Behind The Design: Bedroom Retreat Makeover with Bedside "Nursery"
“This post is in partnership with Lulu & Georgia because I love em & know you’ll love em too!”
In case you missed it, you can watch the video reveal of the primary here & shop the entire reveal here.
If you've been keeping up on the blog or on instagram, then you know our bedroom was on our list of projects to tackle this year.
The last time I designed a bedroom for us was 5½ years ago — time is wild! — so with the whirlwind that’s been the past couple of years, finally having a bedroom that’s feels complete is like living a dream. Now let's talk about how we got here...
This is the bedroom as the previous homeowners had it. As a reminder, within our first year of moving in, we -
took down the window treatments & installed motorized shades
removed the in wall heater & got a ductless mini split system
replaced the ceiling fan with a flush mount light
ripped up the carpet & installed luxury vinyl planks
Every now & again we would switch out our chair for a new look, and overall, the bedroom we created wasn't bad at all… it just wasn't a completely designed space. Similar to the mini's bedroom, it was furnished & functional; however with the arrival of the miniest, this was a good time to really be thoughtful about how we wanted this space to look, and more importantly, feel.
The design plan was to create a hygge sanctuary, featuring classic silhouettes & layered textures.
We planned to work with a lot of the same pieces, with the biggest planned changes being —
remove the popcorn ceiling & paint the walls
upgrade bed & mattress
switch out the lighting fixture for something more textured
create a "bedside nursery" for the miniest
While we knew what direction we wanted to go in with the new wall color — "moody" as the girlies like to say — we looked at a lot of shades before landing on Behr's Binary Star in a matte finish from The Home Depot. The reason this took up so much of our time is because we had to be mindful of the fact that this room has french doors, and no windows, so it gets A LOT of natural light from the east. We knew that whatever color we chose, it would likely look different throughout the day and we needed to love all of its iterations... and Binary Star was the winner! We ended up loving the finished product so much that there's a strong possibility of us painting the ceiling down the line. Why not now? Because we were on a time crunch to finish before I'd go into labor. Spoiler Alert: we completed everything 36 hours before my water broke! Talk about cutting it close!
Now back to the transformation...
With the popcorn ceiling removed & the walls painted, we tackled something that was long overdue — upgrading our bed & mattress. There was technically nothing “wrong” with our previous bed and mattress, except that we were no longer comfortable. Over time, our biggest qualm with our previous bed — a wood platform bed — was the headboard. We realized, once we got the headboard for our bonus bedroom, that we much preferred a high upholstered headboard; at the time, however, we'd had the wood bed maybe 6 months so we weren't too keen on buying a brand new one so soon. We eventually got over it... until I got pregnant. Sitting up in bed during the pregnancy was so challenging because the headboard was low and I didn't have the back support I needed... and because the headboard was wood, I didn't have the comfort I wanted. This, coupled with the mattress, became a problem for both of us.
AS A REMINDER, THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY Lulu & Georgia. THEY PROVIDED US WITH the Joan Wingback Platform Upholstered Bed to help us usher in a more comfortable 4th trimester.
When it came to our bed, in addition to having a high upholstered headboard for sitting up & relaxing, we also knew we wanted a wingback bed for additional comfort + the attractiveness of the clean lines of the "wings". After ordering a few fabric samples to see against the new walls, we selected L&G's Joan Wingback Bed in Natural Stripe. The fabric design reminded me of a classic pinstripe stripe suit and the color would be the perfect contrast to the darker walls.
This upholstery & color combination effortlessly aligned with our hygge inspired design ethos.
The style of the bed was definitely more “sophisticated” than our previous bed, which has a more industrial aesthetic. Going into this new chapter of our lives as parents of two, this upgrade was also a gift to us, as husband & wife — a reminder than while we may be parents... while we may soon be sharing this room with a new baby... we are still us. We wanted a bed that felt more representative of our new life... in addition to being comfortable & good looking. The vibe change, simply from switching out the beds, aligned with out we felt going into this next chapter.
Once installed with our new mattress — a 14" foam & spring hybrid mattress — we knew this would be a game changer for us! My first time sitting up against the headboard, it's almost as if my back began to sing... that's how comfortable it was. Having a headboard that went well past my head meant being able to effortlessly & comfortably sit up to read, watch tv, and/or nurse. The wings would even serve as a place to rest my head during middle of the night feedings... #itsthelittlethings. Since we know the design is in the details, also having a fully upholstered bed frame was truly a style upgrade.
With the focal point in place, all the other design details would come together...
bed | duvet set | velvet quilt | bolster pillow | bedding | paint
We kept our Ruggable Thalia hatchwork rug because we loved how all the line patterns complimented one another without competing or being to visually jarring. For the new overhead lighting, we brought in an oversized cane pendant with contrasting tones for some subtle drama & added texture.
bed | rug | pendant | floor lamp | rocker | ottoman (similar) | duvet set | velvet quilt | bolster pillow | bedding | wall paint
While we have loved our Nelson Ball Bubble Sconces over the years, we wanted a new look + we had to be mindful of the baby's part of the room. So in addition to new overhead lighting, we replaced the sconces flanking each side of our bed with a single light floor lamp. The layered lighting with the darker walls feels so luxurious at night... especially both fixtures having dimmable bulbs. 10s across the board!
“Tip: lighting is typically the unsung hero of a design. Don’t be afraid to layer your lighting to create an intentionally designed look & multidimensional ambiance. ”
All that would be left would be the finishing touches for the baby — crib, rocker, bedside cart — in addition to purging & refining the decor. We pared down a lot because while we were going darker in color, we wanted the room to “feel” lighter... including having bare walls.
For our deconstructed bedside nursery — since not everything is confined to our "bedside" — we were just as intentional. We prioritized safety features for all of our selections for the baby, however, I'd be remiss if I didn't also factor the design of the bedroom into our final choices, including the mini crib we selected. For our crib selection — which would've worked in this space in either shade of green it comes in — was all about the clean lines… a selection that was inspired by the pinstripe design of our new bed.
Rounding out the baby inspired selections would be trading in our previous chair selections for a new fabric & wood rocker with a charging port, bringing in one of our rattan ottomans (also from Lulu & Georgia) as a foot rest, and eliminating one of our nightstands (which is now in the mini's bedroom I recently revealed) to be replaced with a cart for baby & I.
I recently saw online that "bedroom parents" has become this new social media trending topic — parents who spend most of their time at home in their bedroom as their kid-free space. We're in an extremely hectic season of life so having this place of a respite is a gift. Having a bed that we can crash fall into and have a good night's sleep — even if it is just four hours — is a blessing. While I won't go so far as to say we're "bedroom parents" — obvs not since this is also the baby's room — I will say that with this completed transformation + our recently completed balcony bistro, I spend A LOT of time up sitting up in my room.
Are there tweaks we may make over time? Absolutely! We may upgrade our nightstand or add a gallery wall on one side of the room. For now though, the room feels exactly right for us!
Wondering what’s on the other side of the french doors? Check out the reveal of the balcony bistro here.
