taking shape…

When we last left off in December, our master bedroom looked like this. Aside from the C+ photography (prior to receiving – and trying to learn – my new flash!), this photo shows lots of good basics to build on, but no character.

I’ve never been one of those bloggers who can sit quietly for weeks (or months) on some big reveal finished project and then ramble on and on while showing all the “after” photos. To me, it’s so much more in touch with reality to see things happen in real time…all those points that happen BETWEEN the starting and finishing points. After all, most of us don’t have the time or money to just – poof! – transform a whole room in a day. Instead, big purchases have to be spread out, and little details take time to find. With that, I give you the (not yet finished) master bedroom, in progress.

First things, first – cost is king in this room. Our mulah can only stretch so far, and between building in some bookcases and then taking on the finishing of the basement this year (cha-ching), we are keeping this room in check in terms of what we spend. So it was a welcome surprise when we stumbled upon some much-needed new bedding, on sale!

(It’s from West Elm…where else?)

We went round and round with color ideas for this room, and the overall scheme is still coming into focus. What we did know was that while we love fluffy white bedding, it just doesn’t hold up over time (even with the wonder of bleach, our five-year-old white duvet had become awfully dingy up close). We also learned we will not overpay by the hundreds for our bedding this time around. Good quality, discounted price, fun color. Check.

I wanted to do something different than the typical king shams (and the matching ones to our duvet were sold out anyway). Thanks to the always-dependable Target and Amazon, three euro pillows and crisp white shams help tie it all together. (And let’s face it, the 9 days out of 10 we DON’T get the bed made, they look nice stacked on the nearby chair.)

The lamps on my dresser in the “old” photo came from TJMaxx and while they check out in photos, in real life they have a few noticeable cracks. They’ve been driving me crazy and I finally chucked them to the curb this last week in favor of these beauties. They are meant to be fillable, and Page keeps asking if we can put goldfish in them…stay tuned to see who wins that one. I love the lighter, more modern look of them and that they coordinate with (but aren’t too matchy-matchy) the lamps we added to our nightstands when we moved in.

Speaking of nightstands, my mom turned me on to the craze that is O’verlays and I added one to each of the bedside tables for a little added interest and updating. They are super easy to paint and after a few dots of Liquid Nails, they adhered quickly and easily.

It’s hard to see in photos, but I love the dimension they add to our otherwise not-too-original furniture.

(images from Olioboard)

In lieu of spending money on a new bed right now (since eventually, we’d like to re-vamp ALL of the furniture in here) I’m considering trying to faux a headboard ourselves and I am working with an Etsy artist on something to go above the window (stay tuned!).

I have been completely remiss in mentioning one of THE best things in this room. Thanks to the foresight (and geek skills) of my hubby, we can rock out in our room (and master bath) via these in-wall Polk speakers. They are even synched so I can play my Pandora or iTunes from my phone. Spoiled much? Yes, yes I am.

I would still like to bring another color into this room. I was originally sold on red but don’t want it to go all “Americana” either. Any color suggestions? Anyone else working on a color scheme for a room in their house?