sub-flooring and a still-to-be-removed floor in the Dining Room . . .

Here's a shot of the Living Room.  Five bookcases down and two to go.  We've been packing books for weeks.  The boxes are now stacked in the basement.  Oh, well, I guess I still have my Kindle . . .

Another shot of the debris waiting to be taken out to the curb on Garbage Day.  We found out we could save $1,000 by removing the flooring ourselves -  a no brainer for my husband, who's not used to letting anybody else work on our house.  Oh, and look!  my crocheting project is on the chair!  Another thing to be packed away until the floor is finished. 

Close-up of the linoleum in the Breakfast Nook.  We seem to lose a bit more flooring every time we move those chairs . . .

The floor in the Kitchen is going, too . . .  Too dark, don't you think?

Out with the carpeting!  I CANNOT KEEP THIS CARPET CLEAN!  Notice that the builder carpeted even the sides of the stairs.  Isn't that the silliest thing ever?  A center runner to dampen the noise and avoid slippage makes sense to me, but I'd never have covered the whole thing, especially with light -colored carpeting in such a high traffic area!

More linoleum in the hallway.  Every single one of these floors was sloppily installed, and ugly to boot.  We are ripping it all out and replacing it with warm, beautiful hardwood floors that will unify the entire space! 

So, we've been busy selecting the right contractor and finding the best price, not to mention scrounging around for boxes, packing books and the contents of the china cabinet, and removing old flooring . . . Everything is out of place . . .  I am very tired lately . . .

All the world's a stage . . .

And, at the Cheney's, all the house is a staging area . . .


In honor of the Bard. Happy Shakespeare's Birthday!