A Post-Dorm Style Room to a Bright, Fresh Traditional Master | CLJ Mood boards

I got so many encouraging emails and messages from you over the weekend about my inquiry of sharing mood boards occasionally for other people's spaces--including some of yours! I get so many requests for online consultations and while that unfortunately doesn't fit into my day right now, hopefully as we select a few to share here every once in a while, everyone will be able to benefit, or be inspired or pluck something from the ideas.

While they will mostly be digital projects, the one that we're sharing today is actually a bedroom Chris and I will be doing in a day on Instagram Stories in just a couple weeks as part of an upcoming project! Here's how the master bedroom looks today:

I think it's a very relatable before photo for a lot of people, perhaps especially in their mid to late 20's. I love that there is effort made here--the mismatched nightstands are painted the same color, the printed off artwork was a a good effort in making this space something more. But what this couple expressed to us that they really wanted was to move pass the post-dorm style and transform this space into something that felt polished, bright, soothing and like a retreat.

First, we gathered some inspiration photos that had elements that they loved or a general vibe they connected to:

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I noticed immediately they all had a light, bright neutral palette and soft, tall, cushy headboards. While there bedroom will still have carpet and lower ceilings, unlike the inspiration photos--I knew we could inject a lot of the same luxe tone on tone vibes for a lot less than the inspiration photos.

Here's what I came up with:

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1. A tall, wingback headboard like this will not only add height to the room, but it will completely change the way they relax. Just going for a headboard, instead of a full bed is a great way to save some money, too!

2. An 8x10 Peachy-blue traditional rug. You can spend a fortune on a Persian or Oriental rug, but this one is actually mass-produced and very affordable! An 8x10 will take up a good portion of the existing carpet and really disguise it.

3. Stacked frames above a nightstand is another great trick to bring the eye up and make the room look taller, especially if there is a lot of white space. These budget-friendly frames have large white mats and we're gonna pop in photos of the couple.

4. The window is actually pretty wide in here, but we're going to use this pewter rod, hung high and along the majority of the window wall (it goes to 120" wide!) to make the window look even larger.

5. We purchased 4 panels of these budget-friendly striped curtains so we can hang them high and wide and fill up that wall with a lot of soft layers.

6. These nightstands are sturdy, with clean lines and most importantly, have storage! It's easy to fall for a nightstand that looks good, but if you're the kind of person that stores a lot of things bedside--it's always a good idea to look for something with concealed storage and looks good so you're not constantly fighting clutter. These fit the bill.

7. The warm, aged brass of this semi-flushmount fixture repeats in the dresser and bedside lamps. I love a good flush mount!

8. Opposite the bed, there's currently a giant, crumbling armoire that was at the top of the list of what had to go (we'll be sure to give you the full visual when we tackle this room in person). This dresser adds some contrast to all the lightness without being overwhelmingly dark. I really love the drawer handles--and the price!

9. Almost every inspiration had a modern element (something I whole-heartedly love injecting into our own spaces, too!), and these lamps are the perfect modern touch.

10. Layered, tonal, cushy bedding like this will absolutely transform the feel of their whole room.

We're so excited to see this room transform and to bring all of you along for the ride. We haven't nailed down a paint color just yet (waiting to do that in person), but I'm leaning toward a warm white like Sherwin Williams Alabaster or Benjamin Moore's White Dove. Anyone else have a room like the before photo? Hope this gives you some ideas!

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