Before and After One Room Challenge The Scenery House

One Room Challenge Week 1: The Main Bedroom Plan

October 3, 2018

mid century nightstand casement windows master bedroom

It’s the first week of the Fall 2018 One Room Challenge! If you’re not familiar, every spring and fall, 20 featured designers selected by the ORC team participate in a 6-week challenge to decorate one room. The event is hosted by Linda Weinstein of Calling it Home and Better Homes and Gardens. In addition to the featured designers, hundreds of other folks with blogs (and Instagram this season!) join in on the challenge as Guest Participants <— that’s me.

If you’ve hopped over to this post from the ORC website – welcome! I’m Emily, this is my blog, and I’m working on undecorating the 1929 tudor-ish home I share with my husband, Andy, and our corgi, Penelope. This is my second One Room Challenge (last season I made over our guest room). I am glad you’re here!

We loved our guest room makeover so much that we decided it was time for our main bedroom to get the ORC treatment. What I love most about the One Room Challenge is the community and accountability. I have the support of my fellow participants and the pressure to actually finish a project – which is not always my strong suit.

Our bedroom is large (about 19′ x 13′) for the age and size of our house, with two closets and an ensuite bathroom. I’ve really only photographed small corners and vignettes in this room because overall, it feels a bit empty and unfinished. Let’s take a look at what it looked like when we first saw it in the listing photos and where we are now.

Canopy bed listing photo

[photo from real estate listing]

The walls were painted a purple-mauve-gray and there was a chair rail around the room. The canopy bed and very low hung curtains make the ceiling look so low. I hope you’re counting because there are FIVE rugs in here. And not one is anchored by a dang thing.

small rugs everywhere listing photo

[photo from real estate listing]

And while you’re counting, see 2 more rugs in the bathroom. The floors in this room were in bad shape, probably the worst in the whole house which is probably the reason for all the rugs.

Ok, so what does it look like now? After having the floors refinished, we went functionally sparse and a little minimal in the space, using furniture from our much smaller apartment bedroom. As soon as we moved in I removed the chair rail and after a few months, painted the walls my favorite white – Simply White by Benjamin Moore. We swapped out the chandelier for a much simpler fixture by Cedar and Moss and put up our favorite IKEA SKOGSKLOVER shades (more about our roller shares here). And that’s about it.

White wall master bedroom mid century

We placed our bed in front of the windows to make the space feel open with lots of room on both sides. So much room, we could totally (and will totally!) fit a king size bed here PLUS bigger night stands.

White wall master bedroom leaded glass windowsdark shag rug white walls mid century dresser

My 3 drawer dresser (part of an amazing Kent Coffey Tableau set I scored for less than $200 at a thrift store many moons ago) is placed in front of what used to be a fireplace. The brick chimney has been plastered over and sits directly above the fireplace in our living room. I have always wanted a fireplace in my bedroom – there’s just something so classic and cozy about such a thing – so I decided why not just add one? So I will! And I’ve got plans! More on how we’re going to add a fireplace surround with an electric insert to this room in the coming weeks!

white master bedroom louvered closet

This side of the room (opposite the windows) has Andy’s closet and the door to the ensuite bathroom. I replaced the pulls on the closet doors but did not give them the fresh coat of paint they deserve.

master bedroom closets

To the left of Andy’s closet is the door to my walk-in closet. And I know, I know, that small floating rug! It used to be our living room rug in our apartment and then was in the record area in our living room until we replaced it. It landed up here because we had nowhere else to put it and Penelope (our corgi) really appreciates rugs.

white walls mid century dresser kent coffey tableau

This is Andy’s dresser which is part of the Kent Coffey Tableau set I mentioned earlier. It’s in great shape but Andy’s wishlist for our room includes a 6 drawer dresser with smooth, soft-close drawers.

blank white wall master bedroom

What a nice big blank wall. And what’s that blob at the top? That’s where a vent for the old AC system used to. We started ripping out the old unit, vents, and ductwork over a month ago and haven’t finished skim coating and painting all the patched holes. My plan for this wall is to create a tidy gallery grid of Andy’s photographs.

Main Bedroom Design Ideas

modern traditional neutral master bedroom

[ flush mount fixture | black frames | print | curtains | lampnightstands | bed | quilt | basket | rug | pillow ]

My design starting point was that beautiful white oak spindle bed from Rejuvenation. I’ve had my eye on it since I first saw the walnut version in Emily Henderson’s Bedroom. It’s just gorgeous. It’s definitely a splurge item but when I looked around for other options I just couldn’t find anything I loved as much.

I really want to find an 8×10 rug that has a modern traditional look with some blush, blue, and gray tones – the one in the mood board sold out before I could get it! The shag rugs under our bed (what we have now is actually 2 IKEA rugs side-by-side pretending to be 1 single rug, so secret’s out: we have 3 rugs in our bedroom) are super cozy to walk on but very difficult to clean. Even our Dyson has trouble with these shag rugs and now that we have a Roomba, we want a lower pile rug that is Roomba-friendly.

Main Bedroom Layout

master bedroom layout skechup

To-do List

  • Pick and order furniture
  • Select the perfect king-size mattress in a box
  • Buy king-size bedding and pillows
  • Curate gallery grid from Andy’s travel photography
  • Art!
  • Design and build fireplace surround
  • Get curtains (and maybe figure out the elusive euro pleat)
  • Find the perfect large and slightly less large rug combo
  • Finish patching old vent hole and touch up paint
  • Shop for a new dresser for Andy
  • Transfer my clothes from the 3 drawer dresser into the built-in dresser in my closet

Does that sound like enough? Wooow. Well, here goes.

Remember to follow along and see what the Featured Designers and Guest Participants are up to!

One Room Challenge Guest Participant

Hey heads up: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

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40 Comments

  • Reply jewel marlowe October 3, 2018 at 11:05 pm

    Girrllll. You have the fastest link up in the land! Love the room and can’t wait to see it come together!

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 7:35 pm

      Haha thank you! Same to you, Jewel, your talent with color and pattern is unmatched!

  • Reply Marti October 3, 2018 at 11:10 pm

    Eeee! Even though I haven’t seen all of the ORC participants, I feel pretty confident in saying: yours is the one I’m most excited about. This looks gorgeous.

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 7:36 pm

      Martiii, thank you! I was SO excited to see you on the guest page – you are so talented and I can’t wait to see your mudroom come together.

  • Reply Julie October 3, 2018 at 11:16 pm

    It’s beautiful already – can’t wait to see what you do!

  • Reply Create/Enjoy October 3, 2018 at 11:42 pm

    Oooh, I am so excited! Adding a fireplace, wow! Your mood board is gorgeous too!!

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 7:38 pm

      Thanks so much, Suzannah! The fireplace is going to be quite a project.

  • Reply Nicole Varga October 4, 2018 at 9:26 am

    The room is already light and bright and beautiful! Can’t wait to see how it turns out with all those planned changes!

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 7:40 pm

      Thank you, Nicole! Excited to see your room come together as well!

  • Reply Nicole October 4, 2018 at 9:48 am

    I am so excited to be following your progress again! I feel like I’ve been in withdrawal, and I’m doing a happy dance in my head now.
    Just a couple thoughts for you:
    #1 – We have and love our Casper mattress. We actually liked the Sapira (by Leesa) better, but not $700 better. We personally found the Leesa too soft, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either one.
    #2 – IKEA has new curtains/new colors AND THEY’RE CURRENTLY 20% OFF (with IKEA Family membership). Not sure if you’re into velvet again for this room, but they’re updating the Sanela line to NOT HAVE GROMMETS! I consider this a personal win. Be sure to look in-store… not all the new stuff is online yet.

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 7:42 pm

      Hi!! Thank you so much, Nicole! That is so helpful about the mattresses – I’ve been hearing lots of good things about Leesa but haven’t heard a ton about Casper lately. And yesss I’m so happy to see that IKEA’s curtains are on sale, PERFECT timing. I think I’m gonna try something beige-ish (which is honestly a first for me) and I wanna get there this weekend to look.

  • Reply Melissa Lynch October 4, 2018 at 9:53 am

    Love all these plans! But especially can’t wait to see what you do with the fireplace!!! That sounds amazing <3

  • Reply Elizabeth | Elizabeth Burns Design October 4, 2018 at 10:17 am

    Wow, those listing photos! Can’t wait to this come to life! :)

  • Reply tim@designmaze October 4, 2018 at 11:07 am

    looking fab! it’s already a beauty and it will be such a serene space in 6 weeks! Loving the size too and yay to the fireplace in the bedroom. My dream one day hopefully soon.

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 7:57 pm

      Thanks so much Tim! I hope you get a bedroom fireplace someday too!

  • Reply Sarah October 4, 2018 at 11:50 am

    I’m so excited to follow this! I loved your guest bedroom. The fireplace is going to be a lovely addition, I’m sure.

    Sarah

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 7:58 pm

      Thanks so much, Sarah! I’m definitely most excited about the fireplace. And having a giant bed, mostly for the corgi.

  • Reply Jessica | House Homemade October 4, 2018 at 1:37 pm

    So exciting! It’ll look so good

  • Reply Rocky @ RelativeRenovations October 4, 2018 at 2:35 pm

    I love your plans for the room – it already looks better so I can’t imagine how good it will be after 6 weeks of love and attention. I also feel like the ORC is a great opportunity to get things done and be accountable! That’s why we are re-doing our master bed
    rooms for it.

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 8:02 pm

      Thank you, Rocky! The ORC is truly a great motivator. Excited to watch you transform your space as well!

  • Reply Deneen October 4, 2018 at 3:30 pm

    Listing photos – shudder. It’s already so improved upon. How fabulous to have a fireplace in your bedroom – seems so extravagant. I’ll definitely be checking in to see how this comes out.

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 8:03 pm

      Thank you Deneen! I will definitely feel officially fancy if I can pull off the bedroom fireplace in the next few weeks!

  • Reply Stacy | Blake Hill House October 4, 2018 at 4:43 pm

    This room is going to be gorgeous, Emily. I loved the real estate listing photos. :) Your plans look so good.

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 8:09 pm

      Thank you, Stacy! I love looking back at the listing photos for our house, it’s like seeing it for the first time all over again.

  • Reply Ellen October 4, 2018 at 6:34 pm

    But what will you do with the Kent Coffey set!?! Should I start stalking Craigslist? (I’m a steel town girl)

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 8:10 pm

      Heyo! We will probably be selling the set. I have some people to check with who might have dibs but if not, I can let you know!

  • Reply Allie October 4, 2018 at 6:38 pm

    Love the plans! You’ve already come so far from when you bought the house… but this transformation is going to be amazing!

  • Reply thesweetbeast October 4, 2018 at 8:12 pm

    Thanks so much, Allie! So glad you’re in the ORC again this season!

  • Reply Rachel October 4, 2018 at 8:33 pm

    It’s already so much better than the before, but I’m sure it’ll look great when you’re done. When I saw your plans, though, the first thing I wondered is why you wouldn’t go for one big rug, vs. two smaller ones. It looks like two smaller ones will chop up the space. Just a friendly suggestion you might not have considered!

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 6, 2018 at 10:02 am

      thanks! I could do 1 big rug but I’m worried about finding something that’s the right size. And with the fireplace footprint, I think I’d have to move the bed and everything a little to the left of the room or have less rug space on either side of the bed which isn’t ideal.

  • Reply Ashley - The Gold Hive October 4, 2018 at 11:58 pm

    GIRL. I’m v excited for this. I expect no less than 5 rugs in this room when you’re finished!

  • Reply Jude October 8, 2018 at 10:31 am

    I can’t wait to see this unfold! I’m sure it will be stunning. <3

  • Reply L D October 16, 2018 at 10:05 pm

    JUST HERE TO SAY I THINK YOU ARE SO AMAZING! Can not wait to see this room and sleep next to that fireplace with P <3

  • Reply Sara October 18, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    I’m counting down the days for your REVEAL! I’m in the process of updating the Master in our 1950’s mid-century home with oak trim. Your site speaks to me because it’s a “real” way to bring things together without a major overhaul. I can’t wait to see the color you pick for your walls…OR are you staying with white?! Love that I’ve discovered you and your blog!

    • Reply thesweetbeast October 18, 2018 at 8:18 pm

      Thank you so much!! I think we’re going to stay with the white. I was tempted to do a beige-y or pale terracotta color but decided the white works well. Plus, I have a messed up should and should not be painting!

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