...because home doesn't happen overnight.

Our master bedroom has taken a backseat to many other projects.

casual bed 1

We bought nightstands, organized the closet, hung an awkward curvy headboard under the window and pretty much lived with it like that for the past year. But I finally said to HH, “Enough is enough! Time to make this a room we want to sleep in every night.” I’ve slowly been acquiring pieces over the past six months and recently repainted. This past weekend we got around to hanging window treatments and installing new lighting. We’re not done with the room just yet but take a peek.

Clearly, I am still in the process of fine tuning the details {nightstand styling, hemming curtains, adding accessories, etc.} but I am already in love with this room.

masterbed2

It’s so weird. I had envisioned a dark and moody bedroom but somehow I ended up with a calm and airy one. If it had been totally up to me, I would have gone for those dark walls but HH was leery and told me more than once he didn’t want to feel like he was sleeping in a cave. So we went lighter and I’m surprised by how much I like it! The wall color {Benjamin Moore half moon crest} reminds me of a light gray-blue oxford shirt and it’s growing on me. Big time.

masterbed3

We hung a curtain rod above the closet and added four floor-to-ceiling curtains. It’s so nice not to see our jumble of clothes from bed.

masterbed4

The panels easily slide over to give us access to the closet. We thought doors would have been too cumbersome and we like how the curtains balance out the window on the other side of the room. And hanging the curtains high on the wall go a long way in making the room feel bigger.

masterbed5

We hung woven blinds and curtains on the window opposite the closet. The plan is to embellish the plain white curtains {maybe on the closet too?} with ribbon or something. And hem them. Obviously. I always like to wash, dry, iron and hang curtains BEFORE I hem them so I know they aren’t going to shrink up on me.

masterbed1

Ideally, I wouldn’t put my bed under a window unless it was architecturally interesting but we don’t really have a choice in this room. I tried to make the most of it. I looked at a bunch of pictures online of beds in front of windows. Many of them showed curtains falling behind the headboard but they were a little too fussy for me. The images I liked most were of simply dressed windows. So we just hung some woven blinds and called it a day. I like the texture and laid back feel of the shade.

We also switched out the curvy headboard for a straighter one to help the bed “fit” under the window better. I made sure to find one that wouldn’t overlap with the window. We love the original slate windowsills and like showing them off.

masterbed6

Our bedroom receives very little natural light. To keep it bright, good artificial lighting is a must. We added a new ceiling fixture, a table lamp on a dresser on the other side of the room and two swing arm lamps flanking the bed. The swing arm lamps are my favorite pieces in the room and are super functional for two like-to-read-in-bed kinda people. I actually ordered the wall lamps back in January and they’ve been sitting boxed on our dresser up until a few days ago. I was waiting to paint and receive our new headboard before we hung them. There has been a running joke in our bedroom for the past several months…

HH, trying to read his Handyman magazine by the light of a lone lightbulb on the ceiling: Boy, it sure would be nice to have some reading lights in here.

Me: Technically, we do have reading lights in here. They’re just in boxes.

masterbed7

The lamps support up to 75W which is more than enough for nighttime reading. The arm and shade are adjustable but I need to WD40 them. They’re a little stiff. I was this close to ordering the lamps in silver. That was my initial safe choice. But I am so glad I went for the antique brass. They feel so grown up. And I do turn 35 this year. Now if I could only keep my teenaged inappropriate humor under wraps…NAH. Borrrrrrrrring. {In my defense, I did just quell the urge to throw in a “that’s not the only stiff thing in the bedroom” joke. So sorry.}

masterbed8

The room is narrow so I thought horizontal striped bedding would make it feel wider. Plus, I never met a stripe I didn’t like.

masterbed10

I know you guys probably have a bunch of questions about where I got what but, if you don’t mind, I’d rather address those in a true “after” post. Especially since I’ll be adding in more accessories. But if there is something you are just itching to get your hands on, ask in the comments and I’ll be sure to source it for you. I just couldn’t wait any longer to share how things are looking.

In the meantime, I’ll be hanging out in my bedroom tweaking ’til my heart’s content. It’s funny. I used to blaze through this room on the way to the bathroom {the other bathroom is still gutted} and do my nighttime reading in the living room on the sofa but, now, I want to be in this room all. the. time. And it’s not even done.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

110 Comments

I love that you didn’t do a heavy curtain behind the bed. I like the simple setup you have now with just the blinds. Looks like a peaceful place to rest at the end of a long day.

05.June.2013

Wonderful! I love how you always just add a few function pieces, and it still looks like a room from a magazine. Love the colour choices :)

05.June.2013

It looks great Dana! I’m inspired to start on my own bedroom. It’s taken the back burner as well behind my son’s room, and all the main areas of the house. Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to see more!

05.June.2013

RUG! where is that rug from?? thanks :)

05.June.2013

Hi! I love absolutely everything about your room so far! Beautiful. I’m itching to change up our room by switching our bright curtains for the white ones in the guest room. I might just do that now that I’ve seen how gorgeous your room looks!
Sarah

05.June.2013

I looove those gold lamps. I am super jealous

05.June.2013

love the clean, fresh look. Where did you get the nightstands? My friend’s father is building some for me and these are good inspiration pieces.

It is amazing how much a pretty room can change the way we feel. I find that too. Our master is still a work in progress but since we started making simple changes I find myself wanting to spend more and more time in there. I love that bedding and the sconces…what a nice space.

05.June.2013

I love the room! You did such a nice job incorporating the stripes and the shades to make it look really crisp. I do love your nightstands, and we’re in the process of buying new bedroom furniture. If you don’t mind sharing early, where did you get those? Can’t wait to see the official “after”!!

05.June.2013

Our bedroom is about the same size as yours minus the bathroom. I’m so happy to see how you’ve arranged things and you’ve given me some ideas on how to tackle ours. In almost 18 years of marriage we’ve never really had a “grown up” bedroom. Can’t wait to see what else you do in there!! Oh, and BTW, I’m a 39 year old mother of 3 with the sense of humor of a 14 year old boy, so please don’t feel like you have to hide that part! :)

05.June.2013

heh, i’ve had that bedding for years (and love it) and have it paired with brass lamps and a dark wall. so cozy!

05.June.2013

Love that bedding! Where did you get it, if you don’t mind my asking?

05.June.2013

I’d love to know what blinds you used! I am in the process is looking for some for our kitchen book that does not have window trim (similar to yours I believe) and I love what the woven blinds did in your space. So pretty!

05.June.2013

I want to know where EVERYTHING is from!!!! I think I’m going to do some master bedroom repainting soon :)

05.June.2013

Dana, I love those woven blinds! Would you please share where you bought them? I looked at Lowes and Home Depot, but they have very dark or “natural” blinds, not the ones you have that are light and airy. Our entire house is very beachy and airy feeling so something like what you are using would be perfect! Thank you and I love the look and feel of your room. Talk about making a small space feel cozy but refreshing!

05.June.2013

Looks great! Those slate sills are such a nice detail. I’ve not seen those before.

I have a dark moody bedroom (almost black walls, black furniture, white trim, white bedding, white curtains, a big chandelier and little metal touches) but have been thinking about going lighter lately. This may have me convinced! It’s so simple and fresh.

05.June.2013

I love those lights! Where did you get them from?

05.June.2013

I’m pretty sure its dwell studio bedding. I’ve been obsessed with it for awhile now…

05.June.2013

The master looks great. I especially love the antique bronze lamps. I discovered your blog a month ago and I am hooked. Thank you for all the great advice and ideas. You have been a great resource for our home renovation.

05.June.2013

I love this! It looks so inviting to snuggle up in. We currently rent right now and our bed has no choice other than to nest under a window as well. Looking forward to your sourcing post as I think your woven blinds are a great addition!

05.June.2013

Love the bedding! Can’t wait to see your sources list. You come across to me as a stylish blogger so with that said where do you keep your clothing accessories, jewelry and stylish shoes that don’t belong next to the daily use shoe pile in your foyer/garage. I don’t see any traces of your fashionista ways and was curious where you hide all those trinkets.

Also I love bamboo blinds all around the house but I have to use curtains over them at night otherwise anyone driving by can still get glimpses into our house through the blinds. Do you not mind that?

05.June.2013

Love the lights and the paint color and bedding and all of it! The master in my 1950s house doesn’t even have windows that are centered on the wall! So my bed is in a weird place but I don’t know what else to do!
Can’t wait to see the final “after” post!

05.June.2013

That bedding! I have to know where you got it from. I love this room.

05.June.2013

yhl called…they want their bedroom back

05.June.2013

I love it all! But I especially love the bedding. Where did you get it? I think it might be what I’m looking for…

05.June.2013

Love the woven blinds and sconces in the antique brass and I’ve been contemplating doing something similar in my bedroom. I do have a question about them though. Do they get hot? I remember my grandparents having sconces when I was a kid and they would really burn your hand if you left them on a long time.

05.June.2013

Threshold duvet?? It looks like similar colors I have in my bedroom so I am curious.

05.June.2013

Ooooo I love it! Your style is so relaxed and calming, no wonder you want to be in that room all the time. I especially love the little plants you added, which is what I’m lacking in my bedroom – thanks for inspiration!

05.June.2013

If you touch the shades, they are hot. But you can move them by touching the arms too. That’s what we do.

05.June.2013

It’s Dwell’s Draper Stripe duvet via Wayfair.

I have been coveting the Draper Stripe bedding from Dwell for yeaaaarrrsss. LOVE IT! Any tips on washing oversized duvet covers? I have a similar grey and white striped duvet cover and I find it’s getting dingy near the top.

05.June.2013

Wow. I don’t see that at all. But I’ll take it as a compliment – I love YHL!

05.June.2013

When we first moved in, we installed Levolor vinyl roll up shades in all of the bedroom windows which we pull closed at night. The woven shades are just for looks.

05.June.2013

Wayfair!

05.June.2013

The woven blinds are from Overstock. I plan on using them around the house for a cohesive look. Already have them in the mudroom and nursery!

05.June.2013

It’s Dwell’s Draper Stripe duvet.

05.June.2013

Nightstands are from Overstock.

05.June.2013

Overstock!

05.June.2013

I can maybe see a little similarity to the master in their very first house but not really. But regardless, I would take it as a compliment too! Great work Dana!

05.June.2013

It looks fresh and bright and lovely, especially for a room with little natural light. The change in wall colour really makes a difference to the warmth of the room. You have the touch to elevate rooms from ok to amazing – you did the same with the kitchen, mud room and Mabrey’s room. Can’t wait to see more…

05.June.2013

i was really rude in my first comment. i had a bad day at work so i’m sorry i took it out on you.

usually i see influences of your blog on theirs, but this really reminds me of their first master.

http://images.younghouselove.com.s3.amazonaws.com/2010/12/bedroom-after.jpg

sconces, curtains hiding the closet, low bed, natural rug, little windows but floor to ceiling curtains…don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful.

I love the progress- it looks like a real room! And a wonderful one to sleep in at that

05.June.2013

Dana, It is beautiful…un-hemmed curtains and all. I love the open window above the headboard. The slate window sills are amazing. The symmetry in the room is fabulous, too. Can’t wait to see where you take it from here!

Looks beautiful!!! I love your style! So simple and sleek :)

05.June.2013

This is lame of me- but it would never occur to me to NOT put curtains on all of the windows. That you only put them on one window, and not the other- this is blowing my mind…

Looks great!

05.June.2013

What? I think that YhL and H*T are in cahoots! ;) the room is beautiful….love it all!

05.June.2013

SO gorgeous! I’m currently repainting my bedroom from dark and moody to light and airy and this is total inspiration. And those Dwell sheets. Hubba hubba.

You are headed in an amazing direction…if this isn’t “done”, I can’t wait to see it when it is!! Those lamps are AMAZING!!

05.June.2013

Can’t believe no one has asked about the overhead lighting yet! Love it! Where is it from?

05.June.2013

Love it, Dana! I love how the lamps work with the edging of the bedding!
I’m working on my window treatments. I’m installing the curtains high and wide but I’m stumped on blind placement. I see you have yours mounted above the window. Do you not use the brackets that they come with to mount them on the trim?

05.June.2013

Also Robert Abbey from Lamps Plus!

05.June.2013

Aw, no problem. We’ve all been there. No hard feelings at all. Promise. I actually wasn’t thinking of YHL’s *first* master! I can see some similarities now too…blue-gray walls, jute rug and floor-to-ceiling curtains hiding clothing. I guess little brick ranches were meant to have light and airy bedrooms?

05.June.2013

we’re moving in a few weeks and I”m hoping to replace our nightstand lamps with sconces. You’ve just given me the kick I needed to look for some :) Love yours, they look lovely in brass.

05.June.2013

If someone came into our newly remodeled bathroom they’d say “H*T called and she wants her bathroom back”. I love your style! I’ll be ordering those wall night lamps. Where is the headboard from? I already had to DIY something exactly like that.

05.June.2013

Lovely! Loving everything about it. Could you share the style of the nightstands that you got at overstock? Thanks!

05.June.2013

Love the headboard- can you please share the color and where you got it? I am forever searching for an affordable upholstered one that doesn’t have reviews that mention an odor. Or, I dream of building my own, if I had a clue how to use power tools.

05.June.2013

Love this!! I love how it is so inviting, but also very clean; not cluttered at all. The ceiling light is great too!

I’m in the same position as you were with the old room. There are so many priorities with a house, but after seeing this transformation, I need to move the bedroom up on the priority list!

06.June.2013

Bedroom looks great. Um…..have you ever looked up the meaning of tweaking -as a verb in the urban dictionary? Kind of funny when applied to your last paragraph of this post. :)

06.June.2013

The bed? Where is the bed and headboard from? Thx

The room looks great! I really love the sconces! We also have to put our bed in front of a window (and an off-centered one to boot), so I feel your pain and really like how you dealt with it.

Where did you find the woven blinds? I’ve been looking for something similar for our bedroom, thanks!

06.June.2013

You’re before picture looks pretty similar to our bedroom – only add in a bassinet and odd dresser and we’re there. You almost-after is quite the inspiration to me for trying to finish our own bedroom this next month in our mid-century ranch home.

I’m torn about the headboard. I’m not sure I want upholstered, but our walnut mid-century side tables and the mid-century dresser I’m refinished (not a matched set) will add a lot of wood elements. Do you have suggestions for other styles of headboards or ones that you considered before deciding on the upholstered/nail-head trim one?

06.June.2013

Both are from West Elm. The bed we bought several years ago but it’s still available. The headboard was custom via West Elm but could be DIY’d.

06.June.2013

Headboard was custom from West Elm but you could DIY a more affordable one.

06.June.2013

They are the Vilas 1-drawer nightstands. We’ve had them a year now and are really impressed with their quality!

06.June.2013

um, sorry about the grammar error… you’re = your instead. ;)

Very calming Dana. I love the light fixtures you went with :) xo Kristin

06.June.2013

Amazing transformation!! I stumbled upon your blog a few months ago and absolutely LoVe it! If I wasn’t feeling super-pregnant and lazy this morning, I’d upload a couple pics of our master for you…I’m blown away by the similarities in layout and our choices in decor. Other than our bathroom being slightly larger(after a major remodel), our bedroom looks the same, with many of the same challenges. (Hello 1960 ranch!) And…seeing your pictures this morning makes me so much more comfortable with my paint choice. I actually went to BM and had them mix Tranquility for me. After two coats, it looks nothing like the sample did, but almost EXACTLY like the color you chose. My hubby pointed out that I was raving about yours and had complaining about mine. Thank you for the kick in the butt! I can’t wait to see more!

06.June.2013

Thanks! I love overstock, great deals. But it is hard to commit and I rely on the reviews. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Just ordered these guys, excited to add them to our guest room!

06.June.2013

Your humor lines right up with mine. ;) One of the reasons I love H*T way too much.

06.June.2013

Love the clean lines and restfully simple (but sophisticated) look in your bedroom. But I can’t find your sconces on Wayfair. :(

06.June.2013

Thank you, thank you, thank you for mentioning washing and drying your curtains before hemming them. I normally don’t prewash them, and I had some that I was planning on hemming right after doing my computer time for the day. I noticed that the curtains I purchased were 100% cotton, and since these are going in my dining room in front of the sliding glass door, they will need to be washed often. I measured the curtains, washed and dried and discovered that the curtains shrunk 4 inches! I would have been so upset if I hadn’t washed them before hemming them! Bless you for prompting me to wash! Phew- crisis averted!

You bedroom really does look relaxing. Even though it isn’t the moody masculine look you were going for, it is beautiful (and still masculine).

06.June.2013

House of Troy…here.

06.June.2013

Thank you! SO impressed that you find/make the time to keep up with comments older and current posts and HH and 3 kiddos and tweaking the Underdog and everything else. Wow.

06.June.2013

Good to know. I wonder if CFL bulbs would fit because they’re so much cooler…

06.June.2013

Hi, Carolyn. We do use the hardware that comes with the blinds. The hardware allows for installation either within the window opening or surface mounted. We just surface mount them above the window instead of on the window frame.

06.June.2013

Beautiful, I love how the trim on the ceiling light is picked up by the slate window sills, nice detail. How about the curtains, could you share the source? Thanks!

06.June.2013

IKEA!

06.June.2013

Ditto on what HH said and also…

We chose to buy shades a little wider than the windows themselves and mount OUTSIDE onto the walls because our windows have no trim surrounding them. It’s just drywall. If they had had trim, I probably would have mounted INSIDE the frame to show off the lovely trim.

07.June.2013

Love it! Very calming and very you. The stripes do make the room look larger, I must remember this for our next house. Thanks for sharing!

07.June.2013

oh boy, I guess I am impressed with whatever you do because in the first photo I am thinking yes, I could be happy in that bedroom, then omg, vavoom, you transformed it ( I was slow on the uptake) and you are genius! This bedroom is so beautiful! Such a gift you guys have for putting in the right dimensions and colors and fabrics. Just beautiful – so rich and calming at the same time. Love it

07.June.2013

Thanks to both of you! Our bed is also under a window, but the window is not centered on the wall. I’m trying to disguise that with the placement of the blinds and curtains. Thanks for your inspiration!

07.June.2013

This looks so lovely! The lamps look great next to the hardware on the bed. I can’t wait to see your source list! I absolutely love the bed cover. And I agree with comments above, I love the simplicity of the bamboo shade above the bed with no curtains. Need to show off those lamps!

07.June.2013

So by the time you’re done answering all the comments I am pretty sure you will have given all your sources! ; ) Could you please humor me with the source of your wall lamps / sconces? I am not mature enough for brass (haha) but would love to find them in silver.

07.June.2013

Aaaaand I spotted the answer above. Thanks for already providing the source!

07.June.2013

The curtains are lovely. They make the room look so light and airy. I really like that idea. It might help me with my lack of bedroom closet issue, too. I wouldn’t want to leave that room either.

07.June.2013

I love the look of the swing arm lamp but has someone found similar at a lower cost?

08.June.2013

I love this room! Just enough stripe/colour/timber/texture to be masculine and comfy in an unpredictable way. I often I see masculine and comfy as a reason to go dark, moody, stark…and mildly uninviting. This looks like a bedroom that you could nap in on cold rainy, dull days, lounge around in, cuddle the kids, hide dirty socks and just chillax without fussing about pillows and lamps.

08.June.2013

Love that ceiling fixture! Where is it from?

Such a beautiful bedroom!!!

08.June.2013

I love the rug!!!! What is it and where is it from? What is your organizational system in the closet? Does it really house all of your clothing easily?

09.June.2013

It’s a chunky jute from Overstock and it looks like it’s out of stock at the moment. It’s a bit pricier than I normally spend on rugs ($500 for a 9’x12′) but the quality is really, really, like, REALLY good. Super thick and comfy and everything you would want in a bedroom rug. We absolutely love it.

The closet system is a Closet Maid system and it holds all of mine and HH’s clothing – all seasons. We did some MAJOR wardrobe editing before we downsized. I don’t know why we didn’t do it sooner. Now we only own/wear things that we truly love. No more “what if” or “maybe” pieces here! We do have a dresser in the bedroom as well but as of right now it is completely empty. We’re having a hard time figuring out what to put in it!

09.June.2013

Lamps Plus!

09.June.2013

You could probably find a cheaper one in a different finish {silver or chrome} and spray paint it gold.

10.June.2013

Gorgeous room! I would love more details on the rug and the shade purchased from Overstock!

12.June.2013

Thanks for sharing and always responding to reader’s questions. hehehe and now for another one…I live in a rental and am interested in putting up scones but hesitant because I have to mount it on the wall. How many holes did you drill on the wall to get those guys up?
thanks in advance :)

12.June.2013

I have to ask about the little white planter holding your jade plant. Where did you get it? It looks like it has drainage and I need more little pots like that around my house. And I love everything about the bedroom, you are so talented and you have amazing time management skills!

13.June.2013

I think the planter is from Home Depot…if I remember correctly a plant I bought a few years back came in it. The plant is long gone :( It does have self-included drainage which is great.

17.June.2013

Thank you for asking and answering! We went to buy some of these yesterday, but held off because I need absolute darkness. What a great tip with the rollers!

Thanks,
Jane

20.June.2013

I scanned all of your responses above because I didn’t want to pile on an asked and answered question, but exactly which overstock blind did you use? Your blinds look lighter than the pictured options and I just can’t make the connection. Room looks restful and hip, congratulations on your retreat.

20.June.2013

I’m going to post specifics about the window treatments this week!

26.June.2013

Dana- new reader here-Great blog!

More love here for the lamps!!
What is the name of them? I see on a later post that they are Robert Abbey’s, but I have been searching high and low and can’t seem to find them on the source you provided.

05.August.2013

I’m in love with your bedroom. It’s feminine and masculine all at the same time. I love that. What paint color are you using on your bedroom wall?

05.August.2013

It’s Benjamin Moore half moon crest.

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20.September.2013

How do you paint a room without much natural light some light/white-ish color WITHOUT it becoming dingy looking like you felt your bedroom did with the initial color?

The Bonsai gray that looks amazing in my lots-of-sunlight kitchen looks dingy and nasty in my dining room that has little natural light. I don’t want to make the same mistake in the living room. I like the idea of white, maybe creamy white, or some light gray color but I don’t want it to look dingy!

20.September.2013

btw, the living room I’m planning to paint spans the depth of our house, so has South AND North facing windows (it’s a big rectangle), so it gets light, but the north facing windows somehow really diffuse it all. Whereas the adjoining kitchen only gets southern access to sunlight and appears much brighter.

It’s amazing what a few updates can do to a room! I’m looking for sconces for my bedroom before I share my reveal. So glad you went for the gold :)

hammerandheelsblog.com

31.March.2015

I’m not sure if you still get notified of old comments, but I’m just ordering a PAX wardrobe system from IKEA and I’m wondering if you can remember the name of your curtains and if they are still available? I LOVE the look of yours, and unfortunately I can’t get to IKEA to look/feel them myself!

Thanks heaps!!

10.May.2017

I love your lamps! I have been on the hunt for wall mount plug in lamps similar to these. Can you tell me if they only swing side to side or can they pull down at all?