Before & After
Bedroom Project

by Liz Dowling

The title of this project is the “cheap and cheerful” bedroom update.  Or, how to make a dated bedroom more stylish ~ and try to reuse almost everything in it!

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It all started by getting rid of this old desk.  Once we dragged it out, what to put in its place? This is how the project mushroomed…. before picture above.

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Here is the after!  I will take you through all we did (and saved).

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The first thing I did was paint the room.  I pulled a tone from the gray rug and painted the walls Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray.  This is a warm gray that makes a room soft and cozy.

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I love how warm the room looks now.  The white and blue color combination really pops.

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I gave the trim and ceiling a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White too.

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Next step, lose the candy colored pillows on the bed.  Time to find some fresh blue and white fabric.

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Voila!  Duralee fabrics to the rescue.  I love these two crazy patterns together.  I made a second pillow in the blue/white geometric for a white club chair that was already in the room.

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There were two blue lamps already in the bedroom (you can see one on the bureau) and a fun yellow Stray Dog Designs lamp that we were determined to keep.  I found a new floor lamp from Target (above) and got two new white lampshades for the pair of blue lamps.

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Old turquoise floor lamp on the left (tossed in the trash) and the yellow Stray Dog Designs lamp on the bureau – keeper.

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The bookcase also got a nice heavy coat of Decorator’s White paint.  Bye bye blue and green.

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Bookcase now, so cute.  I put this lamp over by the bed so the yellow shade would play off the yellow in this fun painting my college roommate did.

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The side table, double bed and print above the bed were all in the room before and rearranged for the new layout.

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I found an adorable gray loveseat on sale and put it where the desk used to be.  I bought a white Lack table from IKEA to put next to it.  Fun multi-colored fabric from Duralee for two loveseat pillows.  Now the bedroom has a cozy seating area!

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A vintage French poster, moved from another room, adds a touch of yellow and orange into the color mix.

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To Recap:

Kept: Double bed and bedding, print over bed, bedside table, bureau, mirror over bureau, white club chair and ottoman, three lamps, area rug and periwinkle throw.

New: Walls, trim and ceiling painted, pale gray loveseat, Ikea Lack side table, Target floor lamp, six custom pillows and two white lampshades.  The French Orangina poster and my college roommates painting I had and moved into the bedroom.

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This was a fun project and very satisfying.  It’s amazing what some paint, a little rearranging and a few new pieces can do to update a room!

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the wry home

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7 comments

Jennifer Goldman March 2, 2017 - 7:57 am

This is beautiful, Liz! What a gorgeous transformation 🙂

Elizabeth Dowling March 2, 2017 - 8:11 am

Thank you so much Jennifer!

Suzy Dunn March 2, 2017 - 8:29 am

Wow! It looks great!! I am inspired!!

Elizabeth Dowling March 2, 2017 - 8:36 am

Thanks Suzy! I had a low budget since this bedroom is rarely used (college student). Now I can use it for an extra guest room!

Joan Dougherty March 2, 2017 - 8:41 am

Hi Liz,
I love your blog!! You have a great eye and you make projects seem manageable room by room. BTW, which Skidmore roommate painted colorful birthday poster? Guessing Ivy. XX, Joan

Elizabeth Dowling March 2, 2017 - 10:15 am

Yes, Ivy! I have a bunch of her paintings and keep using them because they are awesome ~ xo

Anonymous March 2, 2017 - 8:55 am

❤️

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