Welcome to my bedroom. A cocoon of light and white. Created during 2020 as the answer to the ball of tension thrown our way that year. You know the feeling of release in your eyeballs when you open the curtains on a winter morning and find the entire landscape engulfed in a blanket of snow? That is the feeling this room gives me. Total peace.
Like everyone on HGTV, I left the master bedroom to last after prioritizing the shared spaces. By the time I got around to it, it was January 2020. The timing was perfect – I had it painted white and new (white!) carpeting installed in February right before the shutdown. A blank canvas to paint in the coming months while I navigated maintaining my sanity whilst working remote fulltime with three kids at home. Creating this refuge became my refuge.
My favorite part of the project? The antique cabinet. I had bought it 10 years prior at a consignment shop with the intent of converting it into a children’s armoire for my son. We lived in a tiny Baltimore rowhouse and we needed the closet space. I just never got around to the project. I loved that cabinet and it came with us through two more moves until we got into our current house. There it sat for 6 years in a storage room. I no longer needed the closet space and I had no idea how I would use it, but I couldn’t let it go.
Enter 2020-bedroom renovation. I already had the bed and amazing vintage dressers, but I needed something on the far wall. I remembered the antique cabinet. It was perfect for the space and just need to be painted. You know when you pick the wrong paint color and only figure it out after spending many hours laboring? Yeah, that has happened to me several times and it results in many tears and much frustration. Now I don't make any final decisions until I undergo a rigorous paint-selection process. I applied my method for this cabinet and settled on Sherwin Williams Pewter Green. Just enough color to bring interest to the room, but neutral enough to read as sophisticated. Three coats of paint applied with no regrets. Perfection.
Before:
The Options:
After:
Next were the lamps. I needed something tall; I wanted them to be vintage and ideally marble. With those parameters in mind, I took myself to Etsy and managed to find this pair of beautiful Italian marble and walnut vintage lamps. The shop based in Philadelphia said local pick-up only, but since it was April 2020, they were making exceptions and shipping. Lucky me.
The reading nook was the high-stakes area. I wouldn’t be able to visit the pieces in person and returning furniture is a headache, so I wanted to be 99% sure of my choice before clicking “buy now.” I created mock-up visuals of my top choices and it made my choice clear. I could now click with confidence. Three years later I still love this corner where I read every night.
OPTION 1:
OPTION 2:
FINAL RESULT:
The lesson here? The spaces we inhabit impact our emotional well-being. Also, the way we go about designing can be done in a way that feels fun. Applying processes minimizes the frustration of not knowing what choice to make or having to back-track when you don't get it right the first time. Every design choice impacts the next one and you always have to keep the big picture in full view. How will this room serve me? How do I want to feel while I am here? Will a design solution in one area create a design problem somewhere else? There's a lot to consider to arrive at a result you feel satisfied with.
I am happy to report that this room achieved everything I sought after. In the morning, I open the curtains to let in the light and lie in bed staring at the room. No meditation required.
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