Our Borrowed Bedroom Reveal

posted on : September 9, 2020

Last December, Brad and I moved out of our Austin rental home and put everything we owned in storage. We relocated to North Palm Beach, FL and planned to stay with his mom temporarily while we looked for a home. When we realized our stay would be longer than anticipated, my mother-in-law graciously agreed to let me makeover our room. Eventually, this new bedroom set will be used in a guest bedroom in our future home, but for now, it’s ours to enjoy!

The Before

The room was originally a bright orange (see more here) and had a mix of furniture that wasn’t quite as functional as we needed them to be. If this room was going to be our home for a while, we had to make the most of every square inch. Not to mention, we both work from home full-time so this doubles as an office.

The Plan

The room is tiny – barely 11’x11′ with low 8′ ceilings. Ideally, I would not try to fit a Queen bed and a desk into this space but our situation is unique and we need both. My first goal was to maximize space in the room itself so we got rid of the bench at the foot of the bed and moved the dresser to the closet. Dressers are typically a much more efficient use of space (vs. hanging clothes) so we didn’t mind sacrificing the hanging space to accommodate it. Plus, most of our clothes are still in storage so we didn’t have much to put away.

My second goal was to maximize organization. We have all kinds of random items with us (computers, toiletries, files, dog gear etc.) that we would not normally have to cram in to a bedroom. It was important that I pick furniture and accessories that allow a place for each of the things.

My third goal was to make this room feel brighter and more open. Since it doesn’t get a ton of natural light, I opted for a neutral wall color with a bit of warmth and pigment to it. (You can read more about how to choose the right paint color here!) For the furniture and decor, I decided to stick with a tonal palette and focus on amping up the interest with texture instead of color. This will help keep this tiny space from feeling too busy.

The After

It took four months to finish and I love how it came together! While the foundation of this room is fairly cool-toned, I was able to figure out how to warm it up with some earthy, organic accents. If you look at my design aesthetic from three years ago, you’ll notice that I’ve slowly been diverting away from my overtly coastal style to a more classic, subtle look.

The Bed

I always choose a bed first when designing a bedroom. It is, after all, the whole point of the space. I love the channel tufting on this one because it’s a little unique yet simple and transitional.

The Nightstands

I knew I wanted to experiment with incorporating black into my design because it’s not something I’ve done before and I love how sophisticated it looks. Black tends to show up a lot in modern styles so I was careful to choose pieces with more traditional detailing. I wanted this space to feel timeless. The tables I chose turned out to be the perfect mix of old and new.

The Lamps

These lamps add tons of personality with their earthy, stone base. I typically love a large statement lamp and I look for something that contrasts with both the bed and the nightstands. A large lamp means less need for styling and contrast really helps at depth and interest. The stone look was a nice juxtaposition with the shiny black nightstands.

The Rug

Similarly, I looked for a rug that would contrast with my nightstands and my bed. This one looked much warmer and more tan online but showed up a cool blue. It’s really a beautiful rug (and super affordable) but not quite what I had in mind for the space. I’ll eventually sell it or re-purpose it when I find a better replacement.

The Bedding

I really love putting together bedding and I tend to invest a lot of time, money and thought into my layers. This bed was a little tricky for me because we are in South Florida now and we’ll never need warmer layers. I had to figure out how to build a bed that looked full but still kept us cool at night. I’ll save the details for another post but in short, I opted for bamboo sheets, an open weave bed blanket and a breezy linen duvet.

I kept the palette super tonal (meaning I chose a variety of muted colors within the same family) and chose small scale patterns and textures to keep it feeling organic and interesting.

The Decor

I sourced my decor from a handful of small shops that I was eager to support. I knew I wanted to keep the pieces minimal (this room is way too small for clutter) yet impactful. I love pieces that have a story! I picked up some beautiful bone inlay frames and a wooden samosa mold from Meridian. I use the samosa mold to hold our foreign coins – a little reminder of the great adventures we’ve had!

The Desk & Closet

These two spaces are more functional than they are styled but I did want to point out a few things I love. I bought these beautiful, affordable soft baskets for the closet to maximize the space above our clothes. I invested in this amazing solid wood cane desk chair and balanced out my budget with an affordable writing desk. To give the desk some more charm, I replaced the wood hardware with these bronze metal knobs. It tied into my black and bronze lamp nicely! A little tip: when shopping for wallet-friendly furniture, I look for pieces that have some nice detailing to them. Then, I look for easy ways to amp up their perceived value – like painting the piece or swapping out hardware.