Mabrey turned four last month. I think that means I can no longer call her bedroom “the nursery.” I also think that means it’s time to make some changes. The nursery setup has served us well, but our spunky girl is growing and I want her room to evolve with her. A few items can stay: the rug, ceiling light and window treatments. We’ll be letting go of other items to make way for more age/stage-appropriate pieces. Here are my plans for the space…

1 – I’m nixing the dark walls to create a brighter, fresher space that better reflects Mabrey’s personality. Two walls will be painted the same white that’s in the boys’ shared room. (It’s Benjamin Moore white dove.) I like the idea of the kids’ bedrooms having a common denominator, so we’ll be giving one wall the Stikwood bamboo treatment to mimic the boys’ wood wall. The fourth wall will be covered in Cavern Home’s tapestry zuni wallpaper for a boho vibe. In the past, I’ve installed wallpaper solo and also with Steve’s help. I thoroughly despised the process each time. I’m seriously considering hiring the job out this time.

2 – I’m replacing the crib/toddler bed with a twin trundle. I mentioned loose plans for the bed here, and just this past weekend Steve and I painted it olive green. It looks incredible! Look for a separate post on that project soon. I’ll be switching out the knobs on the trundle with robust leather pulls. (Initially, I considered brass pulls but later decided they probably aren’t the most kid-friendly option.) The room is tiny – not even 10′ x 10′ – so there’s minimal space for a bedside table and lighting. I’m forgoing the traditional nightstand + lamp combo in favor of a versatile wood stool and a midcentury modern wall sconce. I’m pairing simple white bedding with a colorful kilim pillow and an indigo throw.

3 – Currently, an eight-year-old IKEA EXPEDIT unit holds Mabrey’s clothes.  The piece has traveled with us from a large house to a small interim apartment and finally to our current home, serving as toy storage, a media cabinet and dresser along the way. Looking ahead, I think a squattier piece with drawers would better suit Mabrey’s needs. It will serve as both a dresser and bench for seating. A striped pillow invites sitting.

4 – I’m bringing in new accessories to spice things up. The wild & free banner is soooo Mabrey. The moody indigo watercolor pays homage to the nursery wall color. The felt letter board is a fun way to display Mabreyisms and quirky phrases. An oversize jute basket will corral favorite toys and provide some of that natural texture I love so much.

That’s the gist! I’m throwing in a few surprises to keep things interesting, and I’ll be posting progress pics on instagram if you want to follow along. As I mentioned, we painted the bed over the weekend. It’s off-gassing in the garage as I type. After the paint has cured and the leather pulls are installed, I’ll write up a little “how we did it” post. I’m so excited to see this room come together and watch Mabrey’s reaction. She saw Steve unpacking her bed yesterday and said, “Oh Daddy! Thank you! I love you.” So sweet.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 

A few months ago I was craving a fresher look for our bedroom. The blue of the patterned sheets had bled and faded from years of use and washing. They never looked clean. The striped duvet and matching shams were stained from my overnight acne lotion. (Adult acne is my nemesis.) After upgrading to linen bedding in the boys’ room, I thought it would be ideal for the master bedroom, too. We made the switch from cotton to linen four months ago. We’ll never go back!

I bought two linen shams, a fitted linen sheet, a zippered duvet cover and skipped the flat sheet. Sleeping without a flat sheet took some getting used to, but making the bed is super quick and easy now! Slipping into a bed outfitted in linen is pure bliss.

Hint: To make a queen bed appear wider, pull pillows to the outermost edges of the headboard then fill the gap between them with a fun throw pillow.

The other great thing about linen is that it always looks good. Rumpled, wrinkly linen is so cozy and inviting in its imperfection, and it just gets better with each wash.

I think I finally zeroed in on my simple-but-layered happy place when it comes to bedding. I layered the white linen with olive lumbar pillows for contrast. The small kilim pillow – which I had on hand already – makes a colorful focal point. At the foot of the bed, I folded two light throws. The ivory knit provides texture, and the indigo remnant lends color and pattern.

They also protect the duvet cover when Cheetah curls up at the foot of the bed :)

Shortly after we made the switch, we realized that outfitting an old, dirty mattress with linen bedding is like putting lipstick on a pig, so we hunted for an affordable, eco-friendly upgrade. Mainly, we were looking for something crafted in the U.S. with quality materials (preferably organic), no chemical flame retardants and low VOC emissions. We found all that and more in the Brentwood Home s-bed. Backed by a 120-night guarantee and 25-year limited warranty, we couldn’t not give it a try.

We ordered the queen mattress in medium feel ($800 with free shipping, made to order) four months ago and purposefully held off on reviewing it until we could give it an honest assessment after sleeping on it for several months. Steve and I are both side sleepers who prefer a supportive yet not overly firm mattress. When the box arrived (yep, the mattress ships vacuum sealed in a box), my immediate thought was that they had sent the wrong size. I removed our old mattress, opened the new mattress box (by this point, I was sure it was a twin), placed it on the bed and cut away the plastic wrap. Over the course of a minute, it swelled into a true queen mattress. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever. It reminded me of those little foam figurines that expand in water – minus the water.

We’ve had two mattresses before this one (a hand-me-down and a new purchase) and were fully prepared for the inevitable new mattress adjustment period. But you know what? It took us longer to get used to sleeping without a flat sheet than to adjust to the new mattress. In fact, there was absolutely no adjustment period. From day one, it felt like we were sleeping on nothing which sounds strange but is pretty much the best thing you can say about a mattress. Four months in, we’re still loving it and sleeping soundly. Steve is somewhat of a mattress snob. (He always checks the mattress tags at hotels and vacation rentals.) He tells me at least once a week how much he loves this mattress. It’s been a wonderful upgrade.

Bedding sources:

mattress protector – Coop Home (I use these on all the mattresses in our home.)
linen shams, fitted sheet, zippered duvet cover – Vilenda Linen (same etsy shop I bought from for the boys’ linen bedding)
olive lumbar pillows – Amber Interiors Shoppe
kilim pillow – etsy, similar
ivory bedspread – lovee
shibori throw – Morrissey Fabric
shibori pillow – Homegirl Collection

To share the love, I reached out to the nice people at Brentwood Home to see if they would be up for a giveaway. They said yes! They’re kindly offering up one of their s-bed mattresses to a lucky reader. See entry details below.

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Dana Leigh and her husband!

PRIZE: one s-bed mattress from Brentwood Home (size and feel to be determined by winner)

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a shipping address within the contiguous U.S. (No P.O. boxes please.) One entry per email address.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming, “MATTRESS ME!”

DEADLINE: Enter before 9:00 p.m. EST Sunday, April 3rd. One random winner will be announced Monday, April 4th.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: Besides a good mattress and cooperative kids, what else do you need for restful sleep? I’ll go first. A light cotton tank is a must for me, even in the winter. #sweatysleeper We also have one of these trusty sound machines in every bedroom and take them with us when we travel.

House*Tweaking readers can score 10% off their Brentwood Home order by using the discount code Housetweaking10.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking