7 tips for turning your bedroom from drab to fab.
It wasn't really our first choice to do a DIY makeover on our bedroom. Initially I was open to having contractors come in to help with painting, furniture installation etc but when Covid19 begin to spread we decided to try to do it all ourselves. I was reluctant about our physical ability to get the work done. Let's face it we aren't spring chickens anymore. While we didn't make big renovation changes, we definitely pushed the limits of our own capabilities. Here we will share what went right and what went wrong with tips that can help you with your big DIY makeover.
Our old bedroom was drab and bland, mainly because we were renters at the time and were limited in what repairs or improvements we could make to the room. We eventually purchased the home we were renting through the lease purchase process.
The room was a little drag and bland and we wanted updated, sexy, modern with a touch of lux but also man-friendly and something that didn't look similar to what anyone else had. When we decided to start the room I asked my husband if he would help. He immediately said "I don't know anything about decorating a room, that's your job..." and I replied "let's see"
First up we picked a wall color.
I know that I wanted an accent wall and I wanted a dark color. I asked my husband to pick a light color and I would pick a dark color as an accent wall. I picked Black and he picked White and so it was.
Mistake #1 = Purchased the wrong finish of Black. I knew that I wanted a smooth finish classy Black accent wall. The 1st time we painted it we purchased Sherwin Williams Black Magic Black in Satin finish and I hated it for two reasons. You can't tell from the before pictures but the wall behind the bed which was to be my Black accent wall was a textured wall. When the home was built that made the feature wall with a plaster texture that didn't not look good with Black paint. The satin finish of the paint made the wall look shinier than I imaged and did not give the effect I was going for.
So after completing all of the painting we decided to rip out the entire textured wall and put up new sheetrock to get the flat surface wall I wanted. We repainted it with the correct paint finish.
TIP #1 If you are replacing sheetrock watch a few YouTube videos first. Consider wet sanding versus dry sanding to keep down dust. Be sure to wear dust mask, plastic glasses, protective eye gear, disposal clothes and gloves when removing sheetrock, especially if there is insulation behind it.
We loved the Black wall once it was up and we had the right colors and finishes we wanted. Here is what we chose.
Paint Colors for the walls
Sherwin Williams Black Majic Black (Flat Finish) Accent Wall
Behr Pure White (Satin) Other 3 Walls
Behr Bright White (Satin) Baseboards
We loved the Black accent wall and next week addressed the doors in the bedroom. If you watched the reveal video above you will see that the bathroom doors and room doors are Black. I personally think that Black looks elegant on certain types of doors, definitely not for the doors that were there so we decided to upgrade to a cleaner looking two panel door which we purchased from home depot. My husband picked the door knobs first actually before I decided to change the doors. The original plan was to just to clean and paint the doors and replace the doorknobs. When he returned from the store with these beautiful satin stainless door knobs and I decided I wanted a door that I could also paint Black and it look good. For the closet we went with a barn door with according to my husband, it was pretty simple for him to install.
Paint Colors for the doors
Sherwin Williams Black Majic Black (Satin Finish) makes it easier to clean the doors in satin finish.
Replacing furniture
First up was the bed, chosen by my husband. He decided to go with a queen size memory foam mattress, which at first, I thought I would hate but I have grown to love it. Since he picked the bed I picked the nightstands and dresser (no headboard or footboard was also a choice). The dresser is from Birch Lane, it is solid wood and heavy. The nightstands are White (not real wood) with three drawers, the top drawer also opens on the top and comes with a built in electrical outlet which we love for convenience.
Mistake #2. Did not have a hand truck or other equip to handle carry heavy furniture upstairs. Due to the Covid19 threat we didn't want the delivery and set up option.
TIP 2: If you are having furniture dropped off but not installed or put together, make provisions to get it in the house (up or down any stairs if need be) and consider the weight, size and scale of furniture when you order it online.
We worked together to put them together which actually went very well
TIP 3: If you are putting together furniture. Read the directions, take everything out of the box, sort and organize first!
TIP 4: Be prepared for furniture delivery delays
TIP 5: Many items are out of stock so think about finding other unique pieces that fit your style.
Lighting
Oh the lighting... there was a little struggle but we finally decided on a ceiling fan. He wanted cool air ceiling fan and I wanted luxury lighting, like a crystal chandelier. After looking at tons of ceilings we finally decided on one and waited for it to arrive from Amazon. The lamps were pretty easy to get from Lamps Plus. My husband wanted lamps that would were USB ready to make it easy to charge our cell phones at night. Again, I wanted elegant, I wanted Silver and White because I knew they would go against the Black accent wall.
Accessories and Accents From Amazon.
I picked most of the accessories keeping in mind I am sharing the room with a man, so I was sure to put in some accessories that would suit him.
Flooring - Wayfair
The bedding
The bedding set is from Macy's one day sale and unfortunately, I do not have a link.
Mistake 3: Not reading sizes correctly before ordering and not having it fit the scale I really want for an item.
TIP 6: Read the sizes and measure the space (3x)
Repurposed items from around the house.
My husband like to have lots of seating in the bedroom because be like myself, we don't like people sitting on the bed including each other. So he brought in a leather chair from other room and I brought in a chair they was a former DIY project and I decorated them with a few throw pillows we already had.
In Store shopping.
We did go out a few times to find some pieces. I really wanted to see and touch some of the items that would go in the room so when it came to some accessories we out to shop. I know that I wanted the room to have lots of textures and I love to touch things.
Here are some of the accessories we found out shopping for the room
Gray bench at the foot of the bed - picked out by my husband from - Home Goods
Wire heart shelf and Wooden Storage Cabinet were picked by me - Home Goods
The wood clock above the bed, that was all me, I love clocks! - Home Goods
Laundry Basket - Also me - Home Goods
TIP 7: Take your time and find pieces you love to feel, see and use.
We certainly hope this helps you. What is your design style?
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