A couple weeks ago, we completed a one-day bedroom makeover for a couple that had been having trouble moving their bedroom from a post-college look to a more sophisticated, grown-up, cozy room. It all started when Ralph Lauren Home reached out and asked us to do an Instagram campaign with their bedding–which could have really just been us making our own bed–but we love to pay it forward when we can. So, we got AllModern on board (thank you!) to donate a few key pieces, hired a videographer to shoot the whole thing, decided to do it live on Instagram and purchased a few things ourselves to really help the room come together for them. In just a few hours, we transformed their whole room into this:
That same morning, before we started, it looked like this!:
Same room! Even though we shared the whole makeover in real time on our insta-stories, we brought in a videographer to document the process of the day so we could share that with you all here.
There were 5 big changes that really helped the room transform.
1. The wall color. Before the room had gray walls, which is a popular choice. However, even though the room had a window, it didn’t get a ton of natural light and the gray was making everything feel a lot colder. White, in here, would also feel cold and shadowy because of the lack of natural light. By choosing a lighter, warmer-toned paint (Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray) it made the whole space feel warm and sunny without the presence of the sun.
2. Adding High, Wide, and Thick Window Coverings. The window was wide, but a little squatty so the proportions of this wall were feeling off. We hung bamboo blinds to warm things up (our long ones didn’t arrive in time, so we made due by hanging two side by side, but have since swapped it out) slightly above the window to cheat it up a bit. Then, we hung 4 curtain panels (two on each side) from the ceiling to the floor, and filling in each side for a really luxe, soft look. This doesn’t have to break the bank either–the curtains are from Target! (All sources listed at the bottom of the post).
3. Adding a Headboard. You don’t have to buy a whole new bed to up the sophistication factor in your bedroom. We attached this wingback headboard to their existing king metal frame they were rocking and it instantly (I mean instantly!!) made this room 1000x more cozier. Not to mention it made the room feel taller and overall more grand.
4. An Area Rug (even over carpet!) is always a good idea! We were going for a calming, tone on tone color scheme, but didn’t want it to fall flat. This area rug added a lot of interest, a little bit of color and an extra cushion under foot. Since the room was a modest size, under their king size bed, we laid an 8×10. If your room is a little larger, a 9×12 would work!
5. Lighting is Everything. This tip belongs on every makeover tip list everywhere, but we definitely had some obstacles to overcome in here. Besides there not being a ton of natural light, we really wanted to address the heavily textured ceiling. As in, make it go away without doing a bunch of construction. By swapping out their flush mount (that highlighted every bump) with a semi-flushmount that kept the light away from the ceiling and focused below–the room looks so much softer. Here’s a gif to demonstrate (really look at the difference in the ceiling!):
And because every room needs at least 2-3 light sources, we also added two fantastic (matching!) table lamps to their nightstands that add height and interest and a modern element to the space.
We kept the decor minimal. Simple frames with black and white photos. I cut the greenery from their tree in the front yard and added a little (faux) succulent to the other nightstand, along with my favorite budget-friendly wood vase sculptures.
At the end of the day, we could barely remember where we started because the room felt totally different. It felt soft and cozy and sophisticated and grown up and cleaner and approachable, too.
The whole family piled into bed and the boys jumped up and down a hundred times and it was the most rewarding thing to see. With every makeover we do outside of our own home, I always finish thinking “I want this to be MY room” and this space was no different. I hear it’s kind of their new place to gather and hang out as a family–and I don’t blame them one bit!
SOURCES:
Wall Color:Â Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
Headboard:Â in Linen Talc | Target
Bedding:Â Lauren Ralph Lauren Home | Macy’s
Duvet Insert | Amazon
Bedside Lamps | AllModern
Semi-Flushmount Ceiling Fixture | AllModern
Frames | AllModern
Wooden Vase Sculptures |Â McGee & Co
Faux Succulent |Â Target
Nightstands | AllModern
Area Rug | AllModern
Curtains |Â Target
Bamboo Blind | AllModern
Curtain Rod | AllModern
Dresser (seen in video)Â | AllModern
Special thank you to AllModern for donating so many wonderful products for the makeover. The turnaround time was so fast (we had to get this project done before Polly was born!) and I can always find just the right things on their site. And also to Ralph Lauren Home for letting us showcase their product in a way that helped others. Such a fun project!!Â
Love the transformation! Can you explain how you hung the curtains? Did you use clips? And I loved your last podcast BTW!!!
Just slid them through the rod. There’s a pocket at the top of these curtains.
I love the makeover, it looks great. But, did you really paint and then hang curtains and art the same day? I’m always paranoid about making sure the paint is fully dry. How long do you wait?
This paint only took a couple hours. You can add some fans to the room to help, as well. While the paint was drying we put furniture together, swapped out the light and did other things that didn’t require the paint be dry.
I’ve been waiting for this post since I saw it “live” on Instagram (such a great idea btw, LOVED to sneak in during the day to see what you were up to!). I love the transformation, it turned out great. And also; SO MANY useful tips, thank you!
I LOVE this space! I have a low/small window like this in my house and haven’t known what to do with it. I’m for sure going to hang some curtains wide and tall – but I wonder what you think of hanging the blinds a little higher, too? Is that even possible?
Such a beautiful space. Can’t believe what a difference the new lighting makes!