First Time Fixer | The Primary Bedroom

Oct 6

The Before

This whole house project was an overhaul in every way. We rearranged the layout in the house to suit modern lifestyles, and it really felt like a whole new house when we were done. This bedroom used to belong to a couple of St. Bernard dogs, or so we were told by neighbors. Let’s just say it was not the best smelling room when we started, whew, that floor! Swipe through to see the progression.

The Plan

Like the rest of the house, we gutted it, put in new drywall, windows, flooring, and trim molding. The updated layout allowed the hall bathroom to connect to the primary bedroom with a sliding door (space saver!) so it has the feel of an en-suite bathroom when you don’t have guests over to share it with. We added a few more square feet to the actual footage of the bedroom (taking from the front bedroom,) and also added a much bigger closet. While not a huge closet, it is very livable, especially considering the bedroom has space for a dresser as well.

Design Choices

Like the rest of the home I used warm white for the walls, and a darker taupe for the trim to add some interest while keeping things neutral. See my kitchen post for a list of colors used throughout the house. I also chose to do a craftsman style board and bat trim on the walls to add some charm and make it feel just a little more special than the other bedrooms. A black fan compliments the black hardware on the doors, and the can lights in the ceiling allow the room to be nice and bright.

Staging & Styling

For this space I needed to get a queen size bed into the room. When a bedroom is on the smaller size, sometimes buyers have a hard time visualizing a large bed in the room. Honestly, you can pack a lot of furniture into a small room if you want to. But the trick with staging is putting in just enough to show a room’s potential while still allowing space for home shoppers to move around easily. Now a buyer can see the space, and say, “Oh, that’s a queen size? Sure we can make this work.” I added a dresser to suggest more space for storage, in addition to the room’s closet. I wanted to add use some color in each room, without going crazy, so for this one I chose rich earth tones that I pulled from the tones in the artwork on the walls. The wall art were pieces I had painted and had on hand in my studio, so I was able to use them early on in my planning as inspiration. If you love that plum colored piece, it’s actually listed in my art shop now for purchase! Sorry the large framed landscape isn’t for sale…yet. :)

Next I layered in some vintage pieces to add character; the wooden dresser, plant stand, and quilt, along with the lamp. A few small bits like the amazing handmade resin clock, a watercolor my sister did, and some old books. Last, the sheer linen curtains and a neutral rug to ground the space without competing, oh and plants - always a plant or two! I think it turned out lovely, what do you think?